HELP!

[Pierre.Suave]

I am in the process of disassembling a 14inch iBook that stopped working so I can get the HDD out and recover the data, however, there is a stripped Hex screw on the bottom that I cant get anything to grip and turn.

Anyone got any good ideas as to how I can get this screw out?

[flvegan]

1. "...grip and turn..." and a "stripped" screw

oh, man. I'd like to help, but my mind just isn't in it.

[Pierre.Suave]

2. I suppose...

...I should have known that was coming.

[flvegan]

3. Saturday night...in The Lounge...bound to happen.

Sorry. I'd use a hex wrench, jammed smartly in the stripped screw to remove it, but you'd be applying a lot of pressure and literally torquing the hell out of it. Might damage the sensitive components.

[Pierre.Suave]

4. Yeah, that was

idea #2, right after I nixed the idea of using a REALLY strong magnet....

[rug]

5. An Apple?

[Pierre.Suave]

6. yes

an apple.

[Pierre.Suave]

7. Bump for the daytime crew

If anyone has a good idea, I would like to hear it.

[Whoa_Nelly]

8. Call Sears

I think Craftsman makes a stripped hex screw removal tool

on edit:

here's one like what Sears has -- Ace HArdware also carries this particular one
http://www.amazon.com/Grab-Damaged-Screw-Remover-Set/dp/B0002ESD8A

[Pierre.Suave]

9. Thank you

that looks like what I will have to do, that and a new screw...

[thefool_wa]

10. BE VERY CAREFUL!

If this is like the one I use you have to drive it into the stripped bolt with a hammer (and hard). I'm not sure how that is going to work out with the screw being in a computer.

[Pierre.Suave]

11. The ones I have seen

are screwed into the offending screw, and through that motion, pull the screw out.

[thefool_wa]

12. Have you had any luck with it yet? n/t

[Pierre.Suave]

14. I have not even tried to work on it today

I think I will go to a hardware store on Tuesday and keep working on it then.

edit: here is what I did try. I jammed a flat blade screwdriver in there, and used pliers to try and turn it, the only thing that happened however is the head of it became even more stripped, exacerbating the problem.

[qnr]

13. If I were doing it, since it's stripped and unuseable, I'd put a little of that epoxy putty

(or regular epoxy) into the stripped part, and then poke something into the epoxy that I could later twist with a pair of pliers. Seems like it would be the least damaging option for the notebook, no heat, no pressure, etc.

[Pierre.Suave]

15. Now, thats a good idea

I should give that a try.

[MadHound]

16. Vise grips?

Or if you've time to spare, as somebody mentioned above, Craftsman makes a tool that helps out with stripped bolts.

[Pierre.Suave]

17. What exactly

would I do with vise grips?

[KitchenWitch]

18. grip the head of the stripped screw

[Pierre.Suave]

19. I cant

it is flush with the base of the comp.

[KitchenWitch]

20. Okay, that is what the vice grips were for - to grip the screwhead

but that is impossible.

I would try the superglue idea then.