Need help! Going nuts!

[wayliff]

I am replacing a dead hard drive of a Sony VAIO PCG FX-370.
The hard drive comes in some sort of enclosure...it has four screws on the sides that attach the drive to the enclosure.
Two of those were extremely easy to remove, the other two are just impossible too tight...and they are kind of wearing out because I keep trying to get them out.
I have used all kinds of screw drivers.

Does anyone know if I can get this enclosure ?? buy it ??
Or any suggestions?

Help deeply appreciated!!

Thanks!!

 

[jschuk]

Did you try to tighten the screws first? That helps break the "grip" of the screw a lot of the time. If the enclosure is removed from the laptop, then you could slot the screws with a dremel. If it is still in the laptop, you can drill off the heads and hopefully use needle nose to unscrew the leftover studs. I would be too worried about messing up the enclosure. Laptop HDDs don't need too much securing to hold them in place.

 

[SWEnginerd]

Is it possible that Sony might have used LocTite on the screws? This is an adhesive that is sometimes put on screws to prevent them from loosening.

If they did, then you will need to heat the screws with a torch to get the LocTite to break down first.

Before doing that, though, if you can, you might also try throwing the
thing in the freeser to cool it down; if the screws are steel and the chassis is aluminum, that might cause them to contract apart enough to ease the task. (One of the keys on my keyboard broke today; guess which one -- hint: "freeser". :-/ )

 

[wayliff]

Thanks guys!

I will give it a try and let you know how it works.

 

[dnuggett]

Not to argue here, but I do not know if I would cool the hard drive by putting it in the freezer. At least not for any extended period of time.

 

[wayliff]

I would certainly not use the torch or the freezer trick unless strictly necessary.

In this case yes...the hard drive is dead.

Thanks for the help...

I finally got the screws out, my father in law is a machinist and he had quite better tools than me.
Maybe the Loctite was present on those 2 screws.

 

[Trianon]

Originally posted by: wayliff
I would certainly not use the torch or the freezer trick unless strictly necessary.

In this case yes...the hard drive is dead.

Thanks for the help...

I finally got the screws out, my father in law is a machinist and he had quite better tools than me.
Maybe the Loctite was present on those 2 screws.

Freezer should not be a problem for HD, as long as it's wrapped in ESD bag to prevent moisture condensation. Most commercial electronics is tested to be stored from -25C to 107C and operated from 0C to +70C, so freezer temps should be no problem. Just make sure not to power the HD for 5-6 after freezing to let it warm up to room temperature that should be plenty of time for any condensation to evaporate.