Removing a start drive screw from a disc in a caddy

[David]

<snip>

Hammers and hard drives are at best uneasy companions.

Cheers

Dave R

[Rod Speed]

Those are MUCH smaller screws.

[Rod Speed]

Not going to be good for a hard drive.

Not going to be good for a hard drive.

[Rod Speed]

Your system time is way out.

[Paul]

I just cloned over, and have been switching OSes a bit while working. I'm all the time having to fix the time.

Paul

[Paul]

Unfortunately, the caddy has a recess for the screw, so you can't get a grip on the outer diameter of the screw.

I do like the idea posted, of gluing a screwdriver tip to the screw. Now, that sounds like fun.

If you don't want to risk your screwdriver, a four inch common nail can be substituted. Using a file, you can shape the end of a common nail, to the task at hand. I have made hex drivers this way. (To make tools, you heat the work afterwards, and quench in water, to harden the thing up a bit.) You would not need to harden your make-shift tool, for this project.

Paul

[Paul]

It could be similar to this, so the screw goes through the side of the caddy, and right into the aluminium of the hard drive chassis. The side of the material recesses the screw head a bit, preventing easy access to it. Only a frontal attack to the screw head will work.

There are limits on what you can do to the item in question, like say, beating it with a hammer or using your oxy-acetylene on it :-)

The OP wants to save the hard drive. And the caddy.

Paul

[Paul]

It's possible someone has substituted a screw, and it was the wrong thread. I seem to remember there was some screw in the PC hardware box-of-screws where you could do that. A cross threaded screw, where someone abused it to the point of failure, that's more of a challenge than a casually overtightened proper screw.

The only other option I could think of, is to remove three of four screws, so that only the duff screw remains and see if wiggling the drive with respect to the side, loosens the screw at all. But if someone has stripped the head on it in an effort to drive in it, it will likely take a similar level of villainy to get it out again.

Take the caddy to a store which sells items like screw extractors, and maybe you can get a measure for an exact single item to use. I have a machine shop here, that retails items like taps or dies, and if I need a tap, they have some nice stuff. A second store just sells tools, and they have taps as well. They would likely have a screw extractor (perhaps as a single item and not an expensive kit -- but the single item won't be Chinese-cheap either).

If a screw extractor becomes small enough, the shaft will probably respond elastically while you're using it (twist and spring back, as a function of the metal quality). And that's a signal to you, that more force than that, isn't going to be available. Perhaps tapping it with the screw extractor, then gluing something which is thicker to the fresh threads, will give enough strength to get it out.

But the way the thing is built, I doubt you could slide a hack saw blade into there and saw the screw head off.

Paul

[Thomas Prufer]

Yes -- I recalled an acquaintance who had worked at an auto plat telling me of this magic stuff, and that they shared it around for those rare cases where it was needed. Found it, and was surprised at the price!

I hoped someone might weigh in with a DIY solution: abrasive powder mixed with grease? or some sticky mastic? ATA, Vim, "Barkeeper's Friend"? There's bits by Wiha with a diamond grit coating which do grip better than others, at least until the coating wears off -- but not in small Torx sizes, ends at T15 or something...

(You could also try heating the screw with a soldering iron, for a moment...)

Thomas Prufer

[Rod Speed]

You can buy that for that purpose.

[jkn]

Maybe not super-relevant, but: the original Microservers came with torx 'allen keys' in the front door, to match the screws. Are those not present in the/your Gen 8?

(As it happens I am also awaiting delivery of a Gen 8 Microserver!)

J^n

[Rob Morley]

As long as the heads are parked and you don't go crazy there shouldn't be too much risk of damage.

[GB]

A piece cut out of a wide rubber band will increase the friction between the screwdriver and the screw. It works the same way as the visco stuff elsewhere in this thread, but £25 cheaper. :)

[David]

<snip>

Not a MicroServer - although I manage to confuse myself from time to time.

There isn't a front door just a pull off panel. I will double check but I suspect most useful tools will have migrated with the original user many years ago.

Cheers

Dave R

[jkn]

Fair enough - the mention of Proliant and Gen 8 fooled me. I have also used HP Proliant's as servers. I think the tools are only present in the microservers.

(which model, OOI?)

J^n

[Andy Burns]

The allen/torx have been present in older Proliants (you even used to get spare screws to replace the ones you dropped somewhere), but recently they've become tool-less, as-in you don't need any tools to work on/in them.

[Dave R]

Case side says it is a Proliant ML310e Gen 8 Server.

It has been ignored for the last year due to more pressing issues.

Now looking to clear out my ancient PC collection.

Nearly offered this before I checked further!!

Has an SSD plugged into the spare SATA port.

The disc cage is not hot plugh although this shouldn't be an issue.

I have a stock of 3TB WD Red to fit into it once I've sorted out the OS (and possibly fitted a graphics card - the Linux I put on as a temporary measure doesn't seem to recognise the internal graphics.)

All I need now is a Round Tuit.

Cheers

Dave R

[Andy Burns]

possibly needs a Matrox G200 driver?

[Joe]

It's worth burning the latest Knoppix (CD should be OK, DVD just has more applications) and trying it. It's pretty much optimised for hardware detection and driving, and if it works, you can see what driver you need.

It's not upgradable, so not much use as a server OS, but it's based on Debian Unstable, so Stable should be OK once you know what hardware quirks you have.

[jkn]

Right. I had an earlier generation of one of those at one point.