Re: Hard to Remove PM 2.0 x 3.0 Battery Hold Down Screws

On 3/26/2024 7:23 PM, Boris wrote:
> Laptop is my daughter's HP Spectre 13-ac000 x360 Convertible PC, 
> purchased in March, 2017.  Some years ago (sorry, I don't know when) the 
> laptop was giving "extreme low battery" warnings, and eventually wouldn't 
> hold a charge, but it would boot up when using the charger.  Finally, the 
> laptop wouldn't boot up even with the charger.  My daughter then put the 
> thing in her closet and bought a new laptop. Yikes.
> 
> She brought this up to me today, and I said let me see it.
> 
> I plugged it in, and the orange charging light went on.  An hour later, 
> the charging light turned white.  Ok, guess it's charged, but it still 
> wouldn't boot.  Nothing, not even a hint that anything's going on inside.
> 
> Per troubleshooting advice, I pulled the charger, and held the on/off 
> button for 30 seconds.  Plugged the charger back in, but still wouldn't 
> boot up.  Troubleshooting suggested that the battery may be the cause and 
> to remove battery and try again with just charger and battery removed.
> 
> So I got the manual:
> 
> http://h10032.www1.hp.com/ctg/Manual/c05357578.pdf
> 
> I got the back panel off (had to use a hairdryer to get the adhesive 
> attached plastic caps off under the rubber feet, where the last two panel 
> hold down screws were), but I can't get the PM 2.0 x 3.0 screws removed 
> to get the battery out.  They are in there very, very tight.  I have 
> tried very, very hard, with lots of pressure.  I just can't budge the 
> screws here.
> 
> https://postimg.cc/bZ70k20R
> 
> I've always used jeweler's screwdrivers to do this type of work.  Would a 
> computer technician screwdriver set make a difference?  Are the  points 
> shorter to get tightly into the short depth of these small screw heads?
> 
> TIA
> 

It doesn't seem to be pozidrive.

https://shop4fasteners.co.uk/blog/pozidriv-vs-phillips/

There's no warning here about those screws.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Kw414-g-Yt8

No warning about the screws here either. And this is
a home user doing it, and you can see he gives warnings
about things not going his way.

https://www.ifixit.com/Guide/HP+Spectre++X360+13-4005dx+Battery+Replacement/124882

   https://guide-images.cdn.ifixit.com/igi/TWIMIHHsWs5iHypv.full

I would go for my socket-tool and the sharper Philips
head that fits in it. As it can create more drive than
a jeweler one would

I have held a jeweler tool using Vice Grips, to get
more turning power, but then again, I did ruin one
Jeweler Philips by turning it to the point the
shaft broke free of the tool body :-)

They probably have not put Blue Loktite on it,
and using Red Loktite would be silly (Red is permanent).
More likely, it was torqued on with a power tool.

Be careful around that battery. It sounds like you
already know about the danger of puncturing it.

   Paul