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

Paul <[email protected]> wrote in news:[email protected]:

> 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/

Never heard of pozidriv.  Now I know, but you're right, these are not 
pozidrive screws.

> 
> There's no warning here about those screws.
> 
> https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Kw414-g-Yt8

Been there.
> 
> 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+Replace
> ment/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 may have one around here, but may have to wait 'till I get home.  Not 
sure what I have here or there.

>
> 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 :-)

Wow. I did use a pair of pliers to turn the jeweler's screwdrive as I 
push really hard on the rotating head of the  screwdriver, but the 
screwriver just 'cammed' out of the screw head.  I couldn't apply enough 
downward pressure to keep the Phillips point in the head.
> 
> 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.

Probably.  There was no Loktite of any color oozing out of the threaded 
hole.

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

I noticed that the battery does look a bit puffy/swollen.

Thanks.

> 
>    Paul