Replacing R3 Hard Drive

Hey guys,

Got a replacement R3 just over a week ago and has now come for me to whack a 120gb Vertex 2 in instead of the stock 500gb 7200rpm drive. Having had some nightmarish experiences with stripped screws in the past, I'm rather nervous about it.

So, this morning I've managed to take the back plate off with nearly no issues and no damage to the screws, but now that I'm in the laptop, I find that the hard drive fixture is different to my R1 and has three screws, two of which aren't really moving when I go to unscrew them. Again, due to past experience, I've stopped and will try again later.

In the mean time, does anyone have any suggestions as to more easily remove tough to get out screws? Was anyone else in a similar boat to me?

I bought this SSD about four months ago to put in my R1 before Dell screwed it all up, so I really want to do it.... any help would be appreciated thanks!

 

aren't the screw on the plate secured to prevent loss?

 

Loss isn't an issue, stripping them is...

Right now, I just don't want to have them stripped again, as that was part of the reason I had to get a replacement.

 

i k now of something for removing stripped screws, but it may also help in not damaging them in the first place, basically put a rubber band over the screw head, and press your screwdriver through it, it creates more traction and a bit of a " buffer " .


like i said this is more for removing troublesome screws, but it may help..

 

Ah! That makes sense! Thanks so much

 

Far out, that rubber band trick is legendary!

 

Ah i see. i thought you meant the stripping of the threads not the head of the screw.

 

You need a better-fitting screwdriver. My only problems have been stripped threads and NOT stripped heads. I've been inside my r1 and r3 numerous times (~20) and taken out every single screw without issue.

 

Check around the cheap shops for some small screw driver sets. In the UK I picked up what looks like a large marker pen, but the end screws off and is full of about 8 small screw driver heads that attach to where the business end of the marker would be, for £1 purely to use for my laptop.

 

If you have issues removing the screws it may be because of your screwdriver. I had a similar problem and after I change my scredriver for a smaller one, my problem was solved.

 

Home Depot has screwdrivers, micro, which are grey with red top. I use them in my PC shop all the time for laptop screws. They fit ALMOST perfect in the m11x ones, but if your careful they won't strip.

 

Cheers guys! Took me all day, but I got all the screws out without stripping them. Tried a couple of different screwdrivers, but my first one was the best, rubber band I used for peace of mind even if the screws weren't very hard to get out.

 

the one thing that is lacking/doesn't exist in Australia.

 

I just upgraded to the r3 from an r2. I installed an OCZ Agility 2 240gb in my r2 which I wanted to install to my r3. One screw was inserted crooked and when I tried to take it out, it was stripped, very badly. I was able to remove it using a needle nose plier, quite easily. The screwdriver I used was actually from an iPhone repair kit. I was actually able to use it for upgrading my PS3 hdd also. Anyway, I replaced the 750gb hdd from the r3 and replaced it with my ssd. The results were tremendous! My average boot time presently is about 38 seconds.

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I can't emphasise enough how important it is to have a set of precision screwdrivers - I acquired a set when I first started in IT and they haven't let me down yet. I plan to swap a Vertex 2E into my R3 soon once I have had the time to clone it, replace it in the machine it is coming from and clone this, etc.

 

This is EXACTLY what I have been using. I see them at work too. They are Husky" brand.

OP: My r3 was a warranty replacement too but it didn't come with BT. It took me a while to find out for sure that I could add it myself because the DW375 needs a different cable to attach to different notebooks. My r3 already had the cable so all I needed was the adapter. You can find the 375 on eBay for pretty cheap. If the notebook they were replacing originally had BT, they probably gave you BT, but they didn't take into consideration that I had added it myself! I guess I'm now stuck with a useless DW365 unless someone else wants it (will not work with your r3).

 

Can't you get the same exact screws @ Home Depot, Home Hardware or Canadian Tire (if in Canada) if you end up stripping the screws too much? I can't imagine them being expensive or uncommon.

Nice info on the rubber addon for the screw btw