Stripped Screw on Macbook Pro

This might be useful...

 

can you grip around the head with some needle pliers?

I stripped a screw once on the hdd bracket mount and thats what i did. Glad it wasn't a recessed head

 

i did the same thing before ,same screw, i just pull the drive out and the metal will bend and eventually break ,then you will have more room to grab the screw with pliers.
this is the last resort tho

 

stand up, put your body weight on it with the screwdriver and turn really slowly (assuming it is not COMPLETELY stripped).

 

So, yes, the optical drive will break if you do that.

 

the little piece of metal will break ,of course the drive will work again

 

Do the one with the cheap screwdriver and glue and then turn it out. If all else fails, get a hammer and hammer the screwdriver into the hole to create new notches then turn it. (dont hammer too hard though!)

 

I use something called a screw plier. It's made by a Japanese brand called Engineer. Unlike a regular plier this one has grips that are perpendicular and grips into the screw head.

 

Stripping screws in a MacBook is a nightmare! I recently tried to replace the keyboard in my MacBook Pro which is held down by around 40 of the tiniest screws i've ever seen. The joy of reaching the last 3 was short-lived as i stripped them all and no matter what i tried they would not concede.

So i had to give up, screw the rest back in and forget about it...

Good Luck

 

Left hand drill bit.

 

I really have to LOL each time at these kinds of threads.

Working on a $$$$ Laptop with a $1 dollar screwdriver set.

If you need to do a job on expensive gear get the right tools before you start, I have a set from iFixit, cost me I think about $20, a great toolset and before I use any bit I try out a few bits before I start using it, it must fit snuggly, if not you get the results like the OP.

I also laugh at some of the so called advise, like using Super Glue, it does not work on tiny surfaces, you need a minimum surface for it to work compared to the torque you apply.
These screws are tiny, the surface contact is most likely (far) less than a square mm and for the torque applied it is way too little.
The elastic band will do a better job than the above.
Get good tools beforehand and you won't get stripped screws!

 

what did you end up doing?

 

A new drive on Ebay will cost $20-25 if you ever need one.

 

If you need quality tools in the future instead of spending money on those "Pro" sets from OWC or iFixIt, order directly from Wiha Tools; they make and sell the best screwdrivers (along with any other tool you could need).

 

Wiha is definitely better but I have the iFixit one and never got me into troubles.

 

Interesting I've also tried both the kits from OWC and from iFixit. My OWC ones came broken and the iFixIt ones, the screwdriver heads are all crooked for some reason.

 

I got this one a year or two ago, the bits are hard, did not break any bits until now and I've used them for things they are not made to do.