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Where to get correct screwdriver for case screws

S

Schlotkins

macrumors member
Original poster
Dec 24, 2008
49
76
Good evening-

I purchased a MBP 15" today (11/27/09) for my wife. I have a 160GB Intel SSD G2 to put in it. I'm driving myself crazy trying to get the case screws out. I don't want to strip them obviously. I had a kit of 6 small screw drivers, but none of them seemed to work. I read online through a google search the size was #00 so I ran out to microcenter, picked up a set of screwdrivers with #00 and #0 sizes, but neither of those seem to fit properly either.

So, I was wondering if someone could direct me to a link where they used a screwdriver to remove the 10 bottom screws with no problem at all.

Thank you,
Chris
 
In the past with my G4 iBook, I've been able to use the Phillips screwdriver that comes with an eyeglasses repair kit with pretty good success.

I haven't tried on my Unibody MacBook, but the screws look about the same size.
 
Home Depot and Lowes sell a $5 set with PH#0, 00, and 000. They have a similar set with T5-T15.
 
I used an eyeglass screwdriver and a lot of caution... It took a good deal of effort to turn the screws without stripping them, though.
 
If you have a Philips #00 screwdriver, it will work perfectly. Just place the computer on a soft cloth and make sure you apply some downward force while you're turning the screws.

While you're handling the internal components, please keep one hand on the metal casing of the computer! Keep your computer safe!
 
I got a kit at Harbor Freight Tools for like $5 that has about 20 interchangeable tips for any kind of electronics screws that you can imagine.
 
Schlotkins said:
Good evening-

I purchased a MBP 15" today (11/27/09) for my wife. I have a 160GB Intel SSD G2 to put in it. I'm driving myself crazy trying to get the case screws out. I don't want to strip them obviously. I had a kit of 6 small screw drivers, but none of them seemed to work. I read online through a google search the size was #00 so I ran out to microcenter, picked up a set of screwdrivers with #00 and #0 sizes, but neither of those seem to fit properly either.

So, I was wondering if someone could direct me to a link where they used a screwdriver to remove the 10 bottom screws with no problem at all.

Thank you,
Chris
Click to expand...

Yeh, the screws are a bit of a pain in the neck... I can't believe they're still using phillips screws, it's so easy to strip one of them. My plan is to replace them with torx head screws when I get the chance to.

Phillips #00 did the trick for me though!

Fabian
 
Wirelessly posted (Mozilla/5.0 (iPhone; U; CPU iPhone OS 3_0 like Mac OS X; en-us) AppleWebKit/528.18 (KHTML, like Gecko) Version/4.0 Mobile/7A341 Safari/528.16)

Ya 00 will work, you just have to apply a bit of pressure, it's a bit unnerving but as long as you are careful, you should be fine
 
I had a small Philips head that I used, but probably the biggest issue is the amount of torque you need to exert to break them loose the first time. I realized in the first second that it was going to be a problem, so I grabbed some good pliers to grip my screwdriver tightly and used it to turn instead. Like others suggested, lay it on a cloth to protect it, put a little downward pressure on it, then slowly turn your pliers/driver combo until they break loose. From there, it's all gravy.

They're actually some of the best screws I've seen on electronics, and held up very well. I think my screwdriver was more likely to strip than those screws. As always, Apple goes the extra mile in build quality.
 
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