G751JY, tried upgrading HDD to SSD, screws so tight, got worn out, what to do?

[FitnessRegiment]

The screws are tiny, I managed to get 2 out, the other 2 are now too worn out and aren't coming out. i am located in Glasgow UK.

Any tips on what to do/where to go to get the hard drive taken out?

[hmscott]

FitnessRegiment wrote:
The screws are tiny, I managed to get 2 out, the other 2 are now too worn out and aren't coming out. i am located in Glasgow UK.

Any tips on what to do/where to go to get the hard drive taken out?

FitnessRegiment, this seems to be a new twist, Asus must be using some Loctite on the threads to keep screws from backing out, and/or the screws are torqued in way too tight. A number of people have reported this recently here in the forums.

You need to contact Asus, and let them fix it. The disks are supposed to be user serviceable, and making the screws un-removeable is Asus responsibility to fix.

If you try to drill out the screws, you might do more damage. Better to let Asus fix it. If you take it to a non-Asus shop and they damage it, then you will be worse off - Asus wants you to use Asus certified shops for service.

If it is Loctite that is causing the problem, you can heat the screw with a soldering iron before trying to back it out. If you have any grip left, you could give that a try.

HOW TO REMOVE A SCREW THAT HAS LOCTITE
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UoxBeCSPjTE

Thread Lock/ Loctite Removal ANY SCREW/ BOLT - Heat method with Hot air gun <== don't use a heat gun near a HDD/SSD drive 🙂
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gOX-BNNfTs0

You can file a Technical Inquiry to Asus to request an RMA here:

https://vip.asus.com <-- create a login, register your laptop, file a Technical Inquiry, attach photo's if needed as a zip file to the Technical Inquiry.

Please come back and let us know how it works out 🙂

[FitnessRegiment]

Do you know if there are any service centers I can go to here in Glasgow or do I actually have to ship it?

http://i.imgur.com/yNfcBLO.jpg

http://i.imgur.com/zRCXbzJ.jpg

http://i.imgur.com/pys7ETr.jpg

[hmscott]

FitnessRegiment wrote:
Do you know if there are any service centers I can go to here in Glasgow or do I actually have to ship it? ...

FitnessRegiment, I don't know the area, I am in the Western US. If you bought from a local Shop you could check with their support people. Here we have service dept's in the stores where you can take such issues to get resolved. They might recommend going to Asus for the fix.

You can use the Technical Inquiry to ask Asus if there are any nearby Asus service centers you can drive to and drop off for repair. Here in the US there is an Asus Laptop Service Center 20 minutes away from me, which is where I dropped off my G2S for service, and picked it up 3 days later repaired.

There may also be phone numbers, or chat available, check with the Asus support site for your region.

It looks like there is a little bite remaining on the screws, but you probably want to get a better fitting screwdriver head to dig into what is left - if you want to try heating up the screw for removal.

[psygorn]

hi fitessregiment, i had the same problem infact i think i am the 1st person who opened a thred for this issue the problem with the screw is the blue substance arround it its to thick, any way i went to an asus service center where im located the techs their remove the screw then i ask them to replace all the screw they warened me not to use those screw or any screws like that because they came with extras, any way just go to an official asus cervice center they will remove it for you but be warned your mileage may vary since people have different opinion on that problem. some may say that that voids the warranty some may charge you while other might still honor your warranty but will ask you to surrender the unit before they remove it. i for one just got lucky and they just remove it and gave me the screw for free. they they didnt even filed a report for it. any way just explain to them that, that is an issue with the laptop and its just a screw they should be able to remove it in less than 15 mins, and my advice is to let them remove all of it, including the screw that locks the dvd/blue ray drive, its the only screw close to the ram slots, and replace it, try asking for it or just buy new once either way it is a problem and a very odd problem because most tech wouldnt know how to categorize that issue, and i wouldnt want to try the soldering thing because some of the screw, namely on the bracket and hdd might not like the heat. just go to asus official service they should have once close to your location, i at a third world country and we have asus service center here lol, just need to find it go luck!

[hmscott]

psygorn wrote:
hi fitessregiment, i had the same problem infact i think i am the 1st person who opened a thred for this issue the problem with the screw is the blue substance arround it its to thick, any way i went to an asus service center where im located the techs their remove the screw then i ask them to replace all the screw they warened me not to use those screw or any screws like that because they came with extras, any way just go to an official asus cervice center they will remove it for you but be warned your mileage may vary since people have different opinion on that problem. some may say that that voids the warranty some may charge you while other might still honor your warranty but will ask you to surrender the unit before they remove it. i for one just got lucky and they just remove it and gave me the screw for free. they they didnt even filed a report for it. any way just explain to them that, that is an issue with the laptop and its just a screw they should be able to remove it in less than 15 mins, and my advice is to let them remove all of it, including the screw that locks the dvd/blue ray drive, its the only screw close to the ram slots, and replace it, try asking for it or just buy new once either way it is a problem and a very odd problem because most tech wouldnt know how to categorize that issue, and i wouldnt want to try the soldering thing because some of the screw, namely on the bracket and hdd might not like the heat. just go to asus official service they should have once close to your location, i at a third world country and we have asus service center here lol, just need to find it go luck!

psygorn, that's good advice, and good job being patient enough to let it be done by Asus 🙂

When replacing the screws, you might want to use Blue Loctite to secure them again:

Loctite Threadlocker Blue 242
Nut and Bolt Locker
http://www.loctiteproducts.com/p/t_lkr_blue/directions/Loctite-Threadlocker-Blue-242.htm

Here is the difference between the different Loctite colors, including how to remove:

The Difference Between Red, Blue, Green and Purple Threadlockers
http://us.henkel-adhesives-blog.com/post/All-About-Threadlockers/The-Difference-Between-Red-Blue-Gre...

Acetone also works, but only if the threads are loose enough for the acetone to work it's way in, you have to apply and let it soak in for a while. The fine threads for the disk caddy screws are likely too fine to let acetone in, so heat is the best solution. About 300F is enough for Blue, 450F for Red.

Some people have reported loose screws in their G750/G751, which is why you want to use loctite to secure the screws 🙂