Fujitsu A556G Hard Drive Mount Screws

[RustedBot]

What screwdriver is needed to unscrew the hard drive mount on this laptop? The screws look strange and the screwdriver I was using to unscrew the rest of the laptop doesn't appear to fit them. In truth, I'm not actually sure which holes are in fact screws. There are six holes on the mount that don't look like screws, and there are two screws at one end of the mount, though I'm not sure they're meant to be touched.

Would anyone be able to help me with this? Maybe with pictures

 

[ThatVietGuy]

Post your own pictures of the screws so everyone can see what you're talking about.

 

[RustedBot]

Okay, will do, but I won't be able to until tomorrow as I'm not currently at the laptop.

In the meantime, if anyone knows anything about this please let me know.

 

[jsmithepa]

Oftentimes, vendors use screws other than the well known star/flat to deter users like yourself to service the stuff. Apple uses so called pentalopes on the iPhone, but if they put it in, there is often a way to pull it out.

Post clear, close-up pix.

 

[RustedBot]

 

[RustedBot]

Any idea which of those holes is a screw, what type screwdriver to use or the general procedure for removing this hard drive?

 

[mjslakeridge]

If I were to guess, the 2 screws on the right hand side of your pictures, on either side of the electrical connection to the hard drive (just outside of the hard drive body), plus the one screw in the middle of the left side of the picture (again, outside of the hard drive body). They look like Torx screw heads to me. The screwdriver you have in the picture is a philips head. Don't use it on the Torx screws, it will strip them out. Torx screw drivers come in a variety of sizes. I have a cheap set that has about 4 different sizes.

Edit: Here is an example of a Torx screwdriver set:

http/www.homedepot.com/p/Husky-8-in-1-Precision-Torx-Screwdriver-Set-70381H/204664390

 

[1shado1]

If I were to guess, the 2 screws on the right hand side of your pictures, on either side of the electrical connection to the hard drive (just outside of the hard drive body), plus the one screw in the middle of the left side of the picture (again, outside of the hard drive body). They look like Torx screw heads to me. The screwdriver you have in the picture is a philips head. Don't use it on the Torx screws, it will strip them out. Torx screw drivers come in a variety of sizes. I have a cheap set that has about 4 different sizes.

Edit: Here is an example of a Torx screwdriver set:

http/www.homedepot.com/p/Husky-8-in-1-Precision-Torx-Screwdriver-Set-70381H/204664390

Agreed. Except I don't see the third screw you mentioned. Looks like a mold mark to me, not a screw.

 

[mjslakeridge]

You may be right about there not being a third screw. I was going by the second to last photo which shows something, but not as clear as the two Torx screws on the right. They are very clear in the last photo.

 

[RustedBot]

I've ordered a set of Torx screwdrivers. Just in case, what size head should be used when taking out the hard drive? Also, is the Phillips screwdriver okay to use opening up the laptop or should I stop using it altogether?

 

[mjslakeridge]

You will have to try the different head sizes (carefully) in the Torx screw heads to see which one fits best. You don't want it to be loose or you may strip out the screw. As for using the Phillips screwdriver to open up the laptop, it depends on which screws are used. If Phillips screws, fine, if Torx, then use your new Torx drivers when they arrive.

 

[RustedBot]

Thanks for your help. Hopefully swapping the drives goes well.

 

[mjslakeridge]

Good luck! Just be careful when disconnecting the power/sata cable from the HDD. You may want to do this before taking out the Torx screws. You may have to start on one side, loosen it a little, go to the other side, loosen, and keep going back and forth.

 

[RustedBot]

Ah sorry, I don't really know what you mean. What needs to be disconnected from the hard drive?

 

[mjslakeridge]

Look at your last photo above. There is a black cable running north to south. It connects to a connector that connects to the HDD. This is how the power gets to the HDD and also how the data gets sent to/retrieved from the HDD. So you will have to loosen that connection to physically remove the old HDD. Once you get the old HDD out, look carefully at the connection part of the HDD and make sure the replacement HDD or SSD has the same connection configuration. It should, unless the laptop maker used some proprietary connection.

 

[RustedBot]

Just to be clear, am I trying to take the cable out of the connector or the connector out of the hard drive?

 

[mjslakeridge]

You are NOT trying to take the black cable out of the connector. You are trying to take the connector at the end of the black cable out of the hard drive's connector.

 

[mjslakeridge]

Here is a link to an picture of a laptop HDD partially removed from the laptop. Notice the connection at the end of the black cable. This connection will slip out of the HDD's connection. May require some gentle prying from side to side.

http/images.pcworld.com/howto/graphics/192930-hdd_remove_3_original.jpg