Messed up screw on primary hd

[GQ Ukyo]

As I was upgrading my RAM and putting in my second HD, I noticed that my primary HD that came with my R4 had one screw that was completely messed up.... in fact it looks like it was intentional to prevent people from switching out the HD... Here is a pic of it:



I will definitely call in to have it either fixed (not sure how they can) or swap it out for another R4... Has anyone experienced this before?

[Rengsey R. H. Jr.]

Just tell them to send you another cage/caddy. Done deal...

[GQ Ukyo]

Just tell them to send you another cage/caddy. Done deal...

I was thinking that too but the fact of the matter is, I cannot unscrew it like a normal screw which is the problem. Think of it as being nailed down. I would have to yank it out by force and that'll probably cause more harm than good.

I'm on the phone with support and they said since the HD is working, they will not send out a tech to fix a single screw which is understandable. So then I asked them, "ok then, so now if I want to swap out the HD for my own, what then?" Waited 10 more mins... came back and told me I could send it in and have them fix the screw. Asked how long... "typically, they hold it for about 7 business days...". He also wanted to document "which screw it was". I told him, you can probably just say one of the screws on the HD caddy is stripped/messed up and they'll probably know which one... you won't need to tell them the exact position of the screw... this is the "elite" Alienware support we get for our dollars? not trying to be mean but really?... even offered to send in the pic...

I have no luck with Alienware laptops... last laptop, the m14x, had dead pixels INCLUDING the one the technician came with to REPLACE the one with the dead pixels along with broken speakers... now this... hope everyone else is having much better luck than me with their stuff...

[aznpos531]

Yikes...that is one badly stripped screw! A result of cheap bits and electric screwdrivers at the factory no doubt.
You could try a a screw extractor but I don't even know if it will help at this point. If the screw extractor fails, you can use a pair of good needle nose pliers to grip the sides of the head of the screw and slowly back the screw out that way. Be patient and work slow. You will mess up the screw and scratch up the caddy that way though.

[Joe85]

These screw are incredibly soft. So easy to strip one. Vice grips, twist it out with a bit fo force. Job done.

[TMoney]

This might help.

Remove a Stripped Screw with a Rubber Band

[radji]

That looks like a newbie trying to tighten the screw an electric drill.

[GQ Ukyo]

Hahah, thanks all. I actually used a smaller screw bit to remove it and I could put it back which I did since it's loose if I left it out. Since I could do that, I'm going to call them to just send me a set of screws. I'd hate to have to send it back to just get that replaced when I can do it myself now. I was just surprised they actually used that as a screw. The size of the screw doesn't even match the rest of the screws used in HD caddies.