Strange Screws

At any decent hardware or home supply store. It's called a Torx screw. Typically an allen wrench will work just fine in the absence of a Torx screw driver.

hvacrmedic

Hi, Also tight fitting blade screw driver will do it too. Tony

As long as you don't care to ruin the tip. But I've used a flat blade on many an occasion :)

hvacrmedic

"TORX PLUS" [NOT TORX]

I should've looked! In that case a dremel tool might be in order. A good stout drill bit and a rethreader afterward :)

hvacrmedic

Hmmmm why do you want to open the case of the drive? If you open it outside a class 1 clean room, the drive WILL die.

Or are you talking about the drive mounting screws?

Dave

Perhaps the drive already *is* dead.

Don't overestimate clean rooms - they contain 100 particles per cubic meter as opposed to an "average" room containing 600 particles. A "clean" "average" room will contain far less than the 600 particles.

For what it's worth, I've had a drive running non-stop for over a week without its cover (platters exposed) and haven't had any hiccups. This hype about "clean rooms" is a load of drivel.

There are those who will say "if you get one single particle of dust on your platters, your drive will be irretrievably damaged."

Bollox. And bollox to FR, who will no doubt disagree.

Odie

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Retrodata
www.retrodata.co.uk

The Torx drivers sold in hardware have six points, and this monstrosity has five. Of course, it is designed to be a bastard conifguration, and you can't get the driver for it.

As the other fellow suggested, try slotted jewlers screw drivers, sometimes you can get one to wedge in just right.

--
Christopher A. Young
  You can't shout down a troll.

I'd dare to guess that if this fellow doesn't recognize a Torx screw that he isn't aware that he should never open a hard drive.

Torx screws are seldom used for no other purpose then to keep the prying eyes of consumers from sensitive stuff. Thats why they're used in elevators.

My son has actually opened a defective laptop hard drive before and amazingly it still functioned, for only a short time. Now its a paperweight.

Handi

Bzzzt! Thanks for playing. That's _not_ a Torx screw. Torx screws are six-pointed, not five-pointed as described and shown.

--
Regards,
        Doug Miller (alphageek at milmac dot com)

I guess you can't recognize one either. :-) What he has is not a Torx screw.

--
Regards,
        Doug Miller (alphageek at milmac dot com)

I'm not sure now if it was Radio Shack or Sears-- but I bought a

Cough! I said class 1 not class 100!

Sure a drive will function for a while with the case off, but it will die soonish (maybe a few days or weeks, but it will die).

If OTOH all you are do>>

The same to you.

Yes it is, as someone else showed from the Wiha page.

Well, having managed a real clean room , you are way off base. First of all, the particle count is per cubic foot. Clean rooms are classified by the sustained particle count averaged around the entire room.

The average count in a typical home/office/light industrial room is about

500,000 particles per cubic foot, and the particlas are quite large (several microns or tens of microns).

The first level of clean room we define is a class 100,000. This isn't a real hard level to achieve and can sometimes be done without real expensive HEPA filters if the working conditions are clean enough. The Space Shuttle high bay room is maintained at class 100,000 (my experience is with NASA).

The next level is a class 10,000, which certainly requires a high level of filtering and monitering with special clothing for the occupants. Next comes a class 1000 which is getting serious. You are into laminar flow air systems and special training for the people.

Computer chips are assembled in class 100 or even class 10 (!) rooms, since a single particle can ruin a product. At this level, even the way you move can disturb the room's particle count. Everyone is trained to move slowly and be aware of where the downwash from the airflow over your body goes.

By this level, the particle size is usually measured at a much smaller, sub-micron level also. A single small tear in a HEPA filter can take the room out of spec for quite some time, requiring a long, slow damp swabbing of all surfaces.

Dennis

you could contruct a clean box to stifle the clean room naybobs

somewhere, (i am looking for link in my encyclopedic favorites), on web there was a design plan for clean room box involving a sturdy cardboard box , spray contact cement, largish HEPA filter, shop vac, heavy ~ 5mil clear plastic, duct tape then some spray either anti-static or water mist ? can't remeber

well most could probably figure out how this stuff was used the only trick was purging of contaminates when it was exposed when opening the box

RP wrote in news:QoudnRknaMTLxVbeRVn- snipped-for-privacy@centurytel.net:

If the screw only has FIVE sides instead of SIX like a Torx,then maybe it should be Torx-MINUS. 8-)

(warning;humor attempt)

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Jim Yanik
jyanik

"Stormin Mormon" wrote in news:ehMyf.73852$ snipped-for-privacy@twister.nyroc.rr.com:

Or you could grind down an Allen wrench to have 5 sides.

--
Jim Yanik
jyanik

In my opinion, someone should be arrested for using these things.

Do a google search for 'star screwdriver computer'. You'll get lots of hits.