I added some tiny screwdrivers and a paper clip, the latter for opening optical drives and releasing plastic inserts inside laptops. I am sure you can find a similar set of screwdrivers in a durable zippered case somewhere. Lowe’s, which once sold this Kobalt kit, cheapened the product a couple of years ago by putting the screwdrivers into a flimsy plastic case instead. Connecting a 9-pin front-panel cable to a motherboard headerįor the road, I also carry a 10-piece set of small Torx, Phillips, and flathead screwdrivers in a zippered case with a hard exterior (Figures 6 and 7). A good, strong set of tweezers can also be used.įigure 5. Needle-nose pliers (Figure 5) extend your reach with greater precision. You may need to put a connector from the front panel onto a motherboard header deep in that corner where your fingers are too big to do the job. Figure 4 shows one type of cutting tool in action. If you are replacing a power supply or other piece inside a computer, you may need to snip a plastic tie used to hold a cable in place, or maybe cut something else. HP desktops and towers use Torx size 15 (T15) screws. If you’re in and out of HP systems with any regularity, it’s better to go Torx because they are far less prone to slippage. You’ll thus need Torx drivers, although sometimes a small flathead screwdriver will work. Hewlett-Packard acquired Compaq, and its computers continue this legacy. (See Figure 3.) The slotted screws are rarer than other types in electronic devices, but the flathead screwdrivers have other uses.Ĭompaq’s computers broke the mold a bit by using Torx screws. Start with two sizes each of flathead (aka slotted) and Phillips-head screwdrivers. To take apart a typical tower or desktop computer, you need only basic tools that are probably already on your home workbench. I pour a suitable number into the tray, where I can see and distinguish them better. I also use such trays to sort through my vast collection of tiny parts, which are usually stored in jars or bins.

(Need I reveal the brand and product I bought and ate?)įigure 2. Keep two or three around, because they are handy. Its color makes it easy to spot any screw or plastic piece I need. My tool to keep all the tiny parts from jumping onto the floor is a white plastic tray (Figure 2) with a flat bottom and inch-high sides, retained from a supermarket buy.

It’s important to keep track of the screws and other small parts you remove. Starting with the original IBM PC, and for quite a long time, most parts inside a computer were similar - if not exactly - the same. Two tools are indispensable and impossible to categorizeĪs a reminder to keep my temper in check when working on a project, I keep a sledgehammer handy (Figure 1) to tell me to keep my cool and never to use it on a computer.

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