First disassembly and rounded screw

[Edward Nilges]

Hey all, I just opened up my 2400c for the first (and second time) for an HD
and DIY Cardbus upgrade, and wanted to thank Ivan (if he's here) for the
instructions that made it much easier than I expected. Having a parts bin
with lots of little sequential compartments (RS# 64-552) for each step was
also invaluable.

I found the rattling screw some previous repairer had left in (in the gap
behind the hard drive), and I found that one of the shells that hold the
brass (?) nuts in the bottom plastic case was cracked. I'll probably replace
that whole thing eventually, but it doesn't seem to affect the structure too
much as the nuts seats in what's left of its shell, and its screw tightens
sufficiently.

I have the jumperless motherboard and attempted to simply clip off the two
capacitors that I've heard MCE clips (C375 and C377). I wound up crushing
them into dust, but hey, can't beat upgrading by destruction. My machine
still boots and surfs over a WaveLAN, so everything seems cool, but I
haven't actually tested any Cardbus cards just yet.

I had to open up the machine a second time when I discovered that the HD
model reported by System Profiler was not the cutting-edge Travelstar 40GNX
I thought I had won on eBay, but just a 30GN lacking the former's 5400 RPM
speed and 8MB buffer. I then found I'd been overzealous in tightening one of
the screws that hold the display frame and rounded out the head. Being angry
over the bait-and-switched HD I managed to remove and replace the new HD
without removing the display or motherboard, by bending the motherboard
upwards in its frame. Actually the case is what flexes, as the titanium
frame keeps the boards straight. If you have small fingers, it's a shortcut
that might work for you, but I don't really recommend it.

My question is what's the best method for dealing with the rounded out
screw? It's the one in the back above the PC card outlets. Keep in mind I
may be replacing the bottom shell anyway, but the less involved the better.

Thanks,
Ed