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Here is a picture of the screw that holds the caddy of my laptop's SSD in place.

enter image description here

Can anyone tell me what type of screw that is? Is that a stripped Phillips head screw? Or is it something else?

I tried to look for various types of screw head, but couldn't find one that matches.

enter image description here

I'm planning to upgrade my laptop's SSD, so I need to find a way to remove that screw. I tried with a Phillips head screw driver, but the screw driver couldn't find a grip.

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    I think the term here is what this screw was. It is now damaged and you will need to cut a slot with a dremel or similar and use a flat blade screwdriver - if you ate lucky.
    – Solar Mike
    Jul 24, 2021 at 6:39
  • I never touched the screw until today. In that case, the only logical conclusion here is that the computer "technician" screwed (pun intended) up when i brought my computer to him a few years ago.
    – Anthony
    Jul 24, 2021 at 7:11
  • computers are normally #1 Phillips AKA "PH1" if you use the wrong size of Philips on such a shallow screw head it will not grip well.
    – Jasen
    Jul 24, 2021 at 8:25
  • Seeing it is on a laptop, you might be able to use a high strength glue/epoxy to attach a small nut or something on top of screw. Be very careful not to glue screw to case.
    – crip659
    Jul 24, 2021 at 13:54
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    Computers are usually #2 Phillips. Only the smallest of screws are #1. This confusion is often what leads to this situation.
    – isherwood
    Jul 27, 2021 at 18:51

3 Answers 3

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Abused is the kind of screw that IS.

Could have been any of Philips, JIS (looks like Phillips but the angles are different - tend to strip easily if Phillips rather than JIS driver used on them), or Pozi-Drive. Has definitely had the wrong type and/or size of driver used (rather aggressively) on it.

If you can get a grip on the outside of it with locking pliers (Vise-Grip® or similar) that's usually the quickest and cleanest way out of this problem (not great to grind slots around your delicate electronics.)

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  • Could the right size torx be effective as a screw extractor?
    – Jim Stewart
    Jul 24, 2021 at 13:00
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    @JimStewart I doubt it. The Torx flutes won't be able to grip because the end of a Torx bit is flat, and won't enter the abused recess in the damaged screw head.
    – DavidRecallsMonica
    Jul 24, 2021 at 15:05
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    Torx is a 6 point, that's a 4 point. A Roberson (square drive) would stand a better chance, but very unlikely at that size, and not the job they are designed to do. A nice sharp unworn Phillips of the correct size is the best bet for grabbing it to unscrew with a screwdriver bit, applied with a lot of pressure to keep it from jumping out.
    – Ecnerwal
    Jul 25, 2021 at 12:21
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I've successfully used 'damaged screw extractors' in instances like this.
I can't tell the size of the screw from the pic but it looks small. There are extractors that can do the job but it may require drilling a small hole in the center of the screw and then using a reverse threaded extractor. It's also possible that the right size extractor might remove it without drilling. You won't know until you try it.
This is what they look like: enter image description here

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The screw head looks like it is raised slightly with a beveled edge. Try a small sharp pair of diagonal cutters, pointing straight down and pinch the beveled edge. Push down with the cutters as you turn the screw head. It may take a few tries until you get the cutter points to grab sucessfully.

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