OT - got a couple of loose screws - or screws loose -

namffuak

Yeah, I've been accused of this for years, but this time it's serious. I was swapping around my gpus and managed to drop two screws into the system - and I can't find them. I've tried shaking the case (gently) and using a high-intensity flashlight at an angle and nothing is showing up.I don't want to get too agressive on moving the wiring, my manual dexterity has gone downhill since I used to do this sort of thing 15 years ago.

Suggestions?

Lissa_xyz

Are you positive they're in the case and didn't bounce out somewhere else, like the floor?

Stinger

They could have gotten wedged between the motherboard and the back of the case.  Might have to remove the motherboard to be safe.

namffuak

Vaskania said:

Are you positive they're in the case and didn't bounce out somewhere else, like the floor?

Well - it turns out the one bounce a foot away on the floor; one down, one to go.

namffuak

Libra337 said:

They could have gotten wedged between the motherboard and the back of the case.  Might have to remove the motherboard to be safe.

If it comes to that, the box goes off to my local repair shop. I'm bound to do something worse than just the screw if I try to do anything major.

xyer0

In the old days they used alum for that.

sriesch

A vaccum cleaner, around the inside of the case?  Might dislodge it, hopefully you'll hear the screw bounce around when it gets sucked up.  Same could apply to the floor if you dropped it like the other but didn't see it.  Although I vaguely recall something about vaccums and static charges. 

Zylox

Using a vaccum on a computer is NOT a good idea. The air flowing into the vaccum creates static electricity which can fry the delicate circuits inside a computer.

Taoz

namffuak said:

Yeah, I've been accused of this for years, but this time it's serious. I was swapping around my gpus and managed to drop two screws into the system - and I can't find them. I've tried shaking the case (gently) and using a high-intensity flashlight at an angle and nothing is showing up.I don't want to get too agressive on moving the wiring, my manual dexterity has gone downhill since I used to do this sort of thing 15 years ago.

Suggestions?

Happened to me too a couple of times, just turn the case upside down and on all sides, usually you can hear the screw rattle around unless it's stuck somewhere. Just shaking the case is not always enough.