Manage laptop screws

I’ve worked on many, many laptops and the part I hate the most is keeping up with what screws go where. The screws that hold the case together are easy because most of them are all the same size. It’s the screws on the inside that tend to be a pain to remember where they go. Here’s a tip for how you can keep track of what screw goes where.

I use a small container that has different compartments. I have marked each compartment with a different colored paint pen (example). When I take the screws out that hold down the laptop keyboard, for example, I will put them in the red compartment. I will then mark the tab, just the tab, with a small amount of red paint. This makes it so that when I put the keyboard back on, I will see the red paint on the tab and know that the screws in the red compartment go there.

You can also use a sheet of white paper. Most screws for laptops are either black or silver so they stand out on the white paper. Just put the screws from one piece onto the paper and use the paint pen to place a mark next to those screws and on the piece that the screws held down.

Be sure to put the paint on a non-conductive section of the part. Even if you can’t put the mark on a tab or the hole the screw came out of, put it somewhere on the part. The parts aren’t seen so no one will see the small amount of paint you put on it. Even if they do, it won’t matter because then they can use the marking scheme.

Just don’t put a mark on the case for the case screws. Customers tend to not appreciate that. :)

Learn all you can from the mistakes of others. You won’t have time to make them all yourself. – Alfred Sheinwold

21.Feb.06 Hardware, Tech Tip

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2 Responses to “Manage laptop screws”

  1. sligh | February 21st, 2006 at 10:39 am

    Card board is my answer . I use a few pieces of cardboard I stick the case screws in the card board as they come out matching the position
    Once inside I draw the drive speakers or what ever and then use it a s a guide for the screws .
    Because so many different screws are used I can have 5 cardboard pieces especially if it is a motherboard replacement. Still I will have a screw left over once in a wile.

  2. Mike Rockett | February 17th, 2008 at 8:50 am

    I use an egg carton! You can get them in different sizes (12, 24) and they hold the screws great!

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