I Almost Destroyed My Steam Deck Installing This...

[@baldlyrudy]

Hi friends! Here are links to some of my favorite things: Oh, just a heads up... Some of these are affiliate links. The first 1000 people to use this link will get a free 30 Day Trial of Skillshare Premium Membership: www.baldlyrudy.com/skillshare30 Steam Deck Screen Protectors: amFilm: amzn.to/3ZdijUr Matte Screen Protector: amzn.to/3Ybx6OJ 3rd Party Docks: JSAUX Docking Station: amzn.to/3EyFAIJ iVoler Docking Station: amzn.to/3khmRKN microSD Cards: Samsung 512 GB A2: amzn.to/3KFXXPs SanDisk 1TB A2: amzn.to/3lXjx7Y If you use these links to purchase anything, then I may get a commission from the sale. It helps support the channel at no extra cost to you, so thank you!

[@abelcristiantimbalari7861]

Thank you budy, this very important information for my and a lot of people!

[@baldlyrudy]

Thanks bud! Hope all is well. 🙌

[@Dracossaint]

@@baldlyrudy A tool suggestion get some medical forceps. They have a locking grip on them with a needle nose jaw. These tiny little things are lifesavers. You can grip them onto something really hard and lock them in place I have used them to remove striped screws before and they're a lifesaver. Also great for grabbing tiny screws that gets stuck in a funny place

[@juansnow5897]

@@baldlyrudy im just wandering, why wasnt your first step unplugging the battery, the tabs that long so you can do so there no chance of shorting

[@BluesElwoo2]

Personally, having been an electrician for 24 years, if a screw is stripped out and there is no hope for getting it out and you are pretty sure you aren't going to be able to use that screw hole again anyways, I take a drill bit about the size of the shaft of the screw and drill just enough so the top of the screw pops off. Would have probably been way safer than a dremel. In some cases, you can drill that screw out of the hole completely, then use a tap to put threads in the bigger hole, and then use a screw that fits. Just a tip from a guy that has been "screwed" many times.

[@baldlyrudy]

Appreciate the advice for myself and other people to see. 🙌

[@whatstdiggn]

This/\ also you may be able to remove the plate and have a nub to grip with pliers as suggested om a previous step. Also if you were punching holes in the rubber band sand down the point on your screwdriver. It should be flat anyways. Cheaper bits tend to be pointed.

[@mcwiggi4163]

I am using the drill method too. You can buy Cheap Hand Drills (25bucks) and a suiting Metal drill (5bucks). Just dont Forget to clean your motherboard with airpressure afterwards. Metal Chips on it are Not to nice

[@deflash]

Or just cut a bit with a small cutters or dremel to make screw work with regular flat screwdriver.

[@casedistorted]

You guys should collaborate on some YT videos

[@CreamyCaesar491]

As an IT guy, taking apart electronics is in my job description. Sometimes things don't go your way even though you did everything right. I relate to this experience sooo much. I'm glad you had a good result in the end though! Also great content as always. Your audio/video quality is excellent and your commentary is very engaging and entertaining. Keep up the good work, your channel is underrated

[@baldlyrudy]

Thanks man! Not only as coming from an IT guy, but also on the channel. Had to take a bit of a break because life, but I've got some ideas for future content. Always appreciate it. 🙌

[@LikeAGoon]

Dude I was crying laughing when the plate and screw fused together haha, it just went so wrong so fast. Thanks for sharing.

[@yuriloki64]

I feel you! I received my new Steam Deck SSD 5 days ago and when I was removing the first 8 screws, I stripped the last one, bottom left inner one. I got terrified and tried everything I had in my house, without success. Then I took it to a near laptop repair store and they removed it for me for free. What a relief! Great video, keep the good work.

[@baldlyrudy]

That's awesome! I'm glad everything worked out for you. If the Dremel didn't work, I would've just thrown in the towel and gone to a repair shop as well.

[@deflash]

What a kind guys

[@MrSaitama00]

Omg, same exact spot for my Steam Deck. After a good 2 hours trying to fix it, decided to just send it to a repair store. Wish me luck 😂

[@lazycablemanager3938]

valve really used some weak material for their screws. I also almost stripped a couple of the screws from my SD, so when I felt it strip, I used a one-step-bigger phillips screwdriver, doing everything slower than the first time I did. When I put everything back, I twist the screws back up until I can feel it stop without too much force. So I won't have issues when I need to re-open it again.

[@kypham6809]

Im having the exact same issue with the exact same screw.... its almost like it was intentional LOL This is with the new steam deck oled limited edition in white Now im finding it almost impossible to find a replacement screw (im from the UK)

[@methodatx01]

Some notes for the future, I have upgraded many of these. And to be honest, most people that have upgraded to 1tb will eventually come back upgrade to 2tb. So you may be doing this again. So in relation to what you did try... 1. The superglue method by itself usually will not work for untampered factory screws that strip coming out. Instead use the superglue + baking soda method to turn the superglue from more of a crystal consistency to a much stronger almost "concrete" consistency. 2. You can get rotary tool blades at most hardware places IE: Home Depot, Lowes, Ace Hardware that are much thinner than what you were using. In the case of using a rotary tool it is best to cut a small slit in the head of the screw. Then quickly try & use a small flathead screwdriver to unscrew the screw while the screw is still hot. The heat will usually help loosen the screw. However I can se in the video the, plate was not welded to that base, the screw itself has a tapered head. You would have needed a small cylindrical grinding stone for your rotary tool to fully grind the head off that screw. And since the bottom of the head has a small taper that means you would also had to have needed to shave off a small bit of the surface of the shield & screw at the same time so you can get the shield around the taper of the screw head. 3. Anytime you must use the rotary tool I would worry less about the sparks & heat. But, more about the microscopic metallic dust particles that the sparks & grinding creates, I hope you blew the device out with compressed air. On parts that thin, small or low density, it may feel pretty hot, but is usually not hot enough to even melt the solder. You have to keep in mind some of these components in general, go through a very high temp heat bake to melt and adhere the solder on many components all at once, vs soldering each contact pad individually. So conductive dust is usually your worst enemy and fear if having to grind electronics. 4. Overall however, it is always good keep a precision extractor set even for DIY'rs. Because you just never know... 5. You do not have to wait for the battery to recalibrate once everything is reassembled. Plug a POWERED usb-c dock (Like the official dock) into the deck and make sure the power cord is plugged into the dock. It will start up right away as normal and recalibrate as your are loading up the recovery image.

[@notreallydaedalus]

This guy knows.

[@adamadkins7489]

Use scotch tape. Take a small piece, fold it a few times and then place on screw head. The screwdriver doesn't punch all the way through and the tape fills the head perfectly with good grip. Works better than any other method I've tried on electronics.

[@baldlyrudy]

Nice! Something to definitely consider in the future.

[@Jack-c6z]

I've done something similar using a rubberband.

[@tccraig]

Did not work. My Steam Deck shell corner screw is still not budging.

[@TheVancanslam]

@@baldlyrudy old vid but Kapton tape (not real but works just the same) on Amazon is better than scotch tape for sure for repairing electronics with a heat/ a heat gun.

[@baldlyrudy]

@TheVancanslam I've used polyimide tape. Not sure if it's the same as Kapton tape, but it worked wonders.

[@DarkFox2232]

What a story on how not to do something. As for the stripped screw. Get removable screwdriver tip of same size as original screw or if hole is now rounded, get star tip. Get metal to metal bonding adhesive and sacrifice this tip of screwdriver by bonding it to the screw. As for the Dremel madness. If it has to happen... paper tape with low stickiness. Cover everything. Your deck works, but it literally takes one speck of metal powder to short circuit 2 legs of microchip. That's how closely packed some legs are.

[@jmbenford1]

Personally as someone who’s puts together a lot of electronics I normally use a flat head just due to the fact that if I do strip the screw I can try to other spaces

[@baldlyrudy]

That's awesome advice!

[@27sspider27]

Less torque though and the fit is usually less snug

[@02drpyro]

This is exactly why I’m not attempting this. So many times I’ve been told it’s an easy process then I run into an unexpected problem or something that’s easy for someone else but I don’t have the technical know how for.

[@baldlyrudy]

Yup. All the other content creators made it seem super easy, and I ran into some problems, but it still runs like a champ. If you don't want to risk it, then I totally understand.

[@dannydee2668]

Watching this video stressed me out, I have done stuff with electronics and screwed up, I used to upgrade home computers in the 80s with memory and these were hard to do and i was 14 years old and the instructions were written wrong but I worked it out and contacted the company about the mistake and they couldn't believe i was 14. Now I hack anything to do what it shouldn't be able to.

[@jonathansallows836]

Corporate America: "How will we destroy Right to Repair initiatives?" Lackee: "Tell vendors and manufacturers to overtighten all their screws."

[@madpoet]

Dude, thanks for posting. I feel for you, been in tricky situations like this before. Sounds like you have it all back together and working properly. I also upgraded to the 1tb though I was more worried about stripping the threads rather than stripping the heads. I would never forgive myself if the case was always a little loose after I modded it because one or more screws couldn't be used. But since then I've opened it up again and replaced the back case w/ the JSAUX clear edition. Unfortunately I can't recommend it as it was a pain to install as the included thermal pads are too thick and the R4 button (any of the supplied ones) wouldn't work without modifications. Looks great does keep the CPU a bit cooler but is not easy to install. Similarly I needed the rotary tool to get it installed to my liking ;) Sometimes when you try to modify something and it doesn't go as expected you just need to roll with it. Again thanks for posting!

[@baldlyrudy]

Thanks for the comment dude! Yeah. Everything turned out alright. I'm not really afraid of trying things out in order to repair something. I just wish I didn't have to take out the Dremel. 😅

[@Sadtiric]

I'm sure someone has mentioned it before me, but when swapping the SSD, you have to give it power before it will boot. I did something similar. I think it's a security feature of sorts. It is VERY hard to kill a Steam Deck. I've somehow "bricked" mine twice and yet haven't lost any data due to just how resilient Linux is. The spark would realistically only do damage if it was a big enough chunk to connect two points and act as solder, and I doubt there were any pieces that large. Give yourself more credit, you did good!

[@baldlyrudy]

Thanks man! I sincerely appreciate it. Still didn't stop me from breaking a sweat in the middle of it all. K appreciate the advice by the way. Appreciate it. 🙌

[@ryuno2097]

Even I was anxious when you said the Steam Deck didn't boot up. Glad things worked out for your Deck.

[@baldlyrudy]

Thank you! Dude...I was so scared I ruined it. I love my Steam Deck. I was so happy to hear it post.

[@santinojoshuatorre1695]

DANG! that happened to me with the bottom screw, too! i usually use rubber bands for stripped screws, but didn't trust myself with putting any more force as yes, it is TINY. I ended up peeling the plate back very, very, VERY slowly like you did eventually there. some of those other options you mentioned/showed are very scary though.

[@toohurt6]

Same thing happened to me. Had two screws get stripped so I had to use a drill bit to remove them. My steamdeck also took forever to boot up so I could add the steam OS again. I had to plug it into charger for it to awake then plug my usb into. One of the most stressful things. I thought I was gonna have to buy a one multiple times during the upgrade lol

[@on-the-go-gaming]

just finished doing my ssd on my steamdeck right after watching your video. i got the same ssd that you have. no issues with the install but after reimaging the os the face buttons would not work. after a update and a hard restart every thing works like it was supposed to. Im sorry you had a rough time but glade you got it to work. worth the upgrade hands down.

[@baldlyrudy]

Thanks dude! I'm glad you didn't have any issues with your install. Also, even with all the issues that stripped screw gave me, I'm glad I did the upgrade. It's worth it.

[@kennethhumphrey952]

I bought the 512 GB version. At first I was kind of disappointed because the upgrade looked so easy but I have run into a few videos showing the same problem. Sometimes it's nice to have a piece of mind. If I did again I probably would buy 64 GB and just buy one or two Micro SSD cards.

[@1KingFisher]

That’s exactly what I did. I somehow stripped two screws trying to replace the SSD and before making it worse, I realized it’s better to just get a microSD card and play that way. I spent way too much money buying tools and trying other things just to get nowhere. I wasn’t willing to risk breaking my new $400 toy. The screws aren’t meant to be removed as much as youtube and everyone else will have you believe, it’s not a good idea to do it.

[@thrumbo]

The terrifying thing about the spark is not the heat. the heat is come from the grinding, which also can be a problem. the spark is basicaly tiny hot metal flying around, the heat from the spark itself most of the time cant damage the component, but if u dont clean it, it can make a contact with the component and then shorting it, even if the metal dust is small, it can clumb together over time when it being used.

[@Djhg2000]

Almost every time I've helped people with stripped screws, it's because they've used the wrong size or type without knowing it. Here are two quick tips for identifying the right one: * Spot the difference between Phillips and Pozi Drive type screws. Phillips heads have a sharp cross with 90 degree corners in the middle. Pozi Drive has what looks like an extra very thin cross drawn on top of the thick cross at a 45 degree angle, which can sometimes make the center look like a star or circular shape with no clear distinguishable 90 degree corners. * Use the right size for your screw head. Smaller size tips will fit into larger size heads and in some cases even the other way around might seem to work with a lot of axial force. The easiest way to identify the right tip is to try one size larger and smaller than you think it is. Pick the one that gives the least amount of play when you don't put any axial force on it. It should also "fall" into the screw and quality tips should feel very stiff when they match a quality head. Nevertheless, this was entertaining to watch!

[@thegrumpygamer3081]

I was just going to comment on exactly the same thing, Pozi & Phillips and also using the wrong size just because it fits.

[@baldlyrudy]

Thanks for the tips for others to read. The sizing was correct. All the screws came out with ease except for that bottom left one. It was clearly overtightened by the manufacturers.

[@longdang2681]

@@baldlyrudy What I do is to push down on the screw as you unscrew it. The precision screwdrivers with the rotational top helps if you have it. Use a large screw driver for more leverage.

[@baccarah7010]

There might be problems now because of the sparks.. There were some that flew inside the deck meaning you have tiny metal shavings flying around inside a handheld device so they move. There is a chance of the shavings getting somewhere and shorting something out.

[@djfernando16]

I've stripped a screw once inside a macbook pro. I didn't try all the "5 minute hacks" like you, bc they seemed silly. What I did eventually was drill with a (1 or 2 mm drill bit) the top of the screw. Afterwards, removing the stuff held by the screw, I had enough clearance to unscrew the thread using a pliers. I also stripped a screw on a new dell xps 17, but that time I just used a thicker bit and got the screw out. I've learned that some of these screws can be JIS and not phillips. They can look identical, but they strip if you use the wrong bit. Hope this helps

[@SilentFraud793]

That story was crazy! Glad everything worked out in the end.

[@baldlyrudy]

Thank you! Me too. 😅

[@venahtmusic]

I'm fortunate I didn't have any problems like this when I swapped out my SSD. For me the only hard parts were opening the deck itself (I used a credit card to open the plastic clips sealing it together) and then trying to slide that little foil sleeve on the SSD card itself since it was a super tight fit. I have, however, run into a similar problem when I tried repair my Nintendo 3DS. I got pretty far along into disassembling the deck when I got to one screw which would not come out at all. I tried all the same shit with a rubber band and everything and my screw driver just kept poking through the rubber band. I just gave up on fixing it eventually because at this point I'd have to take a super tiny drill bit and confidently drill right down into the 3DS which is something I didn't want to do.

[@IGNNotFound]

This brings me back to when I stripped 2 screws on my laptop heatsink. I also have gone down the rabbit hole of these alternative options to getting stripped screws out. One of scres I would eventually have some luck with trying out other screw sizes from a newer screwdriver kit I bought like 6 months later--even just the same size with different bits can make a difference for the grip; the other I ended up eventually getting out using a matching screw extractor. The screw extractor was quite difficult to come by though, since most of them are intended for wood screws. I ended up buying an earlier set that didn't go small enough with its smallest size, but then I lucked out with a newer set. It was super stressful, though, using a battery powered drill with the screw extractor on my laptop so close to the cpu and gpu since it was an expensive one (Zephyrus S15)--I can't imagine how stressful actually cutting would be with something so small. I've also opened my own steam deck since then, and that went without a hitch probably because I've since learned to be more careful/patient with the unscrewing process.

[@TheCodexNecro]

So two years ago, I upgraded my LCD deck and I have to say, the screws are by FAR the most anxiety-inducing part of the process. They are not very strong and you really need to make sure you have a very good screwdriver for it and plenty of downwards force to avoid stripping them. I personally bought a Japanese set of drivers for this. I have now done the upgrade to two LCDs, but have just bought an OLED, which I will be upgrading this week. Thank god they have switched to Torx screws. Hopefully less chance of this same stuff happening!! I do agree though, once you've done the upgrade, you definitely don't want to bother messing with it again! I will use my 1TB combined with a good MicroSD until the Deck 2 arrives in future.

[@rong7496]

I admire your honesty about how scared you were that you perhaps messed something up.

[@baldlyrudy]

Thanks! It was definitely a lot to take in. I was planning on making a video anyways, so I figured I'd own up to my mistakes and show my experience with others.

[@kvin1953]

I got all the screws except of the one under the tin foil so i couldn't open it from the side the way you did. I had to bend it from the bottom. It mostly worked but when putting it back it's still a little bent on the topside, it's not making contact with the heat sinks(from my pov)。 The middle part with the pads seems to be fine..Still kinda worried about temps now. Anyone who has bent it the way i did and cares to shate his experience?

[@cfarreg3960]

Glad I wasn't the only one that had trouble. I stripped 9 of 11 screws, they were on way too tight. Had to drill some out, Some worked with the Crazy Glue trick. But, it's upgraded and works.

[@baldlyrudy]

It seems like a lot of people experienced the screws being overtightened during manufacturing. Glad yours worked out.

[@jeterang8232]

had the same exact issue with the same exact scew just folded it out the way like you did wasnt beacuse of the heat. heres my fun expirience for you after i did all this and flashed steam OS onto the drive it worked for a couple days then i would notice little things like games refusing to open and random crashes and reboots of the system kept reflashing the OS to fix these issues then one day it just said no bootable device i was sold a bad SSD had to get it exchanged and do the whole thing again. and then i went back into it again to change the fan out beacuse i had the delta unit which is more noisy and has issues with the dbrand case magnetic kickstand thankfully they have resolved that now with a mechanical kickstand design.

[@baldlyrudy]

Omg....that is horrible luck. Is everything running well now?

[@FromW]

Exact same thing happened to me on that plate except top left.... was lucky enough to be able to lift the plate enough to swap ssd but the screw is stuck there forever now stripped it

[@polarized8708]

I did this process three days ago and had the same problem with the upper screw. I didnt try all these methods and also fold the backplate and changed the ssd. The worst thing was to get that tiny screw back at this place. This tiny screws are made to get destroyed quickly. So dont consider making these process to often and buy the biggest ssd you think you might need.

[@oo--7714]

I ended up stripping the 4 screws at the top. I tried rubber and it didn't work. Most youtube channels said it was easy to upgrade, but it really isn't as it's very easy to strip these screws.

[@baldlyrudy]

Ok. So I'm not the only one? I was surprised by how easy they were to strip.

[@oo--7714]

@@baldlyrudy yea, I wouldn't have bought the 64gb version if I knew about it before hand.

[@baldlyrudy]

@@oo--7714 dang. I went with the 256GB and I felt like it was nowhere near enough space. Can't imagine a 64GB. Are you rocking a microSD card?

[@oo--7714]

@@baldlyrudy yes, also the storage isn't as big of an issue as I thought it would be, I just had to turn of shader cache so my storage wouldn't fill up. The only issue though is some games like apex have stuttering issues with it turned off.

[@baldlyrudy]

@@oo--7714 gotcha. That makes sense. If you ever consider upgrading, mind the screws. You don't want them stripped. 🤣

[@gc3k]

I was able to swap out the 64gb card out of my Steam Deck with a 512 and reload the OS in a matter of minutes... but I remember I tried to clean dust inside the screen of the launch day Vita I bought Dec 2011, and now it's ruined. I can totally relate with DIY repairs not working out. It's a good idea to consider an alternative to fixing/modding valuable electronics, even if it costs more

[@fleurdeliseffxiv1580]

i remember trying to replace a new 3ds xl screen...those ribbon cables man

[@5izzy557]

Man that's a unique way to create a hinge for the heat shield, definitely going to copy this when I finally get my deck :-)

[@baldlyrudy]

Please don't. 🫠

[@5izzy557]

@@baldlyrudy Let's be real, I don't think anybody to replicate that even if we tried, talk about an unfortunate turn of events lol

[@baldlyrudy]

Bro, I don't wish the stress I had on anyone. 😅

[@Notpoop906]

One of the biggest causes of stripped screws is using the wrong bit. Make sure that there is as little play as possible. The bit might fit, but there's a good chance it's one size too small, so testing the next size up is always a good idea.

[@baldlyrudy]

Correct! The Steam Deck LCD model also had crappy screws. Nothing a bit of the correct size could do.

[@MrKrisSatan]

Wow what a wild ride, glad you got your deck working but it kinda puts me off wanting to upgrade mine!

[@baldlyrudy]

You should be fine. I don't think what happened to me is TOO common.

[@_suspi]

I was waiting for the Step 6 and you have to break out a chainsaw.

[@baldlyrudy]

I never put step 7 in. 😅

[@og87]

I had the same with the ssd screw and it wouldn’t boot from the usb so used an sd which worked in seconds. Annoyingly wasting half a day. But now no programs are installed so I’m trying to get everything installed again. It didn’t even have Firefox installed and it doesn’t have the programme opener installed. It’s dumb

[@cadderley100]

I was surprised myself how flimsy that "heat shield" was, when I was working on my deck last time. I could, literally, just bend the back plate out of it's position, and then back into it's original position, just by removing one screw. It's almost like tin foil how flimsy that cover is.

[@DoNotPassGO]

Had the same problem, but with two of the screws for the backplate. Bought a Jsaux backplate and the screwdriver that came with it sucks so bad that it started stripping the screws. And since someone stole all my screwdrivers, I had to buy a precision screwdriver set from Walmart and kept using the next size up bit until one actually worked.

[@baldlyrudy]

Glad everything turned out alright for you. A stripped screw sucks.

[@Captain_Wasabi]

So now I'm having this problem with the last backplate screw. Rubber band isn't working and I using a dremel would destroy the backplate. any ideas?

[@nanogaminghd4286]

Where did you buy the replacement screws from..

[@baldlyrudy]

I didn't buy any. I just used the ones that were there. But Valve has a partnership with iFixIt to supply replacement parts. www.ifixit.com/Parts/Steam_Deck

[@Castle_Games]

I had trouble with that same screw but I just went slowly and gently and it came out fine

[@katanarama1]

Just switched the ssd on mine this past Monday and boy was it a pain. I stripped the bottom back screw and then the screw under the foil. Had to basically hold the metal plate up since I couldn’t remove the screw just to get the ssd in. Luckily it all worked but I basically said the same thing you did “Im done not doing this again”😂

[@27sspider27]

They sell screw extractor kits that literally dig into the metal like a drill bit creating more grip to be more likely to extract the screw or just end up completely removing the head

[@baldlyrudy]

Whoa. I had no idea that existed. 😮

[@mcdingus5081]

@@baldlyrudy Except those extractor kits are usually for larger screws. I'm not so sure anyone makes one for these tiny screws in electronics devices.

[@rookiegamer-yt]

another sub here! keep the gaming reviews and tutorials you doing a excellent job

[@dannydee2668]

I upgraded mine and found that the #01 screwdriver gripped the best and worked fine for me.

[@mustashnob]

Now I’m even more scared to open my deck up

[@baldlyrudy]

Lol. Don't be. My mishaps have nothing to do with yours.

[@ejsmith9108]

Bought a micro screw remover from Amazon. I was skeptical but out of options and was even more skeptical of super gluing the screw cause most glues don't bond all that well to metals. Screw extractor worked. Then the even smaller screw inside covering the ssd was also stuck.. I reluctantly bent the plate back and forth till the screw gave and was able to unscrew it by hand . The situation felt very impossible like I was going to break the steamdeck but it'll come out

[@rezwan793]

Oh man, I just finished upgrading my deck to 2TB. I also stripped my screw, It was the one under the sticker of the backplate. yup the middle one. I took a deep breath and somehow was able to turn the screw slowly. It was out by no time. But for your case. the bottom right corner of the backplate comes without a screw, you can just put one there and you should be fine.

[@Dark-FireVikicHa]

Best way of removing such small stripped screws is with torx driver and a bit of pressure and if that didn't work with heating it with an soldering iron

[@freyarobinson804]

In the future I'd recomend like a nail dremel bit that's used for manicures they have a much smaller surface area and I'd imagine it would be much better for something this precise. lol

[@revmaillet]

I feel ya... the 1t ssd takes a while to flash. Much longer than the smaller ssd ::edit:: I have flashed 4 ssd for 4 different steam decks now and that is how i found out. We also changed out the thermal paste for graphite thermal pads so we dont have to worry about it for the life of our steam decks.

[@baldlyrudy]

Duuuude. It felt like an eternity to hear it post.

[@casedistorted]

Oh interesting, so do you just clean off any thermal paste the Steam deck uses and then replace them with custom fitted graphite pads in each spot? Sounds like a good little method

[@user-nu4cs1pg7q]

I had the same problem with the bottom left tray. Luckily the steam deck is a recent model with black plate. I was able to still upgrade the SSD without removing it by bending it to the left side.

[@whatisthis3063]

Can anyone help me out because my steam deck keeps going down and doesn’t let me play without being hooked up onto a tv even then doesn’t last long idk what’s wrong and I did kinda the same but without what he did to the screw so if anyone knows please let me know how to fix

[@TheSwissStorm]

Great video man but ngl I thought you were Vsauce in the thumbnail

[@knyaz3v]

Got exact same issue removing heat sink shield from my laptop, I was also hard on time and got no way but to finish this in about hour or 2, ended up drilling that screw slowly with low momentum and barely any pressure, after few minutes screw head was removed, everything is fine now 😅

[@baldlyrudy]

Glad everything turned out alright. I wasn't super pressed for time, but let's just say the whole process became much longer for me than I thought it would. 😅

[@JDzWORLD]

I hear you and taking your time and using the correct screwdriver attachment makes a huge difference in the beginning but take your time though and as far as me taking it apart lol yea I think im good I got a lot of experience at this kind of stuff

[@Emulation_Inflation]

Idk if anyone eles had this problem but I was missing 2 screws from the metal piece inside the deck I don't see how that could be missed. I got the deck directly from valve. AND YES THE SCREWS WERE SOOO TIGHT!!!

[@Sky1ceb3rg]

Same happened to me when i changed my ssd, but with the screw under the sticker. What i ended up doing is gently pushed up this metal thing on top and moved it around that one screw so i got the access to ssd. Obviously turned disconnected the battery. Changed the ssd and moved metal part back. Tl dr if it is only one screw you can’t move just leave it be and move metal part around it.

[@barozzbaro3283]

I had the same problem with one of the screws on the backplate. I removed stripped screw with slotted screwdriver

[@FireFoxFD343]

I stripped all the screws on the back of mine but "1". 😭 had to break the back cover to get in. ended up breaking the bottom tabs that the back cover clips into thank god for replacement covers might have to replace front and back now but still after spending 600 between buying the unit and ssd everything else now I'm stuck spending more to repair a brand new unit 😂

[@NoviDooms]

Reminds me of when I took my 3ds apart to replace the Sd card reader. It was my first time fixing anything and I had the wrong size screw driver. I ended up messed up so many screws and for awhile it was taped together in one spot. Years later I replaced the screws and remove one that was badly stripped. I used a drill and ended up knocking a capacitor off of the motherboard. I got it fixed by a professional but the board died a few weeks later... Long story short, I feel your pain.

[@baldlyrudy]

Dang. I appreciate that. The Steam Deck still runs like a champ. I am glad that Valve is replacing the Phillips screws with Torx screws.

[@NoviDooms]

Good to hear! Yeah, the new screws will be a big help! I love the steps valve is taking to help with reparability! Also, I was able to replace my 3ds's motherboard and get it working again. I had to sacrifice a few saves though...@@baldlyrudy

[@baldlyrudy]

@NoviDooms heck yeah! Valve is above the rest when it comes to repairability. Sucks to hear about your motherboard, but I'm glad it was all working properly at the end.

[@jcmk3829]

You don't have to unplug the battery just have to put it into battery storage mode upgraded mine a few days ago

[@svenstylesz]

What a Story 😂 I love how you talk about it. Very sympathetic.

[@baldlyrudy]

🤣🤣🤣 I'm just glad it's over and done.

[@svenstylesz]

@@baldlyrudy I believe you 😂

[@zeelong1589]

Same thing happened to me when putting it all back together as far as it not turning on. From unplugging the battery you need power delivery to wake the deck up. So plugging in the charger then hitting power button will wake up the system. When i first got my steam deck i remember having to plug the charger in first when turning it on for the first time. It wouldnt power up otherwise

[@baldlyrudy]

I was sweating when it came to it not turning on. 😅

[@andylin6560]

When a screw get stripped and you're not an engineer, Panic sets in; However when you are an engineer, you still panic, but then realize you can probably use cotton from a Q-tip, the rubber band was not a bad idea either.

[@ryanmohl]

As a aircraft mechanic I have to deal with stripped screws all the time granted they are bigger but you have to drill them and then pretty much use aeasy out. Pain in the butt

[@opyz]

been there bro, happy that worked out. It worked out for me too, but brooo what a nightmare.

[@John_Alter]

Even though I'm an IT guy, I had the exact problem as you in the video when I was upgrading my NVMe, the screw on the exact same spot you had issues with, it was screwed on tight and I could not get it off. I stripped it as well but I got it loose before I couldn't remove it anymore so I tried check if I was able to take off the cover with screw still attached and I was able remove and installed the NVMe with no issue and screw everything back except for that screw in the corner. I was lucky I messed up on my Steam Deck instead since I was upgrading the NVMe on two of them (mine and the other was a surprise (belated) birthday present for my older brother - his Deck came in a week after his birthday). I gave my brother my 512GB from a 64GB and upgraded my Deck to 1 TB. His Deck was much easier to deal with compared to mine.

[@baldlyrudy]

I'm glad I'm not the only one that ran into this issue. I'm not an IT guy. I'm not off an enthusiast than anything else. I have a ton to learn.

[@cve5731]

Not sure if you did this, but a good "first" upgrade is the switch to the hall-effect joysticks. That's really the only thing you'd wear out, so if you switch them out when you have the back open, no need to open it again in the future

[@baldlyrudy]

I bought some hall-effect joysticks and they were for the first iteration of the Steam Deck. I had to return them. Never tried going back, but I know what to do if I get drift.

[@aliiert5506]

What is the Name of the Game at 00:30

[@baldlyrudy]

Metroid Dread.

[@stevenkennett8694]

Mine didn't play the chime...but I could hear and feel the fan spin up...after that happened you just wait...and wait...and wait...and it comes on. Watching you do this reminded me of watching ricky from trailer park boys install a towel bar.

[@baldlyrudy]

That's nice...I guess?

[@mikereyes2488]

I got the 512 gig steam deck and I'm using like 15% of it, I have no real reason to add ssd, with my luck (which is none) if I did that I'd probably would've done maximum damage lol awesome that urs is still up and running. That was a scary moment lol

[@juliennegarcia4157]

Same lol. I got the 512gb internal with a 1tb sd(black Friday baby) 👍🏽. I’m too scared for this

[@jman4293]

Did you try moving the backplate. Maybe the bracket was putting too much pressure on the side.

[@alenezi989a3]

God this just happened to me but with the smaller screws on the outside case, I opened KZbin, and your videos was the first thing to pop up. I just took my deck to a nearby electrician and he somehow manged to get the screws out safely the rest of the upgrade process went smoothly, now I'm regretting not getting the 2TB ssd since I'm NEVER opening my steam deck ever again 😅.

[@baldlyrudy]

Duuuude. I'm glad it all worked out, but the amount of stress I was under when that screw stripped. I can completely understand where you're coming from. 😬😅

[@theGamer93]

I would have done it like you. But what also helps is using a sidecutter pliers, grabbing the head of the ccrew and then turning it with the pliers

[@baldlyrudy]

Didn't think of that. Thanks for tip!

[@RJ2A81]

I had the same experience with one screw being over tightened on the backplate. Almost stripped it but managed to get it out by switching to a one size larger Phillips bit.

[@baldlyrudy]

I tried that and it made the screw worse for me; it stripped it even further. 🫠

[@OGTripleTriple]

Why did I watch this video before bed? I'm going to have nightmares about this now as my ssd is arriving today and it's my turn to swap it out. I'm already clenching beyond limits... wish me luck when the time comes.

[@baldlyrudy]

You'll be fine. 😅

[@OGTripleTriple]

@@baldlyrudy Installed without problems. Thanks for your help.

[@JusticeAA]

When you tried to restart the deck it probably was in battery storage mode and would not turn on unless it was plugged in.

[@baldlyrudy]

Makes sense.

[@Uncle-Jay]

I would have been less concerned about the sparks burning anything and more about the slag from the cooled sparks rolling around inside the steam deck when you turn it on. I would have just gotten a can of duster and blasted it out before putting it all together.

[@seb_bdx0727]

YOUR STORY made me laugh till I cried in front of my laptop hahaha Greetings from the South West of France!

[@baldlyrudy]

Bonjour! Hope all is well. 🙌

[@alexoborne5419]

Got mine the other day and still stuck on the first update. It’s saying starting Steam Deck Update download

[@baldlyrudy]

Hmmmm....what channel are you on?

[@alexoborne5419]

@@baldlyrudy it’s the first update I’ve tried Wi-Fi and Wired Internet connections

[@baldlyrudy]

Have you tried doing a factory reset?

[@jiujester5717]

I had a similar problem with a stripped screw on the back cover. I just drilled out the screw! But it sucks my steam deck feels incomplete!

[@Kimonia6]

I kinda stripped my steam deck back case screw and needed to remove the screw with a drill... yeah that's not my finest moment and it nearly hit the battery.

[@baldlyrudy]

Everything came out alright?

[@Kimonia6]

@@baldlyrudy Yep! Except for a now shoddy backcase

[@baldlyrudy]

@@Kimonia6 hmmm.....maybe get a replacement shell?

[@danielyoung_]

If you were following a guide, you may have forgotten about putting your Steam Deck in battery storage mode. After this, you need to plug in with AC to power on

[@MrMustardfinger]

I was worried doing mine, only installed the 1tb about a week ago and had the deck for 9 months it all went so smoothly i was worried i had missed something was such an amazing feeling when it booted up again(similar feeling to updating bios). If what happened to you happened to me I think id have passed out!

[@hooky17]

Nice video thank you. Side note, I have the same Mario ? block sweet tin and also use it for screw collection when modding 😆

[@baldlyrudy]

Thanks! And nice! I bought it years ago and I use it all the time. 🙌

[@Shenlongboy]

i bought Sabrent SSD 512GB install it , work fine. Second day, it dead. =( In process of reinstall the original SSD64GB but end up 4 of my steam deck back casing 5.8m screw stripped... That whole day end up keep travel back and forth to Hardwareshop to fix the stripped screw. In the end, i finally get the stripped screw out by using the professional mobile fix tool set. and install back the original. now waiting refund from amazon. P.S i throw away the stripped screw and use 3rd party outer layer plastic casing to hold my steam deck. is really frustrated.

[@Evercade_Effect]

Yikes! 😵‍💫😵 Glad it worked out in the end.

[@baldlyrudy]

You and me both dude. Was genuinely scared and stressed. 🫠

[@TiredTimelord]

I had that same screw give me issue I did the same and just bent the heatshield up and then placed it back down. Wasn't going to mess with it lol. 1tb worked.

[@baldlyrudy]

Glad I wasn't the only one that ran into this problem. Hope it all worked out like mine did.

[@TiredTimelord]

@@baldlyrudy well it makes me wonder if that screw due to its location is just more prone to stripping? Anyways great content keep up the great work!

[@baldlyrudy]

Possibly. Could also just be sizing and just part of the manufacturing process. Thanks! Appreciate you dude! 🙌

[@jcmelon5771]

I just started this upgrade. I hit two snags. 1. Got a bit scared about disconnecting the battery, the pull tag seems to be stuck to the battery and my other attempts to shift the connector didn't seem to be having much affect. 2. The screw holding the SSD in place was partially stripped and really tight. I tried unscrewing it but mde it worse. I bailed on the process and put the Deck back together. There's an Apple repair shop at the end of the road so I'm gonna ask them for some advice. I'm not sure I can bring myself to attack the SSD screw with a micro angle grinder!!! XD

[@baldlyrudy]

Totally understandable. I probably wouldn't do that either, but then again...😅

[@jcmelon5771]

@@baldlyrudy VICTORY!!! I braced myself and worked slowly and surely on the battery cable and eventually got it out. The screw was another matter - I tried the rubber band thing and the sellotape thing to no avail. I bought precision screw extractor bits and a pair of M2 pliers. Before I could get my hands on a drill I tried the pliers and the screw came right out. All about having the right tools. Reinaging the OS was another headache, you've really gotta use the fastest drive you can get to create the disk image. Then the OS update wouldn't download until I unplugged the Deck from the dock and made sure there was only one wifi bandwidth coming from the router. Some people use their phone's hotspot. WTH is going on there. TL:DR - I did it. But it wasn't as easy as ALL the YT videos say it is.

[@baldlyrudy]

@jcmelon5771 Niiiiice! Congrats dude! Yeah. A lot of the KZbin videos out there make it seem easy. Some people will say it's a "skill issue", but dealing with an overtightened screw sucks. Glad it all worked out man. Enjoy the extra storage. 🙌

[@CaptBadLad]

What chair are you sitting on? I am looking for a nice mesh type desk chair

[@baldlyrudy]

It's the Autonomous Ergo Chair 2. It's super comfortable, but the seat isn't mesh. It doesn't make too much of a difference for me though.

[@MK_1Ultra]

😂😂😂😂 THE RIP CLICK BAITING THUMBNAIL 😂😂😂 I love his dedication and concern to make content, it's the driving force for it all.

[@baldlyrudy]

🤷‍♂️😅

[@Han-fx4bz]

Hi, you can definitely make a video for taking out a striped screws. I used all methods you mentioned here except the drill when I fix my laptop fans. I’ll make another try sometime. Thanks for your sharing ❤

[@baldlyrudy]

Thanks! Yeeeeah. I tried a lot of things. I might open up an old laptop and see if I can make a video on all of what I did here.

[@dandiaz19934]

Super relatable, engaging and useful cautionary tale. I hate stripping screws so much

[@archer201977]

i laughed when i saw disney lightsabers under trending search lol, great video by the way, i was hoping to teardown the back plate of my SD and replace with either 512 or 1tb.

[@thesullylife8219]

I'm very scared to take mine apart lol I have extra components... But .. I don't want my system to crash and it be my fault ... Glad that your deck is still good man awesome vid