Despite it being difficult to access, I decided I was good enough with computers to attempt to clean the dust out myself. Last Saturday was my scheduled day.
After clearing off some space and disconnecting everything as well as pulling out the battery, I opened my tool kit and found a YouTube video telling me what to do. I had little cups ready to separate the screws and a flashlight.
The first problem I ran into was that my screwdriver tips were not magnetized. I found instructions on how to do that--you simply run the screwdriver over a magnet. Hey, I even had a magnet...I just couldn't find it. Not immediately. Um, yeah, my office still isn't unpacked and it just gets worse since I dump everything in there. It took longer than it should have, but I did find my magnet.
Magnetizing was as easy as it sounded and the screwdriver was pulling the itty bitty laptop screws out as I lifted it. Perfect.
I had a few misgivings as I went along, but I don't want to buy a new laptop until Windows 10 comes out next fall/winter and I couldn't keep allowing the Vaio to overheat.
I forged on.
I was down to the final screw in the casing, then I'd be inside the laptop and the scarier part of the day's mission. There was one small problem, though. I accidentally stripped the screw head. Oops. I'd seen a work around on Pinterest--something about using a rubber band--and went in search of one that would fit in the small hole, but still be wide enough to work. It fit! But that particular life hack was a fail. It didn't work.
Finally, I had no choice except concede that I wasn't getting that screw out. I put all the others back into place and plugged everything back in. Put this in my Fail column.
