I bought a stick of RAM from ClockWork this week (excellent service he's providing by the way), and went to install it in my 20" iMac (iSight) G5 this evening. However, something was very odd - I was unable to unscrew the damn screws! I tried the two sizes of philips head screwdrivers reccommended by Apple in their memory installation manuals (#1 and #2), but they just didn't want to budge.

As I'm not the most knowledgable person when it comes to screws and hardware, I got my Dad (who is quite knowledgeable about these things) to take a look. He found that the screwdrivers didn't work because the screws were 'burred out'. This means that the bits that the screwdriver need to grip are worn down to a level where it's near-impossible to unscrew the plate off the bottom of the iMac, and access the memory slot!

So, what I want to know is whether this diagnosis is correct, and the screws are worn, or if all iMacs have similar screws, and there is a better way of unscrewing them than with the philips head that Apple advises.

This iMac was bought new from Next Byte (Adelaide), back in December 2005, and I've never opened it up before this attempt (or even during).

Helpful advice would be greatly appreciated!

The screws don't come all the way out - they just undo so you can lift the back off.

Do not try to unscrew them all the way out as such. Doesn't work that wat.

just had a look at our iMac G5 20inch (rev A)
the philips screws are fine and not 'burred out'. even used a normal philips head screwdriver to test and it was fine.

when you bought it, did you have any third-party parts installed at the shop? maybe a technician has already had a go at it ???
try to use a bigger philips head and gently apply force and slowly turn. i've done this before on other troublesome screws (generally on pc's) but never had this with a Mac ... take care and good luck with it.

My method with troublesome phillips head screws is to file the sharp tip off the phillips head screwdriver which allows it to seat better.

Yup. Read that in the instructions. Always read the instructions, kids . But it's very difficult to unscrew them all the way out when you can't even screw them part of the way!

No third-party (or Apple upgraded) parts were installed when I bought it. It's the exact specifications as shipped by Apple. I would most certainly hope that nobody had a go at it before I bought it. Thanks for checking yours out, though. At least I know that Apple don't put weirdo screws in their machines. I'm going to have another look at it tomorrow, so I'll try what you've suggested.

What did the screws look like before you tried to unscrew them ?. Already 'burred out' ?

Assumedly, just as they look now. I was able to spin the screwdriver around in the screw on the first attempt, so there was definitely something wrong before I tried unscrewing them.

I've had no issues with the screws in my G5 iMac, but the screw on my new Aluminium 24" was so shallow that none of my Phillips heads would bite. I ended up using a blade driver instead.

Hrm... Maybe these are just really shallow. A blade driver, you say? I'll report findings tonight.

Good luck! keep us informed,

I'm going to have a go at putting more ram in my 24" intel imac,

Any suggestions on where to get more ram??? that won't cost an arm and a leg???

With help e-mails coming from Half Goon - I thought it best he opened a thread (no pun intended) on the subject, as it almost sounds as if the three phillips # 2 screws under his iMac G5 were machine drilled in... and then some... to the point of no return...

Search for what you need on http://staticice.com.au
Thats the easiest way to find cheap ram