Phil Marlowe wrote in a message to Roy J. Tellason:

> Phil Marlowe wrote in a message to Mike Ross:

MR> As for repairs, pretty soon they will do away with access 
MR> screws altogether.

PM> I have a TV like that. The outer shell is held on with plastic 
PM> rivets -- the whole thing supposedly disposable if anything goes 
PM> wrong.

RJT> They're doing that *now*?!  Jeez...!

PM> Yep, and it isn't even a -very- recent model. A few years old. I 
PM> haven't tried to open it, since it's working okay, just noticed the 
PM> rivets when I was originally setting it up. I thought the 'tunnels' 
PM> that lead to the access screws looked unusually wide, so I took a 
PM> peek.

PM> While there are such things as plastic screws,  these are smooth 
PM> surfaced rivets. No slots or anything on the head of the rivet to 
PM> get them off or out.

They aren't those things you're supposed to pry out with a screwdriver, 
are they?  Some of those "plastic rivets" seem to be like that.

PM> Which reminds me of another problem: I vaguely remember a thread 
PM> here on how to extract one of those screws with a star-shaped slot 
PM> with a pin in the center.

"Tamper-proof Torx".  Yeah,  that's what IBM used a couple of on
that external 5-1/4" floppy drive...  I happened to be near somebody
that I thought might be able to help with those,  and they did get them
out.  I didn't want 'em back afterwards,  either,  figured that the four
remaining philips-head screws were enough to hold that case together.  :-)

PM> Not having seen one of those at the time, I didn't pay much 
PM> attention. But I now have to deal with some of those screws on a 
PM> kitchen mixer. However, can't get the buggers out. I've ruined at 
PM> least a couple of small screwdrivers trying to break the center pin 
PM> off. The screw must be made of -- what's that Superman element --
PM> kryptonite. Indestructible. The pin won't even bend.

PM> Absolutely no other reason I can see for adding that center pin 
PM> except another d*** scheme to make stuff disposible.

Or to make it a point that only those with the right tool should be able to
open it.  I've been thinking about getting a set of those,  myself,  but
really haven't had the need.  Yet.

PM> Did anyone find a solution to removing that type of screww when 
PM> this was being discussed here?

I have only a vague recollection of this thread,  but if it comes down to
it I'll buy some tools.  Or drill the buggers out...

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