I'm moving my motherboard into a new case, but one of the brass standoffs is stuck. The screw turns freely instead of coming out, so I think the standoff may be spinning or the screw may be cross-threaded. Is there a safe way to hold the standoff in place and remove the screw? I'd really like to avoid damaging the motherboard or replacing it after already spending about $2,000 on upgrades.
1 Answer
The screw is probably cross-threaded into the standoff, causing both pieces to spin together. If you can reach the edge of the standoff, carefully grip it with needle-nose pliers while turning the screw counterclockwise. You can also gently wedge a thin tool between the standoff and the screw head to keep the standoff from rotating, but be careful not to scrape or flex the motherboard.
There’s just enough room to get my fingernail between the standoff and the screw, so I’ll try holding it with needle-nose pliers carefully.