[Discuss] How do I determine what hard drive screws I need?

[blu at nedharvey.com (Edward Ned Harvey)]

> From: discuss-bounces+blu=nedharvey.com at blu.org [mailto:discuss-
> bounces+blu=nedharvey.com at blu.org] On Behalf Of John Abreau
> 
> I've got an HP ProLiant DL360 G5 server, which uses 2.5-inch SAS or
> SATA drives.
> The machine had no drives in it, so I ordered a couple of drives,
> along with some
> drive trays.
> 
> Neither the hard drives nor the trays came with mounting screws. How do I
> figure out what size screws I need?
> 
> The drives are Seagate Momentus 750gb 2.5-inch SATA drives.

The same way you figure out the right thread to re-attach a bolt on the
kids' swingset in the back yard.  Bring it in to the nearest shop, where
they'll have bins full of the screws and you can try them to make sure you
get the right fit before buying.  Once you know the right fit, feel free to
buy a box online, or from the local store where the guy was helpful enough
maybe he deserves the $2 you'll be giving him instead of some online
megamart.

It really sucks if you order $0.23 worth of screws from the internet, with
$4 shipping, and 2 days later when it arrives you discover you got the wrong
ones.

Hard drives all use a standard thread, but that does not necessarily mean
they're the same for 2.5" versus 3.5" ... and when you're talking about a
sliding rail kit in the server, you'll probably be needing the V-shaped
countersunk head, and the length has to be just right, so they've got bite
without going too deep and bottoming out.