Re: Last time this happened...
"Though not serious, I have seen this with some older laptops and other equipment. The old NEC 5xxxx and 6xxxx series laptops from yesteryear were famous for this, making tech work frustrating if not truly annoying,"
This why I'm a bit anal about laying out the screws when dismantling a laptop. There are still laptops using the same size screws other than length, just for holding the case together, In some cases, the shorter screws will "fit" into holes meant for the longer screws and if you don't manage the screw placement properly you end up with long ones which either don't go in all the way or could cause damage if tightened all the way.
Managing all removed parts such that they go back in the correct order and correct places is something I learned at the start of my career. There should never be parts left over :-)
Biting the hand that feeds IT
