Beware of liquids and laptops
Oct 12, 2018 08:58:19 #
While sitting with my laptop on my lap and a mug of tea in hand, I fell asleep, and the inevitable happened. I awoke to a feeling of dampness on my sweater, and the laptop had stopped working. After a few choice words, I proceeded to unplug it and wipe up the excess from the keyboard with a cloth, open the lid as wide as I could, and place the laptop upside-down over a heating vent. I tried turning it on after a couple of hours: nothing. I consulted an IT person, who told me it was toast. I put it back over the heating vent, and waited another couple of hours. After turning it on again, it got as far as showing the maker's logo, then refused to go any further. Back to the heating vent for another couple of hours. I turned it on again, and lo and behold, it booted, though it took for ever to do it. Reconnecting to the internet took some fiddling, but it eventually worked. Now it's back to normal.
Lesson: beware of liquids around laptops! My tea could have cost me about $1000, and I was lucky that it didn't.
Lesson: beware of liquids around laptops! My tea could have cost me about $1000, and I was lucky that it didn't.
Oct 12, 2018 09:02:19 #
Mike, liquids and keyboards don't do well together either. Hopefully, your laptop will continue to recover and no further issues will surface.
--Bob
--Bob
Straight Shooter wrote:
While sitting with my laptop on my lap and a mug o... (show quote)
Oct 12, 2018 09:03:24 #
olemikey
Loc: 6 mile creek, Spacecoast Florida
Yes - stuff happens, I moved my coffee cup as I read the post!!!!!! Glad laptop is back to normal. 
Oct 12, 2018 09:06:56 #
A couple of weeks ago I reached for a jar of peanut but somehow picked up a full cup of coffee. The only thing that didn't recover was the touchpad. I rummaged in the junk drawer and found a small wireless mouse. All is good again. I just wish I had spilled the coffee a couple of years ago as the mouse is so much nicer.
As for being told your computer was toast, that is bad advice given all too often.
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As for being told your computer was toast, that is bad advice given all too often.
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Oct 12, 2018 09:07:46 #
If you had sugar in the mix, your keyboard would have been a casualty of war. I've wasted a couple of keyboards that way. I always ensure liquids are away from computer components.
Oct 12, 2018 09:23:22 #
A few years ago, liquid got onto and into my daughter’s laptop. She took it to Best Buy, the Geek Squad charged her to inspect it and returned it as unrepairable. I took it to an IT neighbor who opened it and used a hair dryer to gently dry the interior. In less than an hour it worked as it had before the accident.
Oct 12, 2018 09:26:46 #
Watch for sticking keys.
A friend spilled coffee on her desktop keyboard. The keyboard worked, but when the coffee dried, the sugar in the coffee caused most of the keys to stick. Had to pull each sticky key cap off and clean the plunger shaft with alcohol on a Q-tip. Fixed the sticking keys. Which is good as it was a really nice keyboard.
A friend spilled coffee on her desktop keyboard. The keyboard worked, but when the coffee dried, the sugar in the coffee caused most of the keys to stick. Had to pull each sticky key cap off and clean the plunger shaft with alcohol on a Q-tip. Fixed the sticking keys. Which is good as it was a really nice keyboard.
Oct 12, 2018 09:37:22 #
You say it was still plugged in? My first thought is you're lucky you didn't get electrocuted.
Oct 12, 2018 09:38:17 #
Straight Shooter wrote:
While sitting with my laptop on my lap and a mug o... (show quote)
I hope you have some sort of back up in place? just in case and up date the back of everything just knowing and some point it will likely be lost. Good time to buy and transfer to an external hard drive if you have not already done so.
Oct 12, 2018 09:44:06 #
I used to keep a roll of duct tape in a drawer, my mug sat in it, no chance of spill on a computer or much else, thermo mug fit in the center of the roll quite well.
Oct 12, 2018 10:09:34 #
saxman71 wrote:
You say it was still plugged in? My first thought is you're lucky you didn't get electrocuted.
5-12 volts for the circuitry will not hurt you.
Odds are it never made it to the power supply line input.
Oct 12, 2018 10:22:35 #
Longshadow wrote:
Watch for sticking keys.
A friend spilled coffee on her desktop keyboard. The keyboard worked, but when the coffee dried, the sugar in the coffee caused most of the keys to stick. Had to pull each sticky key cap off and clean the plunger shaft with alcohol on a Q-tip. Fixed the sticking keys. Which is good as it was a really nice keyboard.
A friend spilled coffee on her desktop keyboard. The keyboard worked, but when the coffee dried, the sugar in the coffee caused most of the keys to stick. Had to pull each sticky key cap off and clean the plunger shaft with alcohol on a Q-tip. Fixed the sticking keys. Which is good as it was a really nice keyboard.
In the "olden days" before wireless keyboards you just ran them under a warm shower for a bit. Blow dry and back to work in no time at all.
--
Oct 12, 2018 12:01:05 #
alby
Loc: very eastern pa.
my friend found a 15" macbook pro in the gutter during a rainstorm. completely under water. don't know how long it was there. took it home lifted the lid and left it for a few weeks... borrowed my charger and left it charge overnight. came right on but wouldn't open.. took it to his guru and he got it to open. couldn't "unlock" it but started over like a new computer .... bingo .... that was 2 years ago and it is still going strong......he is lucky like that
Oct 12, 2018 12:36:31 #
Oct 12, 2018 12:49:16 #
bpulv
Loc: Buena Park, CA
Straight Shooter wrote:
While sitting with my laptop on my lap and a mug o... (show quote)
Just a few comments. First, if you must drink beverages around your computer get a keyboard cover since the keyboard and the vents can be the easiest places for liquid to enter. Second, if your computer has cooling ports on it's bottom, keep it propped up off the table so water will not get sucked in if there is a spill. Finally, if your computer takes a bath, don't wait to dry it out because the longer you wait, the higher the probability that critical electrical connections will corrode. Either do as Straight Shooter did without delay and open it and apply heat, or put the computer in a sealed container with a large amount of desiccant or dry uncooked rice and get it to a competent technician ASAP. Do not take it to a technician who has a vested interested in having you buy a new computer.
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