Ouch! Coffee wrecked my laptop!

[hlweyl]

Hi all,

I have a Dell Inspiron laptop that my son spilled coffee on/in several days ago. He was scared so he didn't tell me or my wife until last night when it stopped working.

I go to turn it on and it tries to power up for about a second then... nothing. Has this happened to anyone? If so, did you have any success in getting it running again, if yes, how?

Thx

ps I have no extra insurance on the laptop

 

[lemansnsx]

Hi all,

I have a Dell Inspiron laptop that my son spilled coffee on/in several days ago. He was scared so he didn't tell me or my wife until last night when it stopped working.

I go to turn it on and it tries to power up for about a second then... nothing. Has this happened to anyone? If so, did you have any success in getting it running again, if yes, how?

Thx

ps I have no extra insurance on the laptop

Had you been informed BEFORE powering it on again you might have had some success - but only by removing the keyboard (easy on most laptops) and thoroughly cleaning/drying everything.
If it was powered on when the accident happened or still wet when turned on then I think you're screwed. Sorry.

Had this happen with a co-worker once who had her computer stop working. She denied knowing anything about it. Strong smell of coffee in her office. Walked over to her desk and picked up the keyboard and flipped it over. Coffee came pouring out of it...

 

[ss_md]

Coffee corrodes the membrane in the keyboard. It sounds likely that your motherboard still had liquid on the circuitry when you powered it up - I think you're screwed. The only way to know for sure is to disassemble, thoroughly clean and reassemble, then test run. Do you have a "no fault" warranty or extended coverage? If so, you might be able to get it replaced.

 

[NeoNSX]

Sorry to hear this. Don't get your hopes up high. Like ss_md said, you'll have to open the notebook up, clean it and try again. Only use paper-towel to mop any liquids up. MAKE SURE YOU HAVE IT TURNED OFF AND THE BATTERY REMOVED. Leave it to air dry for a couple of hours before turning on again. If it doesn't work, it might be worth getting a quote on a repair before running out and buying a new one.

To be honest, like <B>lemansnsx</B> said, it could have been rescued if 1) you'd been informed sooner, and 2) you hadn't turned it on. I've seen some amazing spills of coke and coffee where the notebook has survived.

Best story i've ever heard was a baby had vomited on a notebook. The keyboard was binned, and the technician had some extensive gut-wrenching cleaning to do, but the notebook survived!!!

 

[hlweyl]

Thx for the advice. I tore it down and yes there was some coffee on the main cpu board. I called Langguth Electronics to find out the best way to clean it, they said you can use water, alcohol would be better as it will dry faster. They said to make sure everything was completely dry before running current through it.

I spent about an hour cleaning everything, let it dry and reassembled. It still cannot power up. Oh well, I guess I now have a parts computer.

 

[lemansnsx]

Oh well, I guess I now have a parts computer.

If you are interested in repairing this one I may be able to help with parts sources. Of course, laptop parts can be ridiculously expensive... it is often better to buy a complete used notebook. Find one on Ebay with a broken screen and you're golden.

 

[NsXMas]

Seems like your son will be buying you a new laptop...

 

[ky650]

Like LeMansNSX already mentioned, it most likely would have worked had it not been turned on. A friend of mine essentially had his laptop submersed in orange juice (OJ carton crushed in his backpack with the laptop - the backpack had one of those waterproof linings). Not knowing what to do, he left it alone for months before trying to turn it on, the only side affect was an odd smell coming from within. Extra pulp I might add This was on an Inspiron 4000.

Again, like has already been mentioned, your best bet might be buying some used parts. My screen died on my Inspiron a few days after the 1 year warranty expired. The replacement cost was nearly $800 (despite some occasional problems pior to the warranty expiration, Dell wouldn't cover any of it).

Does anyone know if the harddive, optical drive, lcd would still be functional despite the motherboard shorting?

I hope you can find a reasonable solution to your problem. Just be sure to take a look at new laptop pricing so you know at what price point to 'total' the old laptop.

 

[NeoNSX]

Does anyone know if the harddive, optical drive, lcd would still be functional despite the motherboard shorting?

You won't know till you replace the motherboard. Not the answer you're looking for I know. The circuitry should prevent shorting over components, but a spill accident can be unpredictable.