Posted on 09/20/2004 9:37:37 AM PDT by finnman69
Please no spilled milk jokes.
Ok, spilled milk into my Inspiron laptop keyboard, (PIII 700 Mhz, 256k RAM, 30 GB HD, Win 98). I turned it over and powered down. I disconnected it, battery out, drives out, HD out, keyboard removed and all dried out for 36 hours. Cleaned out all the visible residue which seemed confined to the QWERTY area and some on the circuit board where the power button was (not the mother board).
It now powers on and functions normally with the exception of the keyboard not working (5-6 keys mis typing), I figure it needs replacement, ok. But more ominously the fans are not powering on and I notice a slight whirring noise near the fans (never heard this noise before), but only when the AC adapted is plugged in, not when it's just on battery power.
Thinking about sending it back to Dell, NOT UNDER WARRANTY. So im looking at $270 just to get it looked at. I could order the keyboard and put it in myself no prob. Have not run the diagnostics yet and am planning to do that tonight to check the fan status and see if errors pop up. Am praying it's not the motherboard as I dont want to spend the $ on a brand new computer. Just bought a brand new HD.
Any recommendations would be greatly appreciated.
Don't cry over spilled milk.
First off, don't cry over spilt milk. :-)
Owl_Eagle
" WAR IS PEACE
FREEDOM IS SLAVERY
DIVERSITY IS STRENGTH"
I have to say it:
It sound like CHEESE to me.
If the only thing that's not working is the keyboard, I think I'd replace it (the keyboard, that is).
Deleted the milk then delete the cookies.
Take your laptop to a local computer repair outlet. Let them clean the thing properly and provide diagnostics. Should cost you less than $100.00
Tough luck. Take it to a local electronics store or repair shop for a look-see and/or estimate.
The keyboard must be removed and disassembled and cleaned.
There is probably milk residue between the contacts and the keyboard must be taken apart and cleaned thoroughly.
When my wife put my cell phone through the wash, I set it in the sun for 4 days and it was good as new.. So maybe more drying time? Good luck.
try running it through the dishwasher - that always cleans the glasses and stuff at my house. Seriously - I would either send it to Dell and pay the money or take it to a local computer fix-it shop. I think Dell is the best bet.
I say that because, if you had the knowledge to fix the laptop yourself, you wouldn't have posted this.
shake it really really hard and then bang on it repeatedly with a hammer to get the milk out.
Download SP2. Its a fix all.
just kidding
Can you pop the key-caps off the keys?
Before it dries, get some distilled water and Q-tips & clean it.
p.s. make use the power is disconnected, battery removed.
It behaved as did the computer you described. Bottom line- don't give up hope yet....
Sorry about the above. I wish you luck.
I would run a back up of your hard drive and see if you have a local techie that can go through it with his tiny tools cleaning the key board.
After that, just run it till it dies but do your backup all the time.
Lesson: Don't drink and type
Disclaimer: Opinions posted on Free Republic are those of the individual posters and do not necessarily represent the opinion of Free Republic or its management. All materials posted herein are protected by copyright law and the exemption for fair use of copyrighted works.