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Please quick help with computer
May 2, 2008 | Hildy

Posted on 05/02/2008 8:24:30 AM PDT by Hildy

I spilled my cereal and milk on my laptop computer keyboard this morning...I cleaned it right away, but now my computer won't even boot up..Nothing.

Anything I can do immediately? Will I be able to save the hard drive at least?

Thanks.


TOPICS: Computers/Internet; Miscellaneous
KEYWORDS: help
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1 posted on 05/02/2008 8:24:30 AM PDT by Hildy
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To: Hildy

Spend $600 for a new laptop and transfer your files from your old hard drive.


2 posted on 05/02/2008 8:25:37 AM PDT by Always Right (Was it over when the Germans bombed Pearl Harbor?)
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To: Hildy

I’ve pulled out my memory and hard drive and was able to salvage everything. Just remove it as soon as you can


3 posted on 05/02/2008 8:26:20 AM PDT by shadeaud
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To: Hildy

DO NOT turn the laptop on and remove the battery RIGHT NOW!


4 posted on 05/02/2008 8:26:58 AM PDT by Mr. Jazzy (The United States Marines. The finest and most feared fighting force in the history of mankind.)
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To: Hildy; rdb3; Calvinist_Dark_Lord; GodGunsandGuts; CyberCowboy777; Salo; Bobsat; JosephW; ...

5 posted on 05/02/2008 8:27:05 AM PDT by ShadowAce (Linux -- The Ultimate Windows Service Pack)
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To: Hildy

Try this:

Hold it upside down and use a warm hair dryer to blow up in between the keys. Might take a while. Also leave it upside down for several hours so the liquid can drip out with gravity.

Been there, done that. Best of luck.


6 posted on 05/02/2008 8:27:28 AM PDT by EggsAckley
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Comment #7 Removed by Moderator

To: Hildy

you can remove the hard drive and get an IDE external port to plug it into any other computer through the USB interface. Those are sealed pretty good.

Lapjobs can’t take liquids in them like a regular keyboard- I have hosed down my regular keybord in the kitchen sink and it still works. (I had a backup spare before i tried that)


8 posted on 05/02/2008 8:30:00 AM PDT by Mr. K (Some days even my lucky rocketship underpants don't help)
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To: Hildy

They have keyboard condoms just for this occasion.


9 posted on 05/02/2008 8:31:12 AM PDT by wolfcreek (I see miles and miles of Texas....let's keep it that way.)
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To: Hildy

Yeah, it can be saved, but you will be a few days without it.

First, make sure it is unplugged and that the battery is out.

Second, with a soft damp cloth, clean off as much milk as you can.

Third, fill a small tub with about an inch of water and submerse your laptop, with the screen in the upright position in it. Do not let the water get higher than the hinge level, that is important.

Now let the laptop soak for about four hours, replace the water, and let it soak for another four hours.

The waiting will now begin. Get a soft cotton towel and lay the laptop, keyboard down on top of it. Do not allow the keyboard to be pressed into the towel, just lightly resting on it, or even just off of it a bit.

You need to make sure the laptop completely dries before starting it again. This usually takes about 3 days.


10 posted on 05/02/2008 8:32:42 AM PDT by Anitius Severinus Boethius
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To: Hildy

Have a bagel for breakfast instead. If you do drop it on your laptop, the only result will be that for the rest of the day the computer will print only in Yiddish. Good luck!


11 posted on 05/02/2008 8:34:03 AM PDT by pabianice
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Got coffee?

12 posted on 05/02/2008 8:34:11 AM PDT by evets (beer)
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To: Mr. K
My daughter had coffee leap from a mug onto her laptop. The coffee even managed to get under the screen. I don't remember if she was able to retrieve any files, but her laptop was definitely dead.
13 posted on 05/02/2008 8:35:15 AM PDT by stayathomemom
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To: Anitius Severinus Boethius; All

Thanks everyone..you’ve all been helpful.


14 posted on 05/02/2008 8:36:51 AM PDT by Hildy (It is our choices, far more than our abilities, that determine who we truly are. - J.K. Rowling)
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To: Hildy

Here is an Obama “after the fact” solution:

Next time, pry yourself away from FR for five minutes while eating.

Good luck.


15 posted on 05/02/2008 8:39:37 AM PDT by Retired Greyhound
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To: Anitius Severinus Boethius

I did warranty work on laptops for Dell and IBM for years.

No offense to you but there is no way in hell I would do what you recommend. Essentially you are destroying anything that might be salvagable right now. She’s dead, Jim.


16 posted on 05/02/2008 8:40:40 AM PDT by L98Fiero (A fool who'll waste his life, God rest his guts.)
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To: Hildy; EggsAckley
Be very careful with the hair-dryer. If you put it too close or for too long, the plastic on the laptop will melt.

If the screen is made of polymer, it will deform permanently. If it's glass, it may shatter.

It's better to use a vacuum cleaner in blower mode with the slit nozzle attached.

17 posted on 05/02/2008 8:40:57 AM PDT by CarrotAndStick (The articles posted by me needn't necessarily reflect my opinion.)
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To: Hildy
I spilled my cereal and milk on my laptop computer keyboard this morning.

This happened to me, but with a desktop at work. I took the keyboard out and washed it in a deep sink and blew it out with a air hose, then dried it in a oven at work at 125°F for 24 hours and it was fine.............

18 posted on 05/02/2008 8:43:08 AM PDT by Red Badger ( We don't have science, but we do have consensus.......)
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To: stayathomemom

Ironically enough, yesterday my best friend told me her husband’s computer had a virus and he lost everything. She said, “Make sure your files are backed up.” I told her I would do it last night...which, of course, I didn’t.


19 posted on 05/02/2008 8:44:18 AM PDT by Hildy (It is our choices, far more than our abilities, that determine who we truly are. - J.K. Rowling)
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To: Hildy

In case you haven’t done it already, REMOVE THE BATTERY and POWER CORD.

I’ve done this before and read much of it being done. It is very likely the hard drive is safe. The exception in my experience would be if the fluids damaged the hard drive circuitry on the motherboard (been there done that). In that case, the controller built into the drive could be damaged (though the data might still be recoverable professionally).

On the other hand, it is possible that the computer could reboot in some form when the innards are dried.

I suspect you’re looking at a new computer but recoverable data (that expectation would be the middle of the bell curve).

In any event, good luck.


20 posted on 05/02/2008 8:44:55 AM PDT by Petronski (When there's no more room in hell, the dead will walk the earth, voting for Hillary.)
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