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My wife knocked a bucket of water over my laptop whilst mopping. It switches on for about 3 seconds and looks like it's charging but that's it. Is it dead or can it be recovered? I've read a few bits about sticking it in a bag with some rice and then in the airing cupboard. Any ideas?
Should of completely dries it out ie airing cupboard before you switched it on ,more than likely it's fucked mate.
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Was your laptop on the floor or does your missus put the mop bucket on the table?
Whip the HD out of it and slave it to save what you can, and yeah its not usually the water that does the damage it's people turning them on before they are completely dried out.
Running current through the liquid is what causes most of the problems as components burn out or deposits build up on connections. Take it apart and you can use a cleaning alcohol to clean any affected areas then allow it to dry completely before connecting the power again.
i would imagine your HDD is salvageable mate, pop it into an external caddy and get your data off, leave laptop in airing cupboard for a few days and try again, might need a clean if the water has built up inside
Chances are, your laptop is dead. But I would go with what evilsatan suggested. Stop trying to turn it on while it's damp or you risk killing it completely.
Electronics and water do not mix and you will need to make sure you have every tiny trace of water taken aware from the motherboard or you risk shorting the board permanently.
An awesome suggestion I got in the past is this Contact Cleaner from Maplins... http://www.maplin.co.uk/p/maplin-con...er-200ml-n61an and you can literally cover anything electrical, even if it's powered up with it. Very strange to do TBH.
It repels water and will clean any area affected. Still, it'll be a eureka moment if the laptop powers up again. Keep us posted.
--edit
Or Halfords for a larger can - http://www.halfords.com/webapp/wcs/s...egoryId_255223
and for the record, I have salvaged a water damaged (Coca-Cola) laptop in the past with it. :)
Sounds like you might need a new Laptop but you definitely need a new wife ;-)
Coca-Cola/coffee worse than water as when it heats up it turns to a right sticky mess, at least water evaporates.Quote:
Originally Posted by DejaVu
But yeah rule of thumb with any water damaged electrical device remove battery, do not turn power on and stick in airing cupboard/by radiator for a few days the longer the better. Rice works same as silicon would (what you get with a new pair of shoes) as absorbs moisture.
Definitely take it apart and clean/dry out as suggested.
I remember a good few years back "my mate John" had a CRT TV that, not unlike your self, "He accidentally" knocked a bottle of Robinsons Squash down the back of..
It had nothing to do with the fact the TV would not accept an NTSC signal in Colour so playing "his" imported PS1 was only in black and white (and Orange).
By chance the company that replaced it under the "Accidental Damage" cover "he" had decided it was upto "him" to get rid, 32" CRT TV's were not small.
After about 3 months of it stored in the Garage, "he" thought "I wonder if it works". Plugged it in, flicked the socket switch with a broom handle from a distance... The TV is still in "his" Mum's front room and going strong.
So, it might just work again. I presume that after keeping the laptop on the floor next to the bucket that "accidentally" shed it's load over it and you made a call to the insurance company only to find it was not covered as your new policy you saved £20 a year on last year did not have accidental damage, you have decided to revive it?
How are you - I mean your mate John -going to feel when it catches fire and burns down your - his - mother's house? ;-)Quote:
Originally Posted by Goldberg
I, sorry John will get his inheritance earlier than expected!
It depends where and what area has been water damaged. Let it dry out and dont power it up.
This is what I personally would do.
Clean the area with MEK and let it evaporate. Flux the area with runny flux (I use Insat Jimmys super flux)
Reflow the board with a proper reflow machine ( dont use a hair dryer, Heat gun etc)
Or failing that if its under your gpu/southbridge Reball it.
I have had badly damaged laptops with coke etc brought back to life. But this is what I do for a living..
The most damage is done trying to power it up while still wet or corroded.
Pull the board and scrub it with a toothbrush and a tin of isoprop is about all you can do .
cross your fingers and put it back together
Washed a mates portable TV in a bath full of soapy water once. His son had poured milk down the back which had gone into the vents and covered the circuit board. Ignoring the protests from my mate and with the back off the TV I dumped it in the bath with some washing up liquid and gave it a good swish around then rinsed with warm water. Told him to remove all the clothes from the airing cupboard and place the TV in there with a household fan to circulate the air for 24 hours. Powered up the next day and it worked. My mate was pleasantly surprised. As people have already mentioned, its not the water that does the damage.
Modern equipment is much more delicate than the portable TV's of years ago. The electronics work at much lower voltages and current so are much more prone to damage from any contaminant that can conduct electricity and short out the pins of an IC (microchip). The chips and other components are sealed against moisture so as long as you can de-contaminate the board and dry it out completely before powering up all should be OK. The only problem is the contaminant which is trapped under the chips which can take a while to dry out. (">