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Spilled water on my laptop

T

Tarek

macrumors 6502
Original poster
Jun 25, 2009
398
78
Cairo
I accidetally spilled some water from the bottle and immedatiely turned the laptop upside down but after a few seconds the screen went dark while the sound was still on. I then powered it off and placed it in front of my fan in sort of an upside down V shape where the keyboard is facing down. After 30 minutes I tried powering it on and it worked for about 3 minutes then the screen started flickering and turned off again.

I put it in front of the fan again upside down and will leave it till tomorrow morning. Do you think it is damaged beyond repair? I'd probably have to invest in a new laptop if it turns out to be a logic board replacement or something expensive like that.
 
Tarek said:
I accidetally spilled some water from the bottle and immedatiely turned the laptop upside down but after a few seconds the screen went dark while the sound was still on. I then powered it off and placed it in front of my fan in sort of an upside down V shape where the keyboard is facing down. After 30 minutes I tried powering it on and it worked for about 3 minutes then the screen started flickering and turned off again.

I put it in front of the fan again upside down and will leave it till tomorrow morning. Do you think it is damaged beyond repair? I'd probably have to invest in a new laptop if it turns out to be a logic board replacement or something expensive like that.
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Keep drying it out. DO NOT POWER IT ON for a few days or a week until you are sure you have dried up. You want to remove the bottom cover to aid in the dying and blot up any excess water.

But, no matter what it will likely fail at sometime in the future as corrosion works its way into more and more circuits.
 
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It’s probably going to be damage to the logic board and this based on what you said on your post you should go looking for a new one. If you don’t have a backup already try to get it working well enough for that and then back it up.
 
Probably not damaged yet. But as the others have said, the first thing to do is turn off the computer and do not turn it on for few days.
You drop a lot of rice in a large enough bag that can fit the laptop. Close it and leave it at least for a day.
The other solution is to open up the laptop and dry it manually.
 
If you have an airing cupboard, put it in there switched off and leave it for a few days until it has completely dried out. Powering it back on may have already damaged it too much. I know this from personal experience...
 
Tarek said:
After 30 minutes I tried powering it on and it worked for about 3 minutes then the screen started flickering and turned off again.
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That was a mistake. Very likely water got on to the logic board and by turning it on you probably shorted something out. The short may have even occurred during the initial spill. If you get it to work again, it will likely give you problems in the future. I know that's bad news but water and electronics do not mix well.
 
I took it to a local repair shop and they quoted me 250 GBP after inspection. They said it needs cleaning, a new screen connector on the motherboard, and a new battery. Do you guys think I should do it? I am not sure if it would be better to add some money and buy like a 500 GBP windows laptop in the mean time till I am done with the thesis and everything.
 
Tarek said:
I took it to a local repair shop and they quoted me 250 GBP after inspection. They said it needs cleaning, a new screen connector on the motherboard, and a new battery. Do you guys think I should do it? I am not sure if it would be better to add some money and buy like a 500 GBP windows laptop in the mean time till I am done with the thesis and everything.
Click to expand...

Do they guarantee their work? Are they reputable?
 
Tarek said:
I took it to a local repair shop and they quoted me 250 GBP after inspection. They said it needs cleaning, a new screen connector on the motherboard, and a new battery. Do you guys think I should do it? I am not sure if it would be better to add some money and buy like a 500 GBP windows laptop in the mean time till I am done with the thesis and everything.
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Considering you don't say how old the system is, or which size and what shoes it's hard to say if the cost is worth it. Depending on the system, you may be able to find a used one for about the same money, one that hasn't had water dumped on it.
 
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hallux said:
Considering you don't say how old the system is, or which size and what shoes it's hard to say if the cost is worth it. Depending on the system, you may be able to find a used one for about the same money, one that hasn't had water dumped on it.
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My apologies, it's an early 2015 13" Retina MacBook Pro.

I went to the store and had them clean it up properly then took it home and booked an appointment with the Genius Bar on Friday. They showed me the problems, the screen connector got corroded and the battery got fried. I am now able to use it while connected to the charger and my TV using a HDMI cable. I realize that this is probably not ideal and can damage the device in the long run, but I am only going to do it till tomorrow or after since I am most likely buying a budget Windows laptop in the mean time.

Any recommendations? :D:D It would be my first Windows computer since 2007.
 
Whatever you do don't buy something proprietary like a Microsoft Surface. It will be frustration bundled onto frustration at the end of the day. But then given that a Surface / Surface Pro doesn't exactly come under the term "budget Windows laptop" then I'm guessing you won't be looking at one anyway.
 
Gudd said:
Whatever you do don't buy something proprietary like a Microsoft Surface. It will be frustration bundled onto frustration at the end of the day. But then given that a Surface / Surface Pro doesn't exactly come under the term "budget Windows laptop" then I'm guessing you won't be looking at one anyway.
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My sisters had Surface laptops/tablets or w.e you call them and they were absolutely terrible. I saw them at the store and I couldn't believe how expensive they are now, starting from around 800 GBP? I was looking at Lenovo, HP, and Dell mainly, and I narrowed down my choices to around 4 that I am trying to choose from. Anyone care to help? I know it's really, really on the wrong forum, though. :D

These are the three choices if anyone's interested in helping out!

https://www.currys.co.uk/gbuk/s_action/compare/10169763-10174146-10174149.html
 
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