I've bollocksed up my laptop

[Pavilionaire]

I wander indoors for something, and when I came back out, my bottle of red wine was laying on its side and some of its contents were on the keyboard

Chateau d'Ardrive?

 

[edna krabappel]

Hmmm...thanks chaps. Not looking favourite is it.

I might take it to a repair shop and let them have a sniff, but probably looking at a replacement by the sounds. Tch.

They must be used to guys bringing in their laptops with unspecified sticky substances on the keyboards though, so I'm sure they'll have a fix by now.

 

[hans kraay fan club]

They must be used to guys bringing in their laptops with unspecified sticky substances on the keyboards though, so I'm sure they'll have a fix by now.

:shakeshead:

You have a disgusting filthy mind, young lady.

 

[edna krabappel]

:shakeshead:

You have a disgusting filthy mind, young lady.

Your mind, not mine

 

[Shropshire Seagull]

buy a cheap usb keyboard

Along the right lines - borrow a USB keyboard and test to see if laptop now works as it should ie no other damage bar the keyboard.

If this proves your only problem is the keyboard, remove the keyboard from the laptop - always very simple in most models - and give that a good bath in warm but not soapy water. Thoroughly dry [airing cupboard for 24 hours should do it] and re-fit - if problem persists, buy replacement keyboard.

You could take it to a repairers for a quote - you'll need the quote for your insurance claim option - but this might not be too much more than your excess anyway.

The whole decision on repair / replace should also consider the age / spec of the poorly laptop.

I would expect the hard drive ought to be okay, so if you go down the new laptop route, you should be able to copy everything off your old drive.

 

[carteater]

i spilt bubble mixture on my old laptop when i was 10 and it did the same thing...

 

[Tom Hark Preston Park]

Wrap the laptop in a damp towel and place in microwave for 2 minutes. It'll dry the towel out nicely

 

[phazza]

So Saturday night I'm in the garden with the laptop. I wander indoors for something, and when I came back out, my bottle of red wine was laying on its side and some of its contents were on the keyboard (I have NO IDEA how this happened, I really don't...hic). Anyway, I swore a bit and switched it off, then dried it as best I could, but when I switched it back on in the morning, I discovered some of the keys now either don't work, or do something weird, like pressing P now gives me a ^. I've lost most of the bottom row, E, and all the numbers. The wifes not happy as she can't log in to her Facebook. This will cause me no end of grief as it means she will want to talk to me.

Anyone else recovered their 'puter from a spillage ? Is it fixable, or a write-off ?

my son spilt water on mine last week. just got it back today. needed new hard-drive and keyboard. cost me £138. it is a good one, so it was worth repairing!!

 

[Cheshire Cat]

They must be used to guys bringing in their laptops with unspecified sticky substances on the keyboards though, so I'm sure they'll have a fix by now.

I've just spurted my tea (honest) after that comment.

 

[The Sock of Poskett]

I've just spurted my tea (honest) after that comment.

You're all right with tea. Just mop the keyboard down.

 

[Garage_Doors]

Insurance job easy in my opinion :-(

Do people really claim on insurance for these type of thing

 

[RexCathedra]

Do people really claim on insurance for these type of thing

Depends on the insurance. I had all-hazards insurance on the kids' laptops when they went off to uni with them.
Paid for itself.

 

[Garage_Doors]

Depends on the insurance. I had all-hazards insurance on the kids' laptops when they went off to uni with them.
Paid for itself.

Guess i'm different, when things like this break or go wrong it never enters my thinking "insurance". laptop screens break get it replaced, Ipod get lost / broken, buy them a new one.
Had contents insurance for 30+ years now and never given it thought to claim for things like these or had cause to make a claim, assumed it was for burglaries break ins etc for some reason I'd assumed there would be a reason they would not cover electronic items.

 

[SIMMO SAYS]

So Saturday night I'm in the garden with the laptop. I wander indoors for something, and when I came back out, my bottle of red wine was laying on its side and some of its contents were on the keyboard (I have NO IDEA how this happened, I really don't...hic). Anyway, I swore a bit and switched it off, then dried it as best I could, but when I switched it back on in the morning, I discovered some of the keys now either don't work, or do something weird, like pressing P now gives me a ^. I've lost most of the bottom row, E, and all the numbers. The wifes not happy as she can't log in to her Facebook. This will cause me no end of grief as it means she will want to talk to me.

Anyone else recovered their 'puter from a spillage ? Is it fixable, or a write-off ?

The fact your wife will not talk to you should be seen as good thing-----gives you more time to drink wine

 

[Uncle C]

its fixable but if you though letting it dry would help, then its best off with a professional. if you feel adventurous, get some electrical cleaning spray (acetone) and wipes from Maplin, an online user guide for the laptop and try taking it apart yourself. (being a man, i assume you have the required small screwdrivers.)

I think you will find that acetone will dissolve all the parts that the red wine missed. Then you will be truly f---ed.

 

[Seagull on the wing]

This happened with my laptops,Guinness on one,Vodka and tonic on one,Mother board was useless. the repair bill for one was massive,the other I scrapped,took out the hard drive and brought another refurbished laptop from this firm on the internet for £120,it is better than what I had before

 

[beorhthelm]

I think you will find that acetone will dissolve all the parts that the red wine missed. Then you will be truly f---ed.

fair point, Isopropyl is what i was thinking of. though acetone shouldnt disolve anything other than adhesives, maybe rubber and the letters might go missing, probably not best.

 

[The Antikythera Mechanism]

Bury it in rice (not cooked) and place in the airing cupboard overnight. If it doesn't function correctly in the morning, at least you'll have the base for a nice paella.

 

[Jbanged]

It's just a keyboard hangover

 

[Uncle C]

fair point, Isopropyl is what i was thinking of. though acetone shouldnt disolve anything other than adhesives, maybe rubber and the letters might go missing, probably not best.

If you can get to the parts, then iso propyl alcohol (IPA) is as good as anything. I would start by swabbing with a 50/50 IPA/water mix to give yourself the best chance of dissolving residues such as sugars. Then finish with a neat swab of IPA which will dry pretty quickly.