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Laptops and vomit don't mix. Can anything be done?
Lord Jezo
Registered User regular
Registered User regular
A bottle of whiskey + one small person + a $3,000 Alienware laptop != a good time.
My brother in law was over our place last night and decided he should drink a bottle of whiskey. This morning I hear some noise in my kitchen and when I go to see what is happening I find him with his top of the line Alienware laptop in the sink as he both scrapes and tries to sponge off globs of vomit.
Is there anything that can be done? The laptop was on when he decided that his stomach needed emptying and after the event was over his laptop had turned off. We couldn't even get mad at him, he bought the thing on credit and it's not even paid off yet. This is some pretty hardcore stupid tax.
Think anything can be salvaged?
My brother in law was over our place last night and decided he should drink a bottle of whiskey. This morning I hear some noise in my kitchen and when I go to see what is happening I find him with his top of the line Alienware laptop in the sink as he both scrapes and tries to sponge off globs of vomit.
Is there anything that can be done? The laptop was on when he decided that his stomach needed emptying and after the event was over his laptop had turned off. We couldn't even get mad at him, he bought the thing on credit and it's not even paid off yet. This is some pretty hardcore stupid tax.
Think anything can be salvaged?
I KISS YOU!
Lord Jezo on
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Then he takes it apart and washes it and screws it back together and turned it on.
So it definitely can be done.
My friend spilt a whole beer down his laptop keyboard and I was able to get it back up and running by doing that, but he turned it off right after the spill... so there wasn't a chance for anything to short.
Enough that it was on the laptop, the table, and floor, and under the couch.
From what I saw of the aftermath it was on every part of the laptop.
I KISS YOU!
This is basically it. The fact that the machine powered down on its own could spell trouble but you never know until you do the complete teardown.
The only thing I would suggest is using circuit board cleaner rather than rubbing alcohol. I've heard the alcohol can leave some residue behind. Use this: http://www.amazon.com/dp/B000JCK8II
Laptops are a lot more liquid-durable than desktops are, at least. Then again, they're a lot more prone to having liquid poured on them
I once sent my (then amazing) 64mb mp3 player through the wash (some brushed metal creative labs piece of work.) Once it was completely dry, it worked.
I also washed a SNES out in the sink (disassembling first) after my dog decided it must be a japanese fire hydrant. That came out alright too.
The degreaser is good advice.
It was his laptop, not the OP's.
Since it was on it seems like there is a good chance something got shorted. But trying is better than giving up. At the very least he may be able to get all the crap off it and then send it in and pay to have the part replaced by Alienware. Expensive but probably cheaper than a new one.
You may try this. However, given the OP's description, this will probably not work. Lets not worry about what's in the past but once at my apartment someone's Dell might have had over half a corona spilled on it while it was on (it immediately shut off). Fortunately it was under ADR so we sent it in. The repair report they sent back was hilarious...the only parts left on the laptop I think were the screen and the floppy drive. And that half-beer probably was less damaging than the level of puke that's been described herein.
PSN: TheScrublet