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Someone peed on my laptop.
Chop Logic
Registered User regular
Registered User regular
So, at a paticularly wild party last night, my laptop was in the other room on the floor, all safe and sound.
Apparently, this was not enough to stop someone from peeing on it.
Yes, someone peed on my laptop. All over it. While it was open. And then closed it. When I woke up this morning, I picked it up and tilted it, and a stream of urine poured out of the corner.
It also won't turn on.
Basically, the odds of me finding out who did this are zero. Lots of people blacked out last night, and there were a lot of people there. I'm sure it was just a really drunken mistake, no one here really hates me. So, I'm not looking on advice for catching the person.
What I am looking for advice on is, what do I do now with my laptop? It was expensive, a mac, and I am not rich or spoiled enough to call my parents and ask them to buy me a new one. There is an apple store a few blocks away, and I know I have a warrenty, but I don't know if this type of thing is covered in the warrenty. Basically, my plan is to let it dry out (I do not know how), and then bring it in and just say, it's broken, I have a warrenty, can you fix it?
How should I go about trying to dry this thing out? Does a warrenty cover spilling drinks on computers? Why the fuck would someone pee on my laptop and then close it seriously fuck that person.
Thanks a lot, and yes, I realize my laptop is probably fucked but you guys know more about computer than I do, so basically I'll try anything.
Apparently, this was not enough to stop someone from peeing on it.
Yes, someone peed on my laptop. All over it. While it was open. And then closed it. When I woke up this morning, I picked it up and tilted it, and a stream of urine poured out of the corner.
It also won't turn on.
Basically, the odds of me finding out who did this are zero. Lots of people blacked out last night, and there were a lot of people there. I'm sure it was just a really drunken mistake, no one here really hates me. So, I'm not looking on advice for catching the person.
What I am looking for advice on is, what do I do now with my laptop? It was expensive, a mac, and I am not rich or spoiled enough to call my parents and ask them to buy me a new one. There is an apple store a few blocks away, and I know I have a warrenty, but I don't know if this type of thing is covered in the warrenty. Basically, my plan is to let it dry out (I do not know how), and then bring it in and just say, it's broken, I have a warrenty, can you fix it?
How should I go about trying to dry this thing out? Does a warrenty cover spilling drinks on computers? Why the fuck would someone pee on my laptop and then close it seriously fuck that person.
Thanks a lot, and yes, I realize my laptop is probably fucked but you guys know more about computer than I do, so basically I'll try anything.
Chop Logic on
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I guess you could just say it stopped working and you don't know why. That's really the only option I see.
You really, really should see if you can find out who did it, though.
If it's any consolation, I've had a laptop "recover" from falling into a puddle after a few solid days of drying on a vent. It's a long shot, but it's worth trying.
Trust me, the probability of finding out who did this is zero. Not close to zero, zero. The person that did it probably does not even remember, and no one saw anyone go in or out of the room. I don't know why my room wasn't locked, but at any and all future parties, it will be.
What is my best bet for letting it dry out? Just letting it sit around? Blowdryer?
That is ideally what would happen. It is plausible that my parents would play $300 or $400 dollars for a repair.
However, this isn't a low end macbook, and whoever was peeing did not have a low end bladder, unfourtunatley.
Edit: Febreeze is a good idea.
What makes it an even worse situation is all of the salts in the urine that are left after drying still strongly permit shorts and what have you. It's the gift that keeps on giving.
Anyone else think he should add more water to this before bringing it in for repair or letting it sit to dry? 1) Maybe he'll get rid of some of the salts and what not. 2) He'll dilute any remaining urine in there.
Sorry, but if I were a apple tech, I would not want to work with urine. Plus, I'm not sure if Febreeze alone will cover the smell.
Don't febreeze it. You don't need to go adding more shit into the circuitry and make it worse. The best thing to do is completely drain it and then let it sit somewhere with fans blowing at it for a few days. Give it as much time to dry as you can. You could also use a hairdryer, but you might get impatient and hold it too close and heat things up too much, so I'd only recommend fans.
I hope you catch the prick.
Remove the battery and let it dry for several days without putting the battery back in. Turn it upside down or hang it from something so that the liquid drains out. You can try a hairdryer to accelerate the process, but be warned that they get very hot. I don't think the dried urine will be electrically conductive as long as it's dry. When you're sure it's dry inside, you can try replacing the battery and turning it on.
If the computer was on at the time, it's probably ruined.
Once my friend, while blacked out, peed on a pile on his own clean clothes, in his fully lit room, while he was awake. I'm of the opinion that some people, while blacked out, will just do whatever.
Honestly, it doesn't matter because, like I said, there is literally no way that I can catch the person that did it. I mean, the odds aren't close to zero, they are zero. So, whatever.
Honestly, this might sound stupid, but there are some good sides to this. If I have to go to the school to do my homework (which I was doing anyway because I don't have photoshop or illustrator), I am less likely to goof off and more likely to do work. If I can't spend time surfing the net (which was never really productive), I will be reading and drawing more and spending less time sitting around. Of course, I would have rather not had to lose a $2000 + laptop to have this happen, but most great people in history did not own laptops and this honestly means I will be way more productive.
I would like to pee on this persons laptop however, to return the favor.
Find the guy and get him to pay. If he refuses file a charge on him. Dont tell me you cant find him, cause there are eyes and ears everywhere.
Unless you were the one who pissed on it and just too embarrassed to admit it.
You've learnt why I never, ever, ever brought anything valuable or delicate to a party, and why I always moved anything not cheap and resilient out of the way when I hosted any.
(OP - if you are as convinced as you seem to be about not being able to find the pisser, stick with that. Your efforts would be better spent towards what to do with your pissy laptop. Which, as was said, think attempting to dry out and THEN bringing it in is the best course of action.)
Severity of Rape = Severity of Peeing on a laptop? Really? The OP has stated that no one remembers what happened, and if no one remembers or fesses up he won't find out what happened. While a police report and DNA testing is par for a rape investigation testing the DNA of the urine and or everyone at the party to find a match is overkill and would cost more than the laptop I'm sure.
OP: Don't you dare bring that anywhere without telling the tech what damaged it. They have a right to turn that down. This definitely isn't going to be covered, AppleCare covers nothing, especially not accidental damage. Unless it just starts working you're going to need to replace it. Good news is you can get a good used iBook on eBay for like $300.
That's right, rice. Supposedly it's pretty effective at getting all the moisture out of electronics (or anything really), and has minimal chance of doing further damage to the computer. Just make sure you don't get any grains stuck in the ports.
Also, for what it's worth, I've taken my Macbook Pro to pieces on multiple occasions without damaging anything. You'll need micro screwdrivers, that's pretty much it. Oh, and potentially one with a torx bit (though you can often get the torx screws out with a flathead. I'm not sure what laptop you have, but on the previous gen Macbook Pros, it's not too difficult to clean the keyboard and front faceplate if you open it all up. Of course, if you've got urine that's seeped deeper, you might be looking at logicboard damage, which is not fun.
Best of luck, and if it's any consolation, your thread's been very entertaining.
Rinse it out, febreeze it, then pour rice on it.
Seriously people, come on.
Take it in and get a quote on a repair.
although, to be honest, this is more than a quick drop in a pool or something, it spent all night soaked and full of piss, so I'd be prepared to get a new laptop [ or atleast have the guts of thisone replaced ]
That's the spirit.
(I think we know who peed on your laptop..)
Ah, I kid. Anyway, at least my suggestion doesn't involve adding more liquid. No, I don't expect it to work, but I don't think it would hurt to try--you know, if you happen to have several pounds of rice handy. And maybe the culprit was exceptionally hydrated, in which case the contents of his urine may be more akin to water and less salty/corrosive. It's a lot of if's, but in my experience, anything to avoid Apple taking an arm and a leg for repairs is worth investigating. I just had the logicboard in my MBP replaced and the repair invoice listed it as $1.2k, if I recall. Luckily, I didn't have to pay since a certain company that starts with an "N" and ends in "vidia" has apparently been putting defective hardware in macbooks...
Oh. I also wanted to point something out.
The loss of his social life? Look at the friends he has.
If my friends came into MY house and got so wasted that they decided it would be a good idea to PISS ALL OVER MY STUFF, I think I would probably be looking for new friends anyway.
Some of my greatest friends have pissed all over my couch and I have used thier night stands as urinals.
The harder you party the better friends you have!
Laptops and furniture are just things. Friendships are more important.
I think I would draw the line at friendship vs. $1300 laptop.
Listen, I would gladly save my friend from a burning building if it cost me my laptop, but when the line came to, "Would I let my dumbfuck friend with a habit of walking into my room and pissing on my shit get drunk in my house" I would step away from that motherfucker.
Because parties tend to have friends of friends, or even complete strangers at them.
also the rice idea is not that bad of an idea
Hey, guys, I suggest you start talking about what the OP can do to fix his laptop. No one cares about you playing Internet Tough Guy or yelling at this guy's friends.
Was it off? Then you might have a chance. Have you attempted to power it up while there was still water inside of it. Then it's broken. Where you go from there is up to you.
If neither of these is true, I would suggest removing the battery, flushing out the entire machine with clean, room temperature water, and then letting it dry for like a week. Try to rotate the machine every few hours or so, and see if you can position it in such a way that water will drain out of it.
Do not flush it out with water. You should be using 91-99% isopropyl, if anything, to try to clean it out.
though if urine is corrosive to PCB (which I'm not sure of), it's not residue you're going to be worried about, since the damage has already been done.
just do not pour more water onto it
Why not water?
water (unless it's pure distilled water with zero additives) will leave behind residues that can cause a short circuit
edit: also, Isopropyl alcohol (like, rubbing alcohol) and Ethanol (the kind you drink) are not the same thing
Because alcohol doesn't have any impurities in it like water does. That's why rice is a silly idea. Urine has all sorts of other things in it that will remain behind and short out the circuits and mess stuff up, even once all the moisture has been extracted. Honestly, if you don't think it's already shorted, once the batteries out and all the power discharged, I'd just give it a bath in alcohol, swish it around and maybe even open it up and give it a full flushing out, just to try and get every bit of residue out of there possible, then let it dry for a week or two before crossing my fingers and hoping for the best.
this is probably the best choice, but
I really wouldn't recommend doing this unless you know what you're doing
you can't just soak the thing in isopropyl, as you'd probably want to take out the HDD and DVD drive first, as well as making sure any kind of power sources are taken out (large battery, any onboard batteries on the motherboard like the CMOS battery, etc)
and even then it might not work, and you run the risk of fucking it up further by ripping your macbook to pieces
honestly, I would just speak to a professional about this and expect to have to pay for repairs. you're not going to be covered by warranty because it's liquid damage (and there are little liquid-activated stickers, so the tech would know), but you're running a huge risk trying to fix it yourself when there's a large chance it won't work anyway.
Do what everyone is suggesting and remove to battery to let it dry out. If you feel so inclined clean it out with something. By some miracle it may turn back on. If not, take it in and see if you can pull the "it stopped working" angle. Microsoft, in my case, shipped out a new computer to me when it was determined that the old one wasn't salvageable. I had "moron insurance" but in your case this is the best you can do.
My real advise is to give drying/cleaning it a shot. In the mean time start putting away cash to purchase something new. If you have renter's insurance they will most likely pay out a claim. It sounds like you're fine using the facilities at your school for now, so plan plan plan.
EDIT: This is the kind of thread, with damn serious responses, that makes me love this place. Honestly, my theory is that this was a woman who did the deed, why else would they close the lid afterward?
Steam: Ashengor
Clearly I am in the minority when I find all this kind of behaviour abhorrent. I consider people to be responsible for their actions, drunk or sober, and any sober person would be treated like the **** they are for this kind of behaviour.
As for the OP question - the above advice is sound. Dry it and take it to get repaired assuming you never tried to start it. Don't throw more stuff in/on it. Isopropyl might well work - but needs a degree of dis-assembly to be effective and I doubt you want to do that.