spilled beer on the laptop...any way to fix it?

[Maverick]

in my infinite drunken wisdom I spilled beer on my laptop and now some of the keys don't work. It boots up fine its just that half the keys don't give any response. I had a friend spill water on his and fry the board once...he got a new system board installed and it worked fine after that. But his wouldn't turn on at all...is there a way for me to fix this without having a place replace the system board?

 

[Dufman]

a friend of mine did the same thing with a gateway labtop. she just told them what happend, and they fixed it, no questions asked

if that doesnt work for you, spill some water on it, and fry it...they will give you a new board then
j/k

 

[mcveigh]

yes! get a fresh beer! and this time be carefu.l beer is delicate!

 

[The Sauce]

Just turn the laptop on its side over your mouth...you should still be able to save the beer. That's alcohol abuse if I've ever heard it.

 

[chizow]

First thing you should do is turn it off an LEAVE IT OFF!!! Liquid is not inherently dangerous to computer circuitry unless there is current running through it. Let it dry overnight or even a few days. Try to get as much using a paper town, tissue whatever. One time at work this guy spilled my coffee on my desk....it leaked in through the bottom if my laptop. Didn't die right away, slowly died b/c I didn't realize some coffee had leaked in through the bottom. When it finally died, the guy in technology said if I had shut it down sooner and brought it down to dry it probably woulda survived.

Chiz

 

[ShowdOWN]

unless you got some sort of accidental damage warranty on your laptop, it is not covered under warranty.

i used to be a laptop technician for HP and i dont remember how many times i had to break the news to people.

and i cant understand why they dont realize its not covered. you break you pay.

 

[Boobers]

Have you tried AA meetings?

 

[CaptnKirk]

Laptop keyboard are removable, you may be able to disconnect the keypad from the main case,
then you can attempt to clean it with tap water, and dry it completly befor you re-install it.

If that fails, you may heve to replace the keypad assy, which may be under warranty.

 

[Texun]

Why are you wasting beer? Man, don't you know there are people in Ethiopia who are cold sober?

You might try some Tuner Cleaner that comes in a spray can. Radio Shack would have it, but read the can before using just to make sure have the right stuff. Tuner cleaner is not harmful to plastic, some contact cleaner is. Of course you are on your own here.

Best of luck.

 

[Maverick]

I called up a few places and apparently my warranty ran out last november. Most places are estimating the repair at $200-$400 depending on whats broken. Damn! I'm gonna try to fix it myself or just get an external keyboard for it if that fails.

ok well I guess I'm gonna try to remove the keyboard and soak it in tap water to see if that fixes the problem. I just have no idea where to find out how to remove this thing. I'm afraid of break the keys off when I try to remove it. Anyone know where to find instructions on taking apart a Toshiba Satellite 2805-S503? Toshiba's site doesn't seem to give this info to end users.

 

[Geniere]

Your only shot would be to remove the keyboard. Get shallow pan, distilled water and some diswasher detergent. Its unlikely that tuner cleaner would act as a solvent for dried beer. We know its soluble in water. Slosh the keyboard arround in the pan for about 10 minutes, let sit awhile. Clean and refill pan with distilled water only. Slosh keyboard arround again. Repeat rinse once more. Shake vigorously, pat dry (use lint free old cotton pillow case) and place in oven at not more than 120 degrees Fahrenhiet for 5 or so hours.

Regards

 

[human2k]

Buy an emachine.

 

[CaptnKirk]

Toshiba Web Support for your computer model.

On the back side of the keyboard, near the screen, there is a strip of plastic that goes all the way across from left to right - it's about 3/8" wide.
On the right side of the strip there is an area where you can lift up the edge and release the strip. This allows the keypad to tilt forward toward you,
this is the same way you would open the unit if you wanted to add memory, so the Add Memory instructions can be followed there.
After you get the keypad lifted forward, you should see a flex-cable that attaches to the main encasment where you can disconnect it.

Do NOT soak it in water, but try to lightly pour water in the area where the spill occured, use Q-tips to remove residue.
Lather, rinse, repeate.

 

[zephyrprime]

You could just buy a new keyboard.

 

[Shagga]

Sticky keys...the most annoying thing in the world. I sympathise

 

[PCMarine]

I would think that the keyboard would be more durable, as the engineers im sure have to take spilled liquid into account when they design the system.

 

[Maverick]

Originally posted by: CaptnKirk
Toshiba Web Support for your computer model.

On the back side of the keyboard, near the screen, there is a strip of plastic that goes all the way across from left to right - it's about 3/8" wide.
On the right side of the strip there is an area where you can lift up the edge and release the strip. This allows the keypad to tilt forward toward you,
this is the same way you would open the unit if you wanted to add memory, so the Add Memory instructions can be followed there.
After you get the keypad lifted forward, you should see a flex-cable that attaches to the main encasment where you can disconnect it.

Do NOT soak it in water, but try to lightly pour water in the area where the spill occured, use Q-tips to remove residue.
Lather, rinse, repeate.

Thanks, but I don't know where you're reading these instructions. Adding memory just involves removing a screw from the bottom, removing the panel and replacing the DIMM.

 

[Maverick]

ok well I went against the soaking idea because I figured the components could rust. I opted to just spill some water over the keyboard and let the water soak out and dry out. I'll post my results later tonight.

 

[Maverick]

wow...I can get a replacement keyboard from this guy on ebay!

Text

 

[CaptnKirk]

Some Toshibas have a memory socket under the keypad, as well as the one on the bottom.
You may find it when you release the keypad locking strip.