Spilled water on my computer notebook!!

[Ana]

I spilled some water on my computer keyboard (okay, it was kind of a lot..) right after I shut it down for the night.

It will not turn on and I called Dell but they will not cover water damage!!! The warranty is only good until early August 2009.

In the mean time, I will not try to turn on the computer again (I tried twice...) and will keep it tipped upside-down for a while (4-7 days). I will call Dell for a repair estimate but honestly, this computer is already almost 4 years old so I'm considering just getting a new one--possibly an Apple.

Right now, I'm very reluctant to purchase a new Dell and am looking at the MacBook on sale for about $1,000. I am tempted to wait and get a PC when Windows 7 comes out.... I am also very mesmerized by those solid state hard drives...

I am quite distressed at this unexpected expense and will have to recover some of the data on my computer as well.

Does anyone have any comments about a new computer or experience with Dell or Apple warranties?

[Tuckervill]

My son's Ipod shuffle went through the washer AND the dryer (on low) and it still worked after a few days.

It might start working again. Don't try to turn it on, and keep it unplugged. I'd also take the battery out and whatever else can come out (sometimes the hard drive can come out), and then put it in a non-humid environment, like on top of the dryer or something like that (my dryer is in the bathroom, so that wouldn't work at my house). Upside down is good.

I went from a Dell to a Mac last year. Never had a problem with the Dell, but within a month of having the Mac, the hard drive went kaput. It was replaced under warranty. But, the Dell was passed on to my son and it is still going--even though there are some components, like speakers, that don't work.

I still like my Mac, though.

Karen

[smilingcat]

REMOVE THE BATTERY PACK!!! AND DRY THE CONTACTS.

You can take a a hair dryer to the keyboard and the inside of the computer. Remove any PCMCIA cards, hard drive if you know how and let the hot air run through the laptop. JUST KEEP THE HEAT AWAY FROM THE SCREEN.

Your computer may still be okay.

And to anyone else, if you spill liquid on your electronics. Remove the battery at once.If its plain/bottled water you should be fine. Juice not so fine. Soft drinks also bad.

Smilingcat

[Blueberry]

Look online and see if you can find instructions for how to lift up the keyboard (only do this after unplugging and removing the battery). You may be able to clean (with rubbing alcohol) the mineral deposits that are causing the problem. I dumped some in mine (filtered water) and was shocked at how much cleaning was required.

Most manufacturers won't cover water damage - unless you get some sort of policy that covers accidental damage.

I would let it dry naturally - and not use a hair dryer.

I won't every buy another Mac. They refused to cover something that was a known design defect under warranty. I've been happy with IBM/Lenovo, but will look at all options next time I need to purchase.

CA

[uforgot]

Not sure why you are so set against Dell. I can't imagine ANY manufacturer covering water damage. Cell phone, computer, etc. I've always had good service with Dell customer support and my district uses Dell products and likes their support also. You can clean it yourself. It needs to dry out completely. Look online. You can find instructions for anything.

I like to fix my own computers, upgrade, etc, and Apple products make it very hard for a consumer to fix their own computers. I haven't had first hand experience with Macs, but when I was looking around for a laptop, and mentioned Mac, our tech guy said that (for me) it wouldn't be a good idea. Just something of which to be aware.

[Ana]

So I turned it upside-down and put the box fan on it for 18 hours and it works now

I'm so glad! This also happened to my previous laptop (but not with as much water) and it ended up working after a day under the fan too

My current notebook is nearly 4 years old so I'm wondering if I should have my sights on a new computer just in case...

I also backed up everything the minute it turned on

Thanks for all your suggestions!

[ASammy1]

I converted to a Mac about 3 years ago and will never go back to a PC

[Cataboo]

I have a dell mini with a solid state harddrive - I used it most of Friday, turned it back on in the evening and it said operating system not found.

I haven't gotten a chance to play with it all that much - but solid state isn't fail safe.