Revive a drowned laptop

[Oxwivi]

Water has penetrated every possible parts of me lappy last night, been drying since. Doesn't start. Solution?

[handy]

Remove the keyboard, you'll work it out.

Then use a hair dryer on it. Not too close, not on the super hot setting. Just use it on it for quite some time. Meaning well beyond 10 minutes.

It is possible that your drives have been damaged, as the HDD does have to breath, the optical drive if it exists will very likely recover with a lens clean = wipe the laser with some metho'.

Looking at the situation from thousands of miles away, I'd say that it is possible to resurrect your machine. No one I know would bet their life on it though.

Good luck.

P.S. Don't forget to give your keyboard a dry-out as well.

[mips]

Strip it completely into components. Soak electronics (excluding HDD) in methylated spirits or isopropyl alcohol. Dry will blower (if using a hairdrier don't use heat and also be careful of static if you live inland).

Leave everything for a day or so and then reassemble.

[Oxwivi]

Er, how exactly do I remove a keyboard from a laptop? This be my first lappy, so never messed with them before.

[handy]

I'll search Scroogle for you.

[handy]

This is the first link that came up when I Scroogled "how do you disassemble a notebook":

http://www.irisvista.com/tech/

I suggest you try the same search & scroll down the results until you find an answer that suits your brand. Not that it matters all that much in the end from my experience.

[handy]

Strip it completely into components. Soak electronics (excluding HDD) in methylated spirits or isopropyl alcohol. Dry will blower (if using a hairdrier don't use heat and also be careful of static if you live inland).

Leave everything for a day or so and then reassemble.

The metho' is something I wouldn't have thought of mips.

I don't think the heat matters provided you are just allowing it to be warm & not HOT. Though if you are using the metho' that changes it some as alcohol & its relatives do like to absorb moisture.

Good stuff, I think I'll go & dump my wife's G4 Powerbook in the sink & see how well it works. :lolflag:

You can imagine how well that scientific experiment would go over with the head of the household...

[Oxwivi]

Here's the situation, removed hard disk and RAM compartments. Removed HDD, couldn't figure out how to remove RAM. Removed all the bottom screws but can't get the cover off, looks like devices are attached to the cover somehow, I think.

Worryingly enough, wireless (Broadcom chip) seems to have a rusty tinge.

No hair blower or methylated spirit. Got a very bad quality general blower, should I use it?

[handy]

Have you searched up & read a dismantling guide for your notebook?

[Oxwivi]

The link you gave me did not list my system, eMachines E727. eMachines is a manufacturer under Acer.

[Sean Moran]

First thing! Pull out the battery!

Leave it to discharge what's left and cross your fingers. You MUST have a fan or hair-dryer. Cold air is just as good as hot air if you're not paid by the hour.

If it was drowned in dirty water, then isopropanol to flush the bejesus out of it, but if the water was reasonably clean, a day out under the verandah (not direct sunlight or it will ruin your screen), and then after a day of drying, try the AC quickly and see if anything lights up.

Don't try the battery unless the AC connection is working,

[satanselbow]

If it was POWERED ON at the time - even in sleep/hibernate you are probably screwed as it most likely blown electrically and most modern boards have internal non replaceable fuses - replacement being the only option.

If it was completely powered off you may be lucky although it may still have fried due to residue battery trickle :(

I think the guys with the "hairdryer" comments are raising you hopes just a little unrealistically.

Before you take it to bits - check your house contents insurance and lie through your teeth when you make the call ;)

[Sean Moran]

Before you take it to bits - check your house contents insurance and lie through your teeth when you make the call ;)
Good point, but remember to call the police first, and fill out a report on how someone broke into your house and dunked your laptop in the bathtub! :D

[Paulgirardin]

What kind of water was it drowned in?

Fresh water leaves some hope of revival - salt water not much.

The best option to save it is to soak in warm deionised or distilled water,changing the water several times.Then in anhydrous methyl,ethyl or isopropyl alcohol.Finally dry it in a warm oven or a lab incubator at 50 to 70 degrees C.

Replace the HDD - they do have a vent to equalise atmospheric pressure which may have allowed water into the drive.

I have had a memory stick go through a complete machine wash cycle - completely filling it's casing with soapy water and treated as described above is still ok three years later.It didn't even lose any data.

[handy]

The link you gave me did not list my system, eMachines E727. eMachines is a manufacturer under Acer.

Sorry, no offence meant or anything, but that was an example that was supposed to lead you to the conclusion that if you actually searched the web for the disassembly instructions for your particular model you may actually learn how to do it.

Sorry is I was being too obtuse for you.

[Oxwivi]

What kind of water was it drowned in?

Fresh water leaves some hope of revival - salt water not much.

The best option to save it is to soak in warm deionised or distilled water,changing the water several times.Then in anhydrous methyl,ethyl or isopropyl alcohol.Finally dry it in a warm oven or a lab incubator at 50 to 70 degrees C.

Replace the HDD - they do have a vent to equalise atmospheric pressure which may have allowed water into the drive.

I have had a memory stick go through a complete machine wash cycle - completely filling it's casing with soapy water and treated as described above is still ok three years later.It didn't even lose any data.
I'd love to do as you suggest, but distilled water and anhydrous * alcohol are difficult to procure.

[Oxwivi]

Sorry, no offence meant or anything, but that was an example that was supposed to lead you to the conclusion that if you actually searched the web for the disassembly instructions for your particular model you may actually learn how to do it.

Sorry is I was being too obtuse for you.
Ah well, getting time on internet is difficult without the drowned lappy.

[Sean Moran]

Taking into account the hours required to save it, I suggest you buy a new one, and treat it kindly.

[anaconda]

I wouldn't try to save that lappy..

however the hard-disk will still probably work, Just have it dry for a couple of days, and then connect it to another machine with eg. cheap external usb case....

and recover your data and pics. Those are the most important anyway... right?

Even if you get the machine working I wouldn't trust its longlivelity too much after such a treatment.

[handy]

I'd love to do as you suggest, but distilled water and anhydrous * alcohol are difficult to procure.

Not if you live in Queenstown NZ. They have a huge lake that you can run a 240 volt appliance under the water in (like a drill) & it will run & not short out!

[handy]

Ah well, getting time on internet is difficult without the drowned lappy.

That doesn't ring too, true.

You are using this forum.

If I were rude, I'd say get your **** into gear & find out how to disassemble your machine & use the best of the advice that we have given you here. The worst thing that can happen is that you will learn something. You never know you may even be able to salvage your machine.

But its OK, I'm not really that kind of person. <simper>

[Johnsie]

Now for a more practical answer... Take the battery out and leave the main unit in a hot press for a week. It will take a considerable amoount of time for the water to dry out of it. I did this before and it worked a treat.

DONT DO ANYTHING THAT FORCES COMPONENTS TO GET VERY HOT. IF YOU'RE USING A HAIR DRIER THEN KEEP IT AT A LOW SETTING AND BE PATIENT!!!

[Oxwivi]

That doesn't ring too, true.

You are using this forum.

If I were rude, I'd say get your **** into gear & find out how to disassemble your machine & use the best of the advice that we have given you here. The worst thing that can happen is that you will learn something. You never know you may even be able to salvage your machine.

But its OK, I'm not really that kind of person. <simper>
I'm using this forum, yes. I said getting time on internet is difficult, that's to say it's limited. Regardless, I found no instruction specific to my laptop and, with a generic eMachines guide (http://www.ehow.com/how_6805486_disassemble-emachines-laptop.html), I'm stuck at the srews supposedly holding the LCD hinge cover (ain't there for my model).

And I don't want to forcefully mess with the machine, it's my only personal system which I bought with my meagre life-savings (I are a NEET (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/NEET) high-school graduate). Love computers, and would hate to lose it. I never was confident with crafts to begin with - my art-work is the level of grade-schoolers. :/

[Oxwivi]

Now for a more practical answer... Take the battery out and leave the main unit in a hot press for a week. It will take a considerable amoount of time for the water to dry out of it. I did this before and it worked a treat.

DONT DO ANYTHING THAT FORCES COMPONENTS TO GET VERY HOT. IF YOU'RE USING A HAIR DRIER THEN KEEP IT AT A LOW SETTING AND BE PATIENT!!!
Great down-to-earth suggestion - but I've no idea what a hot press is, neither do I possess a hair dryer.

[false truths]

Why has nobody suggested rice? Rice draws out moisture, so it is ideal to use to rescue soaked electronics. My laptop has been through a soda spill (no small amount, either). I got a box, lined it with rice, put the laptop in, and then covered it with rice and let it sit, open. The rice draws out moisture because it's so dry, which is excellent for rescuing things like the LCD and the HDD, which can hold a lot of moisture and will die if you run them wet.


If you can get the HDD and RAM and other various parts out, bury them in rice separately. That'll allow more direct drying.

[Oxwivi]

Interesting, I'll try and convince me mom to let me use some for my just cause.

[Lucretius]

stick it in the airing cupboard for a week.

I wash my keyboard in the dishwasher and stick in in there to dry... works a treat

[Oxwivi]

Air cupboard/boiler cupboard/hot press (these three terms refer to the same thing, according to Wikipedia (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cupboard)) unavailable.

[spyd4r]

I've heard of burying electronics in rice to soak up remaining water..

[mips]

The metho' is something I wouldn't have thought of mips.

I don't think the heat matters provided you are just allowing it to be warm & not HOT. Though if you are using the metho' that changes it some as alcohol & its relatives do like to absorb moisture.


The idea is to remove/displace whatever water is left. The other thing is it evaporates REALLY quickly. A blower just helps it along a wee bit.

I'm just a bit cautious advising people use a hair dryer inland where they are more static prone. Living by the coast I have never experienced static here but I know inland it could be a nasty thing.

I use this method pretty often with drowned cell phones including my 5 day old phone I took for a swim in the dam when jet skiing :D

You do get stronger stuff to clean out electronic boards with but it's not widely available like meths/isopropyl.

[handy]

The idea is to remove/displace whatever water is left. The other thing is it evaporates REALLY quickly. A blower just helps it along a wee bit.

I'm just a bit cautious advising people use a hair dryer inland where they are more static prone. Living by the coast I have never experienced static here but I know inland it could be a nasty thing.

I use this method pretty often with drowned cell phones including my 5 day old phone I took for a swim in the dam when jet skiing :D

You do get stronger stuff to clean out electronic boards with but it's not widely available like meths/isopropyl.

Thanks for this valuable info' mips, I'll store it in my iPod Touch, (my memory) for future reference, in the hope that I won't ever need to use it. :)

[Oxwivi]

I WANT methylated alcohol! Dammit, I know I live in an Arab country, but not even the most addicted bastards in their right mind would touch methylated alcohol! Oh wait, they wouldn't be sober long enough to be in their right minds...