Time to buy a new laptop?

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ajs8140

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Nov 22, 2013
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Hello all. Today I had the decency to forget to open my hand when grabbing a drink, causing it to spill on a good portion of my laptop. I obviously shut it down immediately and dried it the best I could. My problem now is that it will only boot up for 2 seconds, then instantly turn off. If I do not replug the power cord then the laptop will not start up at all.

I figure if the mobo was fried then it wouldn't even start up for those first couple of seconds. Since it starts up for a couple of seconds, could something have just been moved out of place? I plan on taking a look at the insides but I have no idea what to look for / how to test for the culprit.

I'm almost positive that this thing is done for, but I'd like to know for sure that it has passed to the computer afterlife and that there are no miracles left in the bag (other than Christmas miracles).

If anyone can provide insight to the problem or give advice on what to look for, the help would be very appreciated.

Thank you for reading.
 
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Deuce65

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Oct 16, 2013
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Well no, spilling a drink on a laptop will most likely not move something out of place.
But it will short out if it's on when this happens. You said this happened today. And that you are trying to use it today. Obviously it has not dried yet. You want to let the computer dry before you try it. At this point, since you keep turning it on while it is still wet and shorting it out, you have probably fried it. Best thing to do is let it dry and hope for the best. Continuing to power it on when it is wet is not doing it any good.
 
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USAFRet

USAFRet

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Mar 16, 2013
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^^^^This.
 
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Moonsfang

Moonsfang

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Oct 15, 2013
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Deuce is spot on. Its not the liquid itself that generally damages it. Its the short circuiting and other electrical problems its causes. Spilling liquid on any electronic typically wont damage it as long as there is no electrical current going to it when its wet. But with it being the case then it could have very well damaged something especially since you tried turning it back on plugged in. I would take it apart (only if you feel comfortable with it) and let it air out. If the drink was something other than water than you will probably be able to see where it gets sticky dirty ect... After it dries take some isopropyl alcohol and a lint free cloth like a coffee filter or microfiber cloth and clean it very well. The different things in the drink can cause more issues than what there are already if not properly cleaned. I would make sure you check everywhere especially under the keyboard and on the mobo and other electrically sensitive components such as the ac port, cpu, ram, HDD... After it dries and you clean all the components reboot it and see If you notice any issues from there. Depending on what kind of issues you get it may be better and easier to get a new laptop.
 
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ajs8140

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Nov 22, 2013
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The spill happened at 7am and I did not attempt to turn the laptop back on until around 3. I blew dried it in intervals since the spills. If that's not enough to dry it, the Ok I goofed.

Still looking for advice on how to investigate when I open the laptop up, whether it be today or tomorrow.

EDIT: Thank you Moonfang, I will try to clean it out like you mentioned. In case it doesnt work, at least I had been considering buying a new laptop for a while anyways.
 
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USAFRet

USAFRet

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Stand it on edge and let it sit for a day or two.
 
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Moonsfang

Moonsfang

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Agreed that would be the easiest thing to do. Set it to where the water would flow the opposite way of the bottom where the mobo and other components are.
 
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