"Hand Spots" on Laptop Surface; How to get rid,

the macbooks have had a problem similar to this, which especially shows up becuase they are white.

You might do a search on macbook stains to see what they have come up with.

The service tech I talked to at Gateway acknowledged this issue as entirely my fault. So of course, my warranty won't cover a replacement of the plastics.

I did some extra reading and found out how big of a deal these stains really are for laptop users. From Toshibas to Alienwares, to MacBooks and now Gateways ... a lot of people are experiencing this.

I also don't think there's a surefire way to get rid of these stains.

The only two methods which had mixed results (some postitive, some negative), as opposed to the other methods where only negative results were seen:
- Non-Acetone Nail polish remover
- Mr. Clean Magic Eraser

All the other stuff, Ethanol, Isopropyl, soap & water, etc. didn't work.
Even still, no one really reported that the stains could be removed entirely, only lightened.

Guess I'll be picking up a Mr. Clean Magic Eraser sometime soon!

Doubtful. Gateway doesn't have a reputation to uphold like Apple does. Nor does Gateway advertise a sleek look or design with aesthetic appeal, whereas we all know Apple is the opposite. There's power in numbers, and I seem to be the only one voicing my woes here.
I read that Gateway is 3rd in terms of sales in the U.S., with Dell and HP leading. So Gateway isn't dead yet, they're just nothing in comparison to what they used to be.

try calling them and find out how much a replacement palm rest would cost. they prolly have a pile of them somewhere. if its cheap enough just replace it.

well that sucks, try looking on ebay for broken ones, meybe a cracked screen or some such.

Wow, I forgot this thread existed.

Here's a picture off the internet of what my notebook looks like.



I'll try to take a photo of these "notebook stains" in a moment here...

Now that I see them, I don't think those are "stains" at all.
That looks like the silver topcoat of the machine has worn slightly through in those spots.

That is probably why the mixed results with the cleaning. Some people probably had actual stains and they were able to take them off, but I would guess the majority of them had what you have there.

That is not going to be able to be "cleaned" off, so you could try resurfacing it altogether. Vinyl dye (like spray paint) could be used to completely go over the plam rest area. Vinyl Dye Case Modding.

You know what I would do.
1. Get yourself some painters tape (like a blue or green masking tape) from Home Depot or the like [this is important so as not to strip off the remaing silver coating].
2. Remove the keyboard (usually a simple process of using a butter knife and pushing back 2 or 3 spring loaded clips at the top of the KB that hold it in place, then removing on quick connect wire)
3. Mask off the outline of where you want to color (you will see why in a second). This would be possibly from where the bottom of the KB goes, to say the edge of the case on the bottom or sides, or possibly the entire top of where the KB sits when you open the lid.
4. Take the computer to a Kinkos or OfficeMax/Depot that has a shrink wraping machine. Shrink wrap the entire computer. Obviously, not in the closed position, either shink both the LCD cover and the body seperate, or cheaper version: just have them shrink the body, come home and use a plastic bag (taped at edges) for the screen.
5. Bring the computer home and use an exacto knife to cut about 3/8" (depending on size of painters tape used) in from the edges of your tape (so that your shrink film is cut out where you want to paint, but is still 1/2 way on the painers tape.
6. Re-tape the film down to your first layer of painters tape forming a new seal. You have now completely masked the system for spraying w/o taking it apart.
7. Spray on your vinyl dye.