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ToadOfSteel
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01 May 2009, 10:40 pm

I ended up spilling coke on the keyboard and it died... Now I have my laptop all opened up in the hopes that drying out will work (though I seriously doubt it)...

I hate myself... it's like I just killed my best friend...



Orwell
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01 May 2009, 10:45 pm

Ouch... on the bright side, this means you have an excuse to get a new laptop.


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computerlove
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01 May 2009, 11:15 pm

Dont lie, it's just an excuse to get a new one =P

Btw i'm browsing from an ipod touch (:
*thumbs up*


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ToadOfSteel
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02 May 2009, 12:10 am

Well i opened it up (I've had the thing for almost 4 years so it's well past warranty), and i'm letting it air out overnight... I'll post how well that goes over...

Failing that, it's time to hit ebay for a t60 with a crapped out display (my display should still be fine...)

In the meantime, my X27 is still functional, but it's a lot slower... at least I can surf the web with it...



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02 May 2009, 12:12 am

Coke is very rich in phosphoric acid, not good for electronic equipment.

Before you switch it back on you might want to check where the coke got to, depending on which part of the laptop could coked you might be able to clean it with water. I have never cleaned a computer inside as I have avoided getting coke, coffee and goodness what else inside my PC but it might be worth cleaning it before turning it back on.

http://www.nema.org/prod/be/enclosures/ ... _equip.pdf
http://www.crcindustries.com/ei/content ... D=Panel2_4


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Diagnosed under the DSM5 rules with autism spectrum disorder, under DSM4 psychologist said would have been AS (299.80) but I suspect that I am somewhere between 299.80 and 299.00 (Autism) under DSM4.


Last edited by Woodpecker on 02 May 2009, 12:21 am, edited 1 time in total.

ToadOfSteel
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02 May 2009, 12:16 am

Woodpecker wrote:
Coke is very rich in phosphoric acid, not good for electronic equipment.


then again my laptop survived worse (including being dropped from 5 feet)... but yeah, i'm not holding out much hope either...

at the very least the hard drive was untouched so I can at least get my data back...



Woodpecker
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02 May 2009, 12:22 am

Where in the lap top did the coke get to ?


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Diagnosed under the DSM5 rules with autism spectrum disorder, under DSM4 psychologist said would have been AS (299.80) but I suspect that I am somewhere between 299.80 and 299.00 (Autism) under DSM4.


Dussel
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02 May 2009, 8:30 am

You may can buy a replacement keyboard - they cost typically between £40 and £100; if your laptop is still worth this investment.

---

I have a similar problem with my old Dell Inspiron 2650 - the HDD is going to die (works well in cold weather and for the first 3 hours, than start to fail), otherwise it is in perfect working order; and I am uncertain to invest in a seven year old laptop £70.



ToadOfSteel
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02 May 2009, 8:38 am

Update: I let it dry out, and it worked...

Woodpecker wrote:
Where in the lap top did the coke get to ?

I think it got on top of the CD drive... I don't know how that affected the machine's ability to turn on, but i *should* be fine now... Although that would explain why drying out worked... (It didn't land on the motherboard or anything, I guess)....



iceb
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02 May 2009, 9:01 am

Having experienced what coke does to printed circuit boards I would never drink the stuff!

It wreaks havoc with keyboard too.

I am much surprised it has survived :)


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pakled
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02 May 2009, 11:53 pm

there was a folk story that you could drop a penny in Coke, and overnight it would dissolve...;)

I've fixed laptops since they evolved from 'luggables', and usually it was bad for the keyboard, but as long as it didn't hit the motherboard, it wasn't a lost cause.

...but isn't it strange that whenever you logon now, you feel thirsty?...;)



GustavHolst
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05 May 2009, 3:39 pm

I feel your pain. I spilled a cup of coffee all over my keyboard.