Computer problems

[PennLady]

PennGirl spilled water on my MacAir. I am quite upset. We're working on drying it but ... If not, back to the Compaq for me.

 

[slyc_willie]

PennGirl spilled water on my MacAir. I am quite upset. We're working on drying it but ... If not, back to the Compaq for me.

I had that happen with my old (as in purchased in 1998) Compaq laptop, except it was root beer. I just turned the whole thing upside down and let it drain out. Aside from sticky keys, it still worked, and even works now. I figure if that can happen to a fifteen-year-old Compaq, it shouldn't be a problem for a Mac.

 

[RejectReality]

If it was powered up when the spill happened, it could be a problem.

If not, plain old water shouldn't be an issue. Make absolutely sure it's had time to dry out completely before you power it up, and you shouldn't have any issues. Water + Electricity is what kills electronics, not just water in most cases.

 

[hoo_hoo_boo]

PennGirl spilled water on my MacAir. I am quite upset. We're working on drying it but ... If not, back to the Compaq for me.

I think if you put it in a cotton bag and then put it in a bucket or some thing and surround it with rice it will dry out fairly fast, particularly if it's warm. I have a desk top mac and every so often I give the key board a scrub. I'm told it's crazy but it's nice to have a clean keyboard. It takes me a couple of days to dry it. You're lucky if it was only water. Sugary things are terrible and when I've done that I given the keyboard a wash. I don't have the water too hot either and when I use detergent I flush it with plenty of water after. So, perhaps all isn't lost and hasn't it been great not being bothered with viruses?
Good luck.

 

[Zeb_Carter]

Coffee on the keyboard of my Gateway laptop. Unplugged, powered down, pulled the battery and let it dry. I wish I had know about the rice thing when I did it to mine. Took three days to dry out.

Put it all back together and pressed the power button. Powered right up. Keys were sticky, but they worked pretty good. Went to the Gateway/Acer site and looked up the maintenance manual to see how to disassemble the keyboard. Cleaned everything with 91% isopropyl alcohol, put it back together and fini, it works fine.

None of the coffee got past the keyboard membrane. Thank you Gateway/Acer for thinking of doing that.

 

[patientlee]

I've spilled on 2 computers. On one, a part of the keyboard stopped working. The other still worked, but the keys were sticky. (Dropping them was worse. Unrepairable, and on one, I damaged the hard drive.)

My luck with cameras is not so good either. I went through 4 in 6 months. Dropped one off a desk. Put the second through the wash in my pants pocket. Dropped the third in an amusement park toilet when I leaned to flush. I finally bought the waterproof Olympus stylus tough. That lasted until I neglected to tell my daughter and her friends that although they could take it under water, they couldn't open the little door on the side in the pool.

My husband dropped his iPhone in a cup of coffee. Apparently he wanted an Apple Latte.

Yeah. Liquid and electronics don't mix.

Hope you have better luck than I do.

 

[PennLady]

If it was powered up when the spill happened, it could be a problem.

If not, plain old water shouldn't be an issue. Make absolutely sure it's had time to dry out completely before you power it up, and you shouldn't have any issues. Water + Electricity is what kills electronics, not just water in most cases.

Of course it was on. sigh. Honestly I rarely turn it off, there just doesn't seem to be a need. I'm hoping it's off now, but it was hard to tell. I know that sounds weird, but it's true. I tried to turn it off b/c I heard a noise, but every time I held the power button down, it'd chime and you could dimly see the login screen. But not brightly enough to hit the "off" icon.

So I'll let it go. I haven't lost anything -- I haven't written much lately, and I can get what I have off of the site, or from my beta reader, probably, if I need to. Mail isn't a huge deal either although it was on there. I also have 3TB storage drive that has my music and other things, including older stories, and that was unaffected. It also has Time Capsule on it so that if the Mac does work, I could (I hope) use that if necessary.

Right now it's near a fan but I may try the bag with rice route; I saw that mentioned a few times. Makes me think I should keep silica gel bags, too, when I get them; a few anecdotes on the web said people used those.

And I have to say that this is one thing I dislike about Macs, the inability to open them up and/or remove a battery. If this had happened on the PC I'm using now, I could have taken the battery out, etc.

 

[Zeb_Carter]

Unplug, pull the battery out, it's off then.

 

[Handley_Page]

Of course it was on. sigh. Honestly I rarely turn it off, there just doesn't seem to be a need. I'm hoping it's off now, but it was hard to tell. I know that sounds weird, but it's true. I tried to turn it off b/c I heard a noise, but every time I held the power button down, it'd chime and you could dimly see the login screen. But not brightly enough to hit the "off" icon.

So I'll let it go. I haven't lost anything -- I haven't written much lately, and I can get what I have off of the site, or from my beta reader, probably, if I need to. Mail isn't a huge deal either although it was on there. I also have 3TB storage drive that has my music and other things, including older stories, and that was unaffected. It also has Time Capsule on it so that if the Mac does work, I could (I hope) use that if necessary.

Right now it's near a fan but I may try the bag with rice route; I saw that mentioned a few times. Makes me think I should keep silica gel bags, too, when I get them; a few anecdotes on the web said people used those.

And I have to say that this is one thing I dislike about Macs, the inability to open them up and/or remove a battery. If this had happened on the PC I'm using now, I could have taken the battery out, etc.

Amongst the 'helpful hints' included in an old book of household stuff was the reminder that Oats will also soak up water very well.
And probably quicker than Rice !

 

[TeHDruiD]

Oats and Rice may be a solution. Place your computer into a bucket full of either and let it sit there for awhile, typically it'll soak up the water. Nothing like an accident costing you a lot of money

 

[Bramblethorn]

Unplug, pull the battery out, it's off then.

Removing a MBA battery isn't trivial. MBAs are designed for "thin and light", and as part of that the battery is built in. To remove it you'd have to open the case, probably not a good idea while the power's still on.

 

[PennLady]

Unplug, pull the battery out, it's off then.

Can't pull the battery out. It's a MacAir and it's all but sealed. I could try, but if I do, I void the warranty.

 

[PennLady]

Oats and Rice may be a solution. Place your computer into a bucket full of either and let it sit there for awhile, typically it'll soak up the water. Nothing like an accident costing you a lot of money

I have both oats and rice. Last night I used some pieces of paper towel and slid them under keys to soak up water. I'd seen that advice online, and it seemed to work, as I definitely got some water that way. Then we set it up over a fan on low last night. I could try the oats/rice today and let it sit for a few days if I can find something big enough for it.

The thing is if it's gone, I can't replace it, and likely couldn't afford repairs (which I know could amount to more than it cost). The only reason I have it in the first place is that my aunt gave it to me. That is a real bummer.

 

[glynndah]

Head out to Michael's or another craft store or the Evil Empire. They usually have large tubs of silica gel to use for drying flowers. That may be faster than rice.

 

[PennLady]

Head out to Michael's or another craft store or the Evil Empire. They usually have large tubs of silica gel to use for drying flowers. That may be faster than rice.

That's a good idea, thanks. I didn't know they carried it. I did just put the computer in a bag with rice, so I've got the process started. Plus, we had it over a fan last night -- the fan tilted horizontal, and we stood the computer over it. And as I said, I got some water out last night with paper towels. The hard part now is not turning it on.

I do have my old computer, so I'm not totally out of luck or anything. I was thinking that I may have lost some pictures, but they're in the Photo Stream so maybe not.

 

[JAMESBJOHNSON]

Rice and oats make goo.

Try this, we usta use it to keep welding rods dry and heat our lunches: Put the puter inside a cardboard box, then affix a 60 watt or 75 or 100 watt bulb inside the box, too.

Its an EZ BAKE OVEN. Maybe you can make oatmeal cookies from the wet oats.

http://www.instructables.com/id/Light-boxclothes-dryer/

If you affix the bulb at the top or side dripping isn't a problem.

 

[carlieplum]

Don't give up hope Penn Lady. I've dumped hot chocolate in my keyboard and water. Hot chocolate was a killer but water, everything was fine after a long weekend with a fan blowing on it. (And it was on.) Certain shorter members of the Plum household have thrown my iPhone in the bathtub a few times (while on) and rice has saved it every time.

Keep hope alive!

 

[glynndah]

That's a good idea, thanks. I didn't know they carried it. I did just put the computer in a bag with rice, so I've got the process started. Plus, we had it over a fan last night -- the fan tilted horizontal, and we stood the computer over it. And as I said, I got some water out last night with paper towels. The hard part now is not turning it on.

I do have my old computer, so I'm not totally out of luck or anything. I was thinking that I may have lost some pictures, but they're in the Photo Stream so maybe not.

Make sure the bag's not closed if it's plastic or you'll end up with condensation and a never-ending cycle of wet.

 

[PennLady]

Don't give up hope Penn Lady. I've dumped hot chocolate in my keyboard and water. Hot chocolate was a killer but water, everything was fine after a long weekend with a fan blowing on it. (And it was on.) Certain shorter members of the Plum household have thrown my iPhone in the bathtub a few times (while on) and rice has saved it every time.

Keep hope alive!

Thanks, carlie. It was on, as I said, but Mr Penn figured the battery would eventually run out, and then it would be off. And we've just left it alone after a couple of tries of a hard shut off. We figured it wasn't worth it. I think I'll get silica gel after PennBoy's baseball game this afternoon.

Make sure the bag's not closed if it's plastic or you'll end up with condensation and a never-ending cycle of wet.

Thanks. It's in a canvas bag, zipped shut for safety but I can unzip it.

One small bright spot: PennGirl discovered my long-lost digital camera, a gift from my brother that disappeared months ago, under my bed. So yay for that.

 

[Zeb_Carter]

Removing a MBA battery isn't trivial. MBAs are designed for "thin and light", and as part of that the battery is built in. To remove it you'd have to open the case, probably not a good idea while the power's still on.

Well there's your problem then.

 

[Zeb_Carter]

Can't pull the battery out. It's a MacAir and it's all but sealed. I could try, but if I do, I void the warranty.

Kinda did that with the glass of water.

 

[R. Richard]

I have rescued several wet keyboards. If it's soda or sugared coffee, I wash the keyboard in warm, soapy water and then rinse. I set the keyboard under a fan, for maybe an hour, then douse with isopropyl alcohol, then back under the fan.

 

[PennLady]

Kinda did that with the glass of water.

True, but I don't want to make it worse.

I have rescued several wet keyboards. If it's soda or sugared coffee, I wash the keyboard in warm, soapy water and then rinse. I set the keyboard under a fan, for maybe an hour, then douse with isopropyl alcohol, then back under the fan.

The problem is this is a self-contained unit. I can't separate the keyboard from the rest of the computer. I'm not sure how MacAirs are built, but I was guessing that the keyboard essentially sits over the computer components such as the motherboard, hard drive, etc.

So I did everything I can, I think -- used paper towels to soak up some water, turned it upside down over a fan, and now it's in a canvas back buried under some rice. If I can I'll get silica gel too.

And now, time for the fall ball championship game.

 

[Bramblethorn]

If you do get it dried out and working, you might consider one of these for future protection: http://store.moshimonde.com/clearguard-mb-macbook-keyboard-protector-us.html

I have a dog who sheds his own body weight in fine hairs about every two weeks, and it gets into EVERYTHING, so I bought one to avoid having to vacuum out the keyboard. There are cheaper options around, but the Moshi one is nice and thin and fits well.

 

[Zeb_Carter]

I have rescued several wet keyboards. If it's soda or sugared coffee, I wash the keyboard in warm, soapy water and then rinse. I set the keyboard under a fan, for maybe an hour, then douse with isopropyl alcohol, then back under the fan.

It's a laptop, not just a keyboard.