You Spill a Cup of Coffee/Soda/Water on Your Keyboard .......................
Didn’t your mother teach you how to keep your room clean? Haven’t I warned
you sufficiently? (Okay, even I sometimes bring a can of soda into my office;
but I keep it on a side table three feet away from anything and everything
electronic.)But now you’ve kicked the can, tumbled the coffee, or unbottled the water
onto your laptop’s keyboard. Don’t panic. The first thing to do is to turn off
the power, because water and electricity are an unpleasant combination. If the
machine is running off the battery, you can safely depower using Windows
shutdown procedures or by pressing and holding the on/off switch (on most
laptops). But if the laptop is running off an AC adapter, be sure that the adapter
and the wiring that runs to the wall outlet are not wet. If they’re even damp,
don’t touch them and instead turn off the power at the circuit breaker.With the power turned off, disconnect and remove the battery. Then you can
begin to clear the spill by blotting it up with absorbent towels. If we’re talking
about a small spill, that may be all you have to do. But if we’re talking about
16 ounces of Jolt or a mocha grande with whipped cream, the cleanup (and
the potential for damage) is greater.The good news is that most laptops have a plastic or rubber-like membrane
beneath the keycaps, and your assignment may be removal of the keys and a
careful cleaning. If somehow the liquid has gotten into the laptop’s innards —
the hard drive, the motherboard, or other parts — the extent of damage may
depend on what was spilled. Water will dry without leaving a residue; if noth-
ing shorted out at the time of the spill, the machine may be ready to return to
service in a day or so once it has fully dried. (Do not use a hair dryer or other
heated source to dry the machine; you can use a gentle flow of air from a fan.)
Coffee or soda, though, both dry as sticky, corrosive gunk, and you may have
to send the machine to a professional shop to be disassembled and cleaned.
See Chapter 3 for more details.If the AC adapter became totally soaked, consider purchasing a replacement;
substitute chargers are available from the maker of your laptop as well as
from third parties. Do not attempt to open it yourself and make repairs.Chapter 20: Ten Quick Solutions 303