Water Spill Damage, Trackpad is malfunctioning. Repairable or dea

[Guest]

My boyfriend spilled a glass of water on his mother's new laptop on accident,
and now the trackpad isn't working very well. He says the arrow barely moves
(although atleast it moves at all) and at one point the arrow just started
moving on it's own. The problem is clear, but what is the solution? Is a
Blow dryer really going to help this one, or does he have to find someone who
can fix it, pay hundreds to have them tell him it's unrepairable and pay for
it to be replaced for even more than the cost of the check-up? That has
happened so many times, and XP has had a bad history of being full of bugs
and, worst of all, bad or uneasy to get resources just to figure out the
problem. I hope I get a responce soon. Please help if any of you can, but
if it'll cost him more than just a replacement or a bottle of cleaner and a
screw driver, then this case is-most likely-closed.

 

[Malke]

My boyfriend spilled a glass of water on his mother's new laptop on
accident,
and now the trackpad isn't working very well. He says the arrow
barely moves (although atleast it moves at all) and at one point the
arrow just started
moving on it's own. The problem is clear, but what is the solution?
Is a Blow dryer really going to help this one, or does he have to find
someone who can fix it, pay hundreds to have them tell him it's
unrepairable and pay for
it to be replaced for even more than the cost of the check-up? That
has happened so many times, and XP has had a bad history of being full
of bugs and, worst of all, bad or uneasy to get resources just to
figure out the
problem. I hope I get a responce soon. Please help if any of you
can, but if it'll cost him more than just a replacement or a bottle of
cleaner and a screw driver, then this case is-most likely-closed.

The solution is for your boyfriend to tell his mother exactly what he
did and for his mother to call the laptop mftr.'s tech support for
repair. A new laptop will still be under warranty. Do not attempt to
"fix" the laptop yourselves.

Malke

 

[McSpreader]

The solution is for your boyfriend to tell his mother exactly
what he did and for his mother to call the laptop mftr.'s tech
support for repair. A new laptop will still be under warranty.
Do not attempt to "fix" the laptop yourselves.

I doubt the warranty would cover such an event.

 

[D.Currie]

I doubt the warranty would cover such an event.

Oddly enough, some of them do. It's more like an add-on insurance policy,
and they're popular with parents who give laptops to kids in college. Covers
everything you could imagine.

to the OP:

No one can tell you what it's going to cost. It may simply be that when
things dry out *completely* everything will work again. Or, something could
have shorted out and caused permanent damage, in which case *something* will
need to be replaced, whatever that something is.

The worst thing you can do is keep running the computer while there's a
chance it's still wet inside because as the water travels, you risk doing
even more damage.

Also, if there's any chance at all that it's under warranty, don't attempt
to take it apart or fix it, because doing that on your own could void the
warranty. Don't take it anywhere, except whatever is authorized under the
warranty.

If it's not working after you're SURE it's completely dry, you can try to
get it repaired under warranty, or you can use it as it is, with a mouse,
perhaps, instead of the trackpad. Your boyfriend might want to consider
buying mom a new laptop. It's probably what I'd be looking for if I was
"mom."

Last, I fail to see what XP bugs could have to do with spilling water into
the laptop.

 

[McSpreader]

Oddly enough, some of them do. It's more like an add-on
insurance policy, and they're popular with parents who give
laptops to kids in college. Covers everything you could imagine.

I hadn't considered that level of cover as warranty, but I guess
there's no reason why it couldn't be called that.

 

[Carey Frisch [MVP]]

I once spilled coffee on an IBM ThinkPad keyboard.
The cure is to use a hair dryer on low and make sure
the computer is turned-off. Leave the lid open and
do not turn the computer on for a few days. If the
problem persists, you'll need to send the laptop back
to Dell for a keyboard replacement.

--
Carey Frisch
Microsoft MVP
Windows - Shell/User
Microsoft Community Newsgroups
news://msnews.microsoft.com/

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:

| My boyfriend spilled a glass of water on his mother's new laptop on accident,
| and now the trackpad isn't working very well. He says the arrow barely moves
| (although atleast it moves at all) and at one point the arrow just started
| moving on it's own. The problem is clear, but what is the solution? Is a
| Blow dryer really going to help this one, or does he have to find someone who
| can fix it, pay hundreds to have them tell him it's unrepairable and pay for
| it to be replaced for even more than the cost of the check-up? That has
| happened so many times, and XP has had a bad history of being full of bugs
| and, worst of all, bad or uneasy to get resources just to figure out the
| problem. I hope I get a responce soon. Please help if any of you can, but
| if it'll cost him more than just a replacement or a bottle of cleaner and a
| screw driver, then this case is-most likely-closed.

 

[D.Currie]

I hadn't considered that level of cover as warranty, but I guess
there's no reason why it couldn't be called that.

They've got some quirky warranty name for it, but before school started
there were TV ads showing college students having all sorts of accidents
with the laptops and pointing out that these would all be covered. Funny
commercial. Can't remember what brand computer it was, though.

 

[Richard Urban]

I have to ask this! Why do you even bring XP into the picture? It has
absolutely nothing to do with the physical damage caused by your boyfriends
carelessness.

You are so quick to condemn XP, as so many others are in "their" stupidity!
If your boyfriend had hit the computer with a hammer would you still comment
about XP and it's problems?

Get a real life!

--
Regards,

Richard Urban
Microsoft MVP Windows Shell/User

If you knew as much as you think you know,
You would realize that you don't know what you thought you knew!

 

[kunal256]

YA man Really funny she brings XP into this!!! maybe microsoft will have to invent a A BULLET PROOF SOFTWARE!!!

 

[McSpreader]

My boyfriend spilled a glass of water on his mother's new laptop
on accident, and now the trackpad isn't working very well. He
says the arrow barely moves (although atleast it moves at all)
and at one point the arrow just started moving on it's own. The
problem is clear, but what is the solution?

You could consider using a mouse as a low-cost way to work-round
the problem.

If you want a full fix, the trackpad may need to be replaced.

Is a Blow dryer really going to help this one,...

I doubt it.

... or does he have to find someone who can fix it, pay hundreds

to have them tell him ...

...XP has had a bad history of being full of bugs and, worst of
all, bad or uneasy to get resources ...

...if it'll cost him more than just a replacement or a bottle of
cleaner and a screw driver, then this case is-most likely closed.

You're way ahead of me, and of the facts. And how Windows XP could
be part of the problem isn't at all clear. Are you a blonde by any
chance?