If Your Computer Gets Wet


CAUTION: Perform this procedure only after you are certain that it is safe to do so. If the computer is connected to an electrical outlet, Dell recommends that you turn off AC power at the circuit breaker before attempting to remove the power cables from the electrical outlet. Use the utmost caution when removing wet cables from a live power source.

Turn off the computer, disconnect the AC adapter from the computer, and then disconnect the AC adapter from the electrical outlet.

Turn off any attached external devices, and disconnect them from their power sources and then from the computer.

Ground yourself by touching one of the metal connectors on the back of the computer.

Remove the module bay device and any installed PC Cards, and place them in a safe place to dry.

Remove the battery.

Wipe off the battery and put it in a safe place to dry.

Remove the hard drive.

Remove the memory module(s).

Open the display and place the computer right-side up across two books or similar props to let air circulate all around it. Let the computer dry for at least 24 hours in a dry area at room temperature.

NOTICE: Do not use artificial means, such as a hair dryer or a fan, to speed the drying process.

CAUTION: To help prevent electrical shock, verify that the computer is thoroughly dry before continuing with the rest of this procedure.

Ground yourself by touching one of the metal connectors on the back of the computer.

Replace the memory module(s), the memory module cover, and the screw(s).

Replace the hard drive.

Replace the module bay device and any PC Cards you removed.

Replace the battery.

Turn on the computer and verify that it is working properly.

If the computer does not start, or if you cannot identify the damaged components, contact Dell Technical Support.

You can email Dell by Clicking Here for assistance.

Please include your system service tag and a description of the problem and troubleshooting done to try to resolve it.

You can also call Dell Technical Support. The phone number to contact our US Mobile Computing Hotline is 800-822-8965 for Corporate/Government Accounts or at 800-247-9252 for Direct accounts.

You will be connected to a Technical Specialist who will help you resolve the issue over the phone or arrange the appropriate service.

If you are outside of the United States, you will need to contact Dell in your global area.

Thank you for choosing Dell.

Hello toastygloveman,

If your friend's  system is covered by "complete care", I suggest that you call Dell Inspiron Support and send the sys to the depot so that it can be thoroughly checked and cleaned.  Cleaning it w/ water may remove some beer odor but may not be beneficial to the system.

Cheers

Alexzel

Yikes! You really poured water on it, after it had beer spilt on it! We should call Notebook Protective Services - that notebook is being mistreated! :)

I'd say that a new keyboard may solve the problem. You can buy one for pretty cheap from Dell Spare Parts, and it shouldn't be a hard install.

Glad to hear the notebook is doing well. And, just because your friend is silly, and doesn't take care of her computer, doesn't make all girls that way - you might want to watch the generalizations, especially when they're negative. Frankly, I think that guys are more likely to have beer spilt in their notebooks than a girl is.

hmm, good point, guys would be more likely to spill beer on computers.  so, admitting that guys are more careless and heavier drinkers than girls, im going to stick with my generalization that girls are more clumsy and ditsy than guys...  if i may - generally speaking.

~scott

I take serious exception to your generalizations with regards to the character of both guys and girls, generally speaking. I have no direct knowledge as to whether guys are, statistically speaking, heavier drinkers than girls. I think you could make the argument that girls are heavier drinkers, based on the effects that alcohol has on the female body, as opposed to the male, but at least "heavier drinkers" is something that you can quantify, so you may be correct in that statement.

The rest of your assertions, that guys are more careless than girls, that girls are more clumsy than guys, and that girls are ditsier than guys, are completely subjective, and, in my experience, completely untrue. You're making character judgements on a whole group of people based on the actions of one or a few. My remark on my own experience, that I think guys are more likely to spill beer on a laptop, contained no such character judgements, it was simply a statement of my perception of the probability of a certain action happening, but I apologize if it offended you (as seems likely from the tone of your response), nonetheless.

Cheers,