Until a few months ago, I was using an HP Envy 4-1043cl laptop/notebook computer. Then, one day, I spilled a sizable amount of (non-diet) Sierra Mist onto the built-in keyboard. I believe I turned it off somewhere between 10 seconds and a two minutes after the spill. The screen stayed on until I turned it off. I did not hear or see any shorting out. I tried to dry it off. I believe there was Sierra Mist coming out of the charge port on the right side.
The computer will not turn on. Here is a list of what I did since the spill:
I waited several days. I set the laptop on top of some rice. Then, I made the possibly mistaken decision to try to take the computer apart and check inside. I watched the video called "HP ENVY 4 Take Apart and Reassamble" by regazzz on Youtube. I took the computer most of the way apart. There were a few signs of residue that I cleaned with a Q-tip coated with a certain cleaning agent, but I didn't see any signs of liquid on the motherboard. Aside from not organizing and labeling the screws, I made at least two mistakes:
1. I used a magnetic screwdriver. I don't think the magnetism was very strong.
2. The cleaning agent I used was nail polish remover. This product contains a very diluted concentration of acetone. I found out later that acetone can erode plastic.
I tried to put everything back together. As far as I could tell, I put the ribbons back together correctly and all the screws worked even if I put a few screws that were the wrong size in the wrong place.
So, in speculating on why the computer won't turn back on, I have several hypotheses:
1. The problem was caused by the liquid damage.
2. Its because of the magnetic screwdriver.
3. It's because of the nail polish remover.
4. It's because of some other damage caused when I tried to put it back together.
5. It's because I put it back together wrong.
I'm hoping it's #5, because then I can fix it if I take it to someone who knows what they are doing.
What should I do? Should I take it to an authorized HP repair center? Should I just give up on it and salvage things like the hard drive and try to get my files off of it? There are files on that hard drive that I kind of want that I haven't tried to recover yet.
The computer will not turn on. Here is a list of what I did since the spill:
I waited several days. I set the laptop on top of some rice. Then, I made the possibly mistaken decision to try to take the computer apart and check inside. I watched the video called "HP ENVY 4 Take Apart and Reassamble" by regazzz on Youtube. I took the computer most of the way apart. There were a few signs of residue that I cleaned with a Q-tip coated with a certain cleaning agent, but I didn't see any signs of liquid on the motherboard. Aside from not organizing and labeling the screws, I made at least two mistakes:
1. I used a magnetic screwdriver. I don't think the magnetism was very strong.
2. The cleaning agent I used was nail polish remover. This product contains a very diluted concentration of acetone. I found out later that acetone can erode plastic.
I tried to put everything back together. As far as I could tell, I put the ribbons back together correctly and all the screws worked even if I put a few screws that were the wrong size in the wrong place.
So, in speculating on why the computer won't turn back on, I have several hypotheses:
1. The problem was caused by the liquid damage.
2. Its because of the magnetic screwdriver.
3. It's because of the nail polish remover.
4. It's because of some other damage caused when I tried to put it back together.
5. It's because I put it back together wrong.
I'm hoping it's #5, because then I can fix it if I take it to someone who knows what they are doing.
What should I do? Should I take it to an authorized HP repair center? Should I just give up on it and salvage things like the hard drive and try to get my files off of it? There are files on that hard drive that I kind of want that I haven't tried to recover yet.
