Wine and laptops don’t mix. I have the machine sitting upside down, maybe it will dry out in 24 - 48 hours like WkiHow suggests. If not, I guess I’m in the market and could use advice!
I had/have a Windows 7 HP laptop. I use it only for Word, Excel, printing, creating PDFs, taxes, general stuff you do for personal use, no business needs. I have a couple Ipads for email, surfing, etc. I don’t do a lot of Youtube viewing or movie downloading on the laptop.
I’d really like to replace this machine with something inexpensive thst would take care of my very basic usages. If I go too cheap, will the processing time be intolerable? Anything else I need to consider? Any suggestions, guidelines would be much appreciated - my kids helped me out with the last purchase, but aren’t available to discuss this one. I was hoping to avoid having to use Windows 10, but I think I’m stuck now - I feel like that old dog that doesn’t want to learn new tricks!
I did exactly same thing - spilled a glass of red wine on my HP laptop. I ended up ordering a new keyboard on ebay and put it in. Couple of things: Win7 has an on-screen keyboard that you can use to log in and do minor configurations and you can also buy an external keyboard, maybe Bluetooth, and be done.
If you have too much valuable software on the laptop you can buy an identical used machine and just swap the hard drive. Replacing kb is usually much more work than swapping hdd.
For your needs, you likely could buy any laptop out there and have it do what you want. Laptops are pretty cheap these days and most of them would do what you need. If you aren’t planning on storing large files, like movies and stuff, on the machine, then you won’t need a huge hard drive for the kind of apps you are talking about. The only thing I would recommend is to try out the laptop and see if you like the screen display and the keyboard, some laptops have crappy keyboards and or displays. One thing I would recommend (if you can find one in your price range) is that it have an SSD drive (solid state drive) rather than a hard drive, they usually are more expensive but the prices have come down, and they are wonderful, they allow the machine to boot a lot faster and they don’t fail the way hard drives do. The other thing I recommend is get it with 8 meg of memory if you can, especially if you get one with windows 10, more memory will make it work better and these days that likewise is not expensive.
@ccdd14 has a good idea, if you can find a used (or even new old stock) laptop that is the same as your current one, they can swap the current hard drive into it and you won’t have to go through installing software on the new machine and backing up files from the old drive to the new one.
We mostly use macs, but keep a very cheap Windows laptop around for the kids to write essays and do homework. The current one is an Acer from Target. It is a bit slow but it works fine. It’s running Windows 10. We paid around $200 for it a year or two ago. No touchscreen, smallish hard drive, and you definitely lose build quality at lower price points. It’s fine for around the house but doesn’t seem durable for much travel. And consider what you can tolerate as far as ergonomics. Spend enough to get something you don’t hate to use.
I always consider ergonomics. The operating system and software does not vary, but keyboards and touchpads are a different issue. Mr. just got a “kitchen laptop” for surfing while he eats breakfasts, and the keyboard is as stiff as a dead rat! If you liked your old laptop, get something structurally similar so your hands and fingers do not have to relearn.
No advice on the Windows side, but we’ve rescued two Mac’s from accidental spills.
We took off the back panel. Filled a cookie sheet with rice and placed the unit upside down with the keyboard resting on the rice. Set this whole thing on a milk crate with a fan underneath. Waited three days. It’s worked like a champ since. It tends to be sugar, milk etc. that kills it, not the water.
You might need to reset the power module when you try to restart the machine. On the Mac you have to hold down a certain number of keys at startup - not sure how it works on Windows.
Depending on how much liquid was spilled, which components were affected by the liquid, and how fast you were able to shut it down immediately the above suggestion may work or may be a complete lost cause.
Hopefully, the above will work, but be prepared for the possibility the liquid got into critical components while still powered on and thus, short-circuited the motherboard/other electronic components permanently.
IME, had examined some machines which only needed the replacement of the keyboard/touchpad/power button. Others were a total loss even after 72 hours of drying out because the spilled liquid got to the motherboard/critical electronic components before the owner had a chance to completely shut down the machine and cut power off.
How long do you plan on using the new machine when you get it? How old was the machine which had wine spilled on it?
If you go too cheap, the main issues could be inadequate amount of RAM with no possibility to upgrade as a friend is now finding out after going against my advice last year and jumping on a $200 “good deal” on a low end dell inspiron which is maxed out at 4 GB RAM. He’s now finding the machine frequently gets bogged down due to lack of RAM when he uses basic office applications to work from home or on the road. The processor, while not bad for his intended uses is basically a slightly updated version of a processor which was released nearly a decade ago.
Not to mention the build quality of that notebook is a bit on the flimsy side and I already saw some signs of a developing crack on part of the plastic casing. Very disconcerting considering he tends to be very careful taking care of his stuff.
There’s also a higher likelihood you may need to send a budget/consumer-line notebook…especially the lower end ones back for warranty repair multiple times due to poorer quality control from the manufacturer for that particular line. Even if it’s covered within the warranty repairs, the downtime and hassles involved aren’t insubstantial for many users.
I think you really mean 8 GB which I agree is the bare minimum to get nowadays even for basic office tasks to ensure some futureproofing. Especially if you plan on using it for more than a year or two.
BTW, haven’t seen a machine with 8 Megs of RAM since the early to mid-'90s. Was great in the early part…considered inadequate by the mid '90s.
The Mac’s have had an automatic kill switch for years. If any moisture is dedicated…it’s an automatic, no questions asked, shut-down. That’s probably what saved us.
I keep a big bag of inexpensive rice on hand…just incase …
Even an automatic kill switch may not always shut the mac down fast enough to prevent permanent damage in some situations.
That was what happened with a client’s macbook even after placing it in a bag of rice for 3 days. Ended up being a total loss as the motherboard and LCD panel were completely dead.
I’m very happy with my Surface Pro 3. I’d probably be happier with the larger screen of the Surface Pro 4 but it’s not worth the money to replace something that’s working so well. Boots up in a flash. I really really like Windows 10, and the touch screen is wonderful. I constantly find myself reaching to touch my monitors at work, and I’m always disappointed when they don’t react.
I’ve had a motherboard replaced on my macbook pro due to a coffee spill. Apparently I needed to drink more of the coffee before handling the computer. I don’t remember the exact price but it was less than $300 including shipping which is way less than a new macbook pro.
Depends on how old the laptop is on whether it’s worth it. I did get the laptop shut down immediately and never tried to reboot it.
No advice on saving wet computers.
But as far as replacements, we’ve simplified our electronics purchasing in our family.
We shop whatever Costco has in warehouse or online and make a choice from their selection.
We might Google or CNET the choices to check reviews but we don’t bother price shopping.
Price, good enough selection for us, double the warranty, make it a no trainer for us.
YMMV.
We just picked up a replacement for our desktop running VISTA still, HP, huge hard drive, RAM, etc for $800… Of course, I’ll have to learn windows 10…
Thank you all! Many good ideas and considerations. I don’t feel quite so overwhelmed. In the meantime, the current laptop is drying out. Tonight or tomorrow, I’ll give it the test.
I am leaving for Asia next week. Does anyone know if I pick up a laptop in someplace like Hong Kong if I would have any problems getting it to run here? Seems like I would just switch the electric cable to accommodate a US outlet, there are coverters on the cables, right? I’ve been checking some models, prices are often comparable or slightly less on sale (and I can bargain price somewhat) and no sales tax in HK. I suppose customs could require declaration if I pay over $800 US, but I hope not to do that.
Don’t give it a test if you intend to repair it. Sending power to the motherboard will fry it if there are problems. It’s not just liquid but the acid. If you have data backed up and have no intent to pay for repair, you can try.
Otherwise, either pull the hard drive so you can migrate data to another computer or find a repair shop.
On a computer in HK, no idea on compatibility with U.S. I do think I fried a laptop by plugging it in to local power in HK with just an adapter. You have to look at the brick on the power supply and see what the input range is. If HK power and US power are both within the range of the power supply, it will convert to the proper voltage for the computer. I defer to people for more knowledgeable than me about electricity.
What I’ve done that has worked is find the exact same model used on Ebay, buy it and swap the hard drives so that new hardware is booting your hard drive. It may have to locate some drivers, but generally it boots right up. YMMV
We have purchased our computers from Costco, just because we got an extra year of warranty on them by using the credit card. Both S and D needed to have their computers replaced and the Costco AmEx card warranty gave them full refunds, which we turned around and used to purchase their new computers. We tend to buy most of our computers from Costco. Their selection is somewhat limited, but if you change your mind within 90 days, they will take back the computer, no questions asked and no restocking fee.
We have used our CapitolOne Spark Visa card that also gives an extra year of warranty and gotten a full refund of products in that extra year window when they failed.
One option to consider with some hassle is something a friend has done three times when he wasn’t sure of what notebook to select and he needed some in a hurry to test out while traveling for work.
If you have a Costco membership, you can buy one of their notebooks, use it within a 90 day period, and return it for a no questions asked refund if returned BEFORE THE 90 DAY PERIOD IS UP.
While most of their notebooks IME tend to be consumer/budget bigbox models I wouldn’t recommend, this is one exception to the rule as if done right, you end up renting the computer effectively for free minus time/expense of returning it to costco for a no questions asked refund.
Hong Kong uses a different power outlet plug with different power outputs. You will need to get a separate plug and power converter if you buy a PC here in the US.
With few exceptions of the exceedingly cheapo dodgy adapter plugs/power converters, most can be bought and used without issues. Most relatives and friends who have traveled to HK and other countries have been able to successfully use their US bought electronics abroad without issues…and vice versa.
If it was not a power converter to convert the higher power output of the HK/UK outlet to the US electronic device…that would definitely cause it to fry. US power outlet output puts out 110 volts versus 220-240 volts in HK/UK.
Unless someone is comfortable opening up their notebooks or otherwise serving as their own tech support, I don’t recommend someone do this as one can easily cause further damage if one’s not careful.
There’s also the issue that some notebook models…especially consumer/budget models bury hard drive bays deep inside the machine like some HP models I’ve worked with.
With those, you literally had to take apart the keyboard and external casing of the notebook to even access the hard drive bay. Wouldn’t surprise me if this was done partially as a way to encourage owners to toss it and buy a newer model from them.
There are youtube videos on how to open up most computers. I’ve watched Dell tech support and the guy brings a pill box to put the screws in the order in which he removes them. It’s not that difficult. Obviously you take apart the broken computer first to “learn” and make your mistakes on.
