Gaming Oh NO!

[ShinyJellicent12]

Ok, so my milk magically spilled all over my laptop. While it's dry, it's not working at all.
My computer has survived this before, so what do I do?
I have a Dell Inspiron 600m, and I was wondering if I could save my files still.
I have no idea where the hard drive is, but I think it's where it says "C" (that's my hard drive disk thing)
If I took that out, could my files be saved?
PS: When I put the battery in, the ON light is green, but the other lights don't come on.
When it was plugged into the charger, it did the same thing, but stopped. Then it started flashing red (low battery)
What does that mean?
I just want my files to be saved, or else my life is completely screwed
All of my projects are on it, and I didn't back it up on a flashdrive.
Help?

 

[junkerde]

u should unplug everything turn it off, and quickly take the hard drive before anything else goes wrong!

 

[DinohScene]

u should unplug everything turn it off, and quickly take the hard drive before anything else goes wrong!

That and plug the HDD into another PC and back everything up.
You should have had a backup of your vital data at first to begin with.

 

[ShinyJellicent12]

What's an HDD?
And i did what junkerde said, but I'm not sure what an HDD is.
Now that I cleaned the milk out more, The computer turns on when I put in the battery and starts to make these weird, quiet noises.
I'm afraid that it'll explode or something, so I took the battery out.
And I'm not so sure where the hard drive is stil

 

[The_Dragons_Mast]

First of all take your hdd out & test it somewhere else. Just follow this or this if you don't know how .

After doing so I suggest first of all to sniff the laptop & see if there is any strong burned smell cause if there is any then something probably got fried . If you smell nothing & know your way with computer hardware I suggest to open it & clean it thoroughly with a dry towel or cloth . If you can't do so then just try to clean as much as you can from the outside & leave the laptop to fully dry for atleast a few hours without testing it . Most people tend to fry there wet electronic devices thanks to those impatient tests they do every few minute .

Edit : Your hard drive is the hdd .

 

[Nimbus]

The Hard Disk Drive (HDD) might have survived, depending on three factors

A. Where the HDD is actually located on your Laptop
B. Where you spilt the milk
C. How far, and if at all, did the milk disperse.

Lets put it this way, First, make sure everything is unplugged from it, Second make sure the HDD isn't covered in it before you attempt anything. Third, plug the HDD into a working laptop Fourth, pray to the digital gods..

Finally, and not least Fifth....YOU SHOULD HAVE HAD A WORKING BACKUP TO BEGIN WITH! I CANNOT STRESS THAT ENOUGH! :endangryshout

As for those weird noises, DO NOT KEEP PLUGGING THE BATTERY AND/OR THE POWER CABLE BACK IN! You have short circuited something, which yes could cause an explosion, or even electrocution. You've likely caused something to get fried already seeing as liquids, being mostly water based in nature, do not mix well with electricity.

Also, a Flash Drive is not a viable backup means! I cannot grasp why people think this is ok to backup full computers, let alone with CD's. If you're going to do a full backup, use a Hard Drive of Equal or Greater Size (In the case of the latter, you're literally upgrading and then using the old one as a backup).

 

[ShinyJellicent12]

The Hard Disk Drive (HDD) might have survived, depending on three factors

A. Where the HDD is actually located on your Laptop
B. Where you spilt the milk
C. How far, and if at all, did the milk disperse.

Lets put it this way, First, make sure everything is unplugged from it, Second make sure the HDD isn't covered in it before you attempt anything. Third, plug the HDD into a working computer. Fourth, pray to the digital gods..

Finally, and not least Fifth....YOU SHOULD HAVE HAD A WORKING BACKUP TO BEGIN WITH! I CANNOT STRESS THAT ENOUGH!

I've learnt my lesson.
A: I think it's where it says C
B: The milk barely went under my computer (it went over my computer and the keyboard has a cover under it), yet it turned off.
C: Most of the milk is gone; it was mostly on top of the keyboard and all of that drained out; I cleaned milk from the section with the C and section with the M
If I put the hard drive in a Vista, will it work?
Also, do I have to put it in a Dell computer, or an HP computer will do?

First of all take your hdd out & test it somewhere else. Just follow this or this if you don't know how .

After doing so I suggest first of all to sniff the laptop & see if there is any strong burned smell cause if there is any then something probably got fried . If you smell nothing & know your way with computer hardware I suggest to open it & clean it thoroughly with a dry towel or cloth . If you can't do so then just try to clean as much as you can from the outside & leave the laptop to fully dry for atleast a few hours without testing it . Most people tend to fry there wet electronic devices thanks to those impatient tests they do every few minute .

Edit : Your hard drive is the hdd .

Thx.
I cleaned the places with milk; my computer doesn't smell burnt though.
This has happened before, but it worked after a while.
I'm concerned anyway

 

[ShinyJellicent12]

The Hard Disk Drive (HDD) might have survived, depending on three factors

A. Where the HDD is actually located on your Laptop
B. Where you spilt the milk
C. How far, and if at all, did the milk disperse.

Lets put it this way, First, make sure everything is unplugged from it, Second make sure the HDD isn't covered in it before you attempt anything. Third, plug the HDD into a working laptop Fourth, pray to the digital gods..

Finally, and not least Fifth....YOU SHOULD HAVE HAD A WORKING BACKUP TO BEGIN WITH! I CANNOT STRESS THAT ENOUGH! :endangryshout

As for those weird noises, DO NOT KEEP PLUGGING THE BATTERY AND/OR THE POWER CABLE BACK IN! You have short circuited something, which yes could cause an explosion, or even electrocution. You've likely caused something to get fried already seeing as liquids, being mostly water based in nature, do not mix well with electricity.

Also, a Flash Drive is not a viable backup means! I cannot grasp why people think this is ok to backup full computers, let alone with CD's. If you're going to do a full backup, use a Hard Drive of Equal or Greater Size (In the case of the latter, you're literally upgrading and then using the old one as a backup).

FML
You're basically saying that it's hopeless, right?
Ugh... my life is a disaster.
I don't want to do a full backup though; I just wanted to be able to get my important files.
I don't care much about the computer; I just need my documents and anything else important (like my music)

 

[raulpica]

I'm pretty sure that your data is safe. You just need to take the HD out. If you don't know how to, take it to a professional tech.

By handling your HD in the wrong way, you might risk to _really_ lose everything.

 

[Nimbus]

It doesn't mean something isn't fried. The smell isn't permanent. Either way it would smell like Ozone, which is the worst and nastiest spell if you're a Techie.

As for checking for your valuable files and stuff, yet it will work on a Vista Computer, or pretty much anything that supports NTFS. I cannot guarantee boot-ability though

The ability for an OS to detect partitions on a computer completely depends on what drivers/native filesystem support it has. Windows only natively supports FAT, FAT32, ExFAT, and NTFS currently. There are some 3rd party ones for Mac and Linux Filesystems, but not all of them are well supported or featured.

Brand is irrelevant, aside from that if your copy of Windows is an OEM (Original Equipment Manufacturer) copy, it will only stay activated on that brand. If it's a Release to Manufacturer/Non-Branded Version (RTM), then you're fine.

If it is bootable (Not just visible in My Computer on your other machine, but actually bootable) Make sure the computer you're testing it with is 64-bit if your copy of Windows was 64-bit, as for 32-Bit you'll be fine as a 64-bit machine can run a 32-bit OS, just not the other way around.

If your files show up, great! Now back them up onto another drive soon, so that you have a backup. If not, I cannot help you beyond this point.

Speaking of handling your HDD. There is a cover that typically goes around the HDD in your computer, that is safe to remove. There is also another one actually covering the disk platters on the drive, Never remove that one.

Also, check your RAM using a Linux Live CD that has Memtest86+ on it, Ubuntu ones usually do. Don't do this on your Milk-spill computer, and make sure the other computer supports the RAM. If it doesn't don't bother with this part.

I'm not saying your Data isn't safe, I personally think it has a good chance of being OK. I'm also not trying to imply that you're hopeless, shit like this happens to many people, even the most careful. However, you really should back up your important stuff more often.

 

[ShinyJellicent12]

It doesn't mean something isn't fried. The smell isn't permanent. Either way it would smell like Ozone, which is the worst and nastiest spell if you're a Techie.

As for checking for your valuable files and stuff, yet it will work on a Vista Computer, or pretty much anything that supports NTFS. I cannot guarantee boot-ability though

The ability for an OS to detect partitions on a computer completely depends on what drivers/native filesystem support it has. Windows only natively supports FAT, FAT32, ExFAT, and NTFS currently. There are some 3rd party ones for Mac and Linux Filesystems, but not all of them are well supported or featured.

Brand is irrelevant, aside from that if your copy of Windows is an OEM (Original Equipment Manufacturer) copy, it will only stay activated on that brand. If it's a Release to Manufacturer/Non-Branded Version (RTM), then you're fine.

If it is bootable (Not just visible in My Computer on your other machine, but actually bootable) Make sure the computer you're testing it with is 64-bit if your copy of Windows was 64-bit, as for 32-Bit you'll be fine as a 64-bit machine can run a 32-bit OS, just not the other way around.

If your files show up, great! Now back them up onto another drive soon, so that you have a backup. If not, I cannot help you beyond this point.

I'm going to try...
Wish me luck!!!
I actually don't care if it boots; I care more about getting the files and I'm done!

 

[Nimbus]

You mentioned that your computer displays a low battery symbol now too.

I can tell your right now that you have already fried the battery, or a great number of the cells in it. You cant repair Lithium Ion batteries by hand, and it's by no means safe to ever disassemble them! Hell these things even have specific EPA, etc procedures to dispose of them. Do not attempt to disassemble or try to fix the battery.

The other way I can tell this is because you said that although the "On" light comes on, the battery one doesn't, a good sign that something is borked.

I'm sorry if I seem a bit on edge. I'm usually aggressive today for some reason, and I cant figure out why, nothing seems to have sparked it, so please don't take any offense to it.

Btw, your hard drive will be hard to miss. Most of them have a tab to pull out with attached to a EMI-sheilding cover, others like mine are actually held in place inside said cover with a screw (Let me tell you this, this kind is much better IMHO than the other with the tab.)

 

[The_Dragons_Mast]

Well seeing as your computer knowledge isn't really great you might want to ask someone who knows better to that for you , but if you are the only one around then just handle your hdd carefully & if you are having hard time removing it or fitting it in the laptop just leave it as you will probably hurt the hdd if you keep doing so .

 

[DJPlace]

i spilled juice on my laptop once. i was like son of a bitch and i broke my platisc cup cause i threw it to make sure it's safe. also i replaced my hard drive like months later. it only spilled on that and when i removed it i saw red stains on it so yeah...

 

[ShinyJellicent12]

Mm... I see what you guys mean.
I found my hard drive, and it had MILK all over it!
Weird, because I cleaned it, and now my computer is actually running (doesn't show low battery symbol anymore; computer starts to run, but I can't turn it off)
Is this a good sign? If I fried my battery, and got a new one, would it work?

 

[Nimbus]

Well, the fact that it runs is a miracle, and to be honest, I would still replace it S. Jellicent, it's likely taken some damage from the milk. Your HDD's head actuator probably skipped along it as it came into contact with the milk covered disk platters and whatnot. That isn't good, but as you said, get your data off and backed up that you need too.

Battery wise, yes it might. I'd still let it dry off completely before you attempt to do anything else with it.

 

[Sicklyboy]

Your HDD's head actuator probably skipped along it as it came into contact with the milk covered disk platters and whatnot.

The filter hole on hard drives are usually quite small. I would assume even more so on a 2.5" drive. I would find it more likely that the milk caused the board on the bottom of the drive to short rather than milk actually getting inside of the drive and onto the platters. But that's just my 2 cents.

OP, if you have money to burn, you could always send the drive to a data recovery service for like 3 grand... (serious about the price, joking about going that route). Good luck with that all though.

 

[Nimbus]

Your HDD's head actuator probably skipped along it as it came into contact with the milk covered disk platters and whatnot.

The filter hole on hard drives are usually quite small. I would assume even more so on a 2.5" drive. I would find it more likely that the milk caused the board on the bottom of the drive to short rather than milk actually getting inside of the drive and onto the platters. But that's just my 2 cents.

OP, if you have money to burn, you could always send the drive to a data recovery service for like 3 grand... (serious about the price, joking about going that route). Good luck with that all though.

Good point, now that I think about it, that does sound more likely.

As for replacing the drive, yes that needs to be done. If you can get your information off ASAP, do eet, now!

 

[Originality]

Milk is one of the more dangerous liquids to spill on a laptop. Aside from the usual danger of liquids shorting/frying the electronics, it also leaves a residue after it's been dried. You have to be very thorough when cleaning that out, or it could cause further problems when trying to use it.

Part of common laptop design is that the keyboard is often isolated from the rest of the laptop. This is for two main reasons - firstly, because of situations like this, where foreign agents (liquids, dust, dirt, semen, etc) fall on the keyboard and potentially get through to the motherboard. Isolating the keyboard minimises the spread and protects the circuitry. Secondly, it make it easier to clean (both the keyboard itself and the cover under it).

Best thing to do in this situation is as has already been said many times over - take out the HDD and plug it into another computer with the intention of backing up your data. If it works, you should then take the laptop to a service Center so they can open it up and clean it properly (probably using a solvent like spirits). You should not try turning it on before that incase there is still some residue on any of the internal electronics that could potentially short out or fry something. Then again, it's your laptop... Do what you want.

 

[DinohScene]

Milk is one of the more dangerous liquids to spill on a laptop. Aside from the usual danger of liquids shorting/frying the electronics, it also leaves a residue after it's been dried. You have to be very thorough when cleaning that out, or it could cause further problems when trying to use it.

Part of common laptop design is that the keyboard is often isolated from the rest of the laptop. This is for two main reasons - firstly, because of situations like this, where foreign agents (liquids, dust, dirt, semen, etc) fall on the keyboard and potentially get through to the motherboard. Isolating the keyboard minimises the spread and protects the circuitry. Secondly, it make it easier to clean (both the keyboard itself and the cover under it).

Best thing to do in this situation is as has already been said many times over - take out the HDD and plug it into another computer with the intention of backing up your data. If it works, you should then take the laptop to a service Center so they can open it up and clean it properly (probably using a solvent like spirits). You should not try turning it on before that incase there is still some residue on any of the internal electronics that could potentially short out or fry something. Then again, it's your laptop... Do what you want.

So you know of people that have a keyboard fetish?