Is My Sister's Laptop Dead?

#1 Calamityx

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Posted 23 August 2010 - 02:36 PM

It's a Windows Vista Home Premium Service Pack 2.

Okay so, last night our cat peed on her laptop - no, I'm not joking. And now it won't even turn on.

I just wanted to know if there is any way she could clean it, or if it would be better to just buy a new one ?

#2 fueL

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Posted 23 August 2010 - 02:44 PM

Urine big trouble Mr. Wiggles.

K sorry.

I would give it some time to dry out. Was the laptop on when this happened?

#3 MrBruce1959

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Posted 23 August 2010 - 02:47 PM

Also can you please provide the make and model number of the laptop?

Thanks in advance.

Bruce.

Please take notice. Oreo and I will not be available until June of 2012.
Thank you for understanding my absence, it is job and college related, so all is good. If I do not answer your PMs this is the reason why. See you all soon!
Bruce.

#4 Calamityx

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Posted 23 August 2010 - 02:51 PM

Sadly yes ... it was on at the time.

As for your other questions;

It's an HP G50 Notebook PC. I'm pretty sure it's a 2007 or 2008 Model - it's only about two years old.

So far, this is not looking good. :thumbsup:

#5 MrBruce1959

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Posted 23 August 2010 - 03:05 PM

Okay, I agree with Fuel, you'll have to allow this laptop to dry out for about 7 days, I recommend that you remove the battery for now and do not power it up.

Try it again in 7 days and hopefully the keyboard will work okay.

As for the smell, using a damp clouth with mild dish soap should be okay to clean the residue off the keys.

By the way..I am so sorry to hear that this happened. :thumbsup:

Please, keep us posted.

Bruce.

#6 Calamityx

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Posted 23 August 2010 - 03:14 PM

Will do ... thanks so much for the advice. :flowers:

Just a few more questions though ... Is cat pee more toxic than water? I've been doing a bit of research, and from what I've read, urine doesn't evaporate the way water does. I'm just hoping that it hasn't damaged the battery or hard drive - it would be horrible to have to replace the laptop as it definitely wasn't cheap.

Stupid cat ... :thumbsup:

#7 fueL

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Posted 23 August 2010 - 09:59 PM

Luckily keyboards are generally cheap and very easy to replace on laptops, your battery should be somewhat air tight I would assume, I wouldn't give it too much thought. Let her dry, only time will tell

This post has been edited by fueL: 23 August 2010 - 10:00 PM

#8 Calamityx

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Posted 02 September 2010 - 03:34 PM

After seven days - still nothing.

I think the hard drive and/or battery might be damaged beyond repair.

Took it in to be looked at by a tech, hopefully they'll have some answers that don't include having to buy a whole new laptop .

#9 nintendoracle

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Posted 07 September 2010 - 07:31 PM

Have you tried putting the hard drive in an external enclosure and running it from there? It seems odd to me that the cat pee could go all the way through the keyboard to the hard drive and fry it.

Also, have you tried running the laptop without a battery?