>The Horror
>Well, hello.
I have some crappy news with which only you, my dear Internet readers, will truly empathize.
Yesterday, the unthinkable happened. I was innocently typing away on my Macbook when Bruiser reached up and knocked my water over ONTO THE FREAKING KEYBOARD.
No. It’s not working. Yes. I tried to turn it on. Which means, I found out too late, that I probably short circuited the whole thing.
And so I’m typing to you now from the craptop. It’s the computer I bought used for a freelance job seven years ago, the one with a flickering screen, a dead battery, and “g”, “h”, and “delete” keys that mysteriously stop working for days at a time. It’s the one that takes about five minutes to load a freaking page, and the one that can’t support photo or video software. That one.
This is bad, bad news indeed.
I’m supposed to let my Macbook air dry for three days and then try again to turn it on. If that doesn’t work, I’m just screwed. I have pictures on that computer that weren’t backed up (not all of my pictures, but definitely some). I have personal writing that definitely wasn’t backed up, most notably a long letter to Punky detailing the funny events of her life that would only be of interest to the two of us. And I definitely can’t swing a new Macbook right now. I’m trying not to think of all of this, though. I’m trying to be hopeful.
So please, Internetz. Light a candle for my laptop. Pray for its survival. Send positive thoughts its way. I am severely limited in what I’m able to do with the craptop, thus my virtual future depends on the Macbook working again. And in the meantime, if you know of any powerful executives who’d like free longterm advertising on this blog (or my soul, whichever they’d prefer) in exchange for a piddling little ole brand new Macbook, send them my way.
>ARGHGGHGHGHGHH! I definitely feel your pain. Yikes! Good luck and here’s to your MacBook.
>We’ve lost 4 or 5 hard drives in the last year or two due to various catastrophies, and there are companies that can recover your data, if you are willing to pay, and pay dearly. E-mail me if you need a referral.Amy @ http://prettybabies.blogspot.com
>I will light a candle and pray to Saint Apple, the patron saint of laptops, in hope that your macbook will spring back to life.
>My little punk did this to my laptop only it was with sweet tea instead of water. We turned it on it’s side to drain and left it for a couple of days. Luckly it did work, sometimes you can feel it in the keyboard but it works! Hopefully yours will dry out and be back to normal soon!!!
>Yes, it is bad – but, there really is a good possibility that it will dry out. I have dropped several electronic devices in the toilet (don’t ask) and they all have turned out fine (after a full dunking.)Regardless – if it is hosed, you probably didn’t fry the harddrive. Which means you can likely save the data (without a huge cost – any computer geek with a macbook could probably help you out.)
>Ah yes. That is what I was thinking. I bet you could do a “review” (as you call it) of a Macbook….
>I’ve been there. We just lost our hard drive on our Mac too. All of our pictures from our adoption were on it. So we are gonna pay to get them back.Not fun. I hope that yours will work after drying out.
>Oh, no!Holding a Mac vigil right now.
>I’m normally a lurker, but this deserves a positive energy filled comment at the very least. And maybe some candles and prayers to boot. Hah!Ahem. Sorry, I shouldn’t use puns at a time like this….May your Mac recover!
>As a previous poster said….even if the computer is fried and won’t start up, there’s still a good chance the hard drive is ok. I would start with the genius bar at the Mac store and see what they can do.
>oh crap! I would just curl up in a fetal position and cry. I hope that it turns out to be a very temporary thing for you.
>I just started reading your blog and still qualify as a Lurker, but… a year ago I dumped a FULL glass of water into my NEARLY BRAND NEW iBook. Horror. Dismay. Bargaining with God. I tried to turn it back on and got a really scary fizzing sound. Everyone around me used doom-like language and I felt sick. I went to work the next day and worried all day. Went home in the afternoon. Said a prayer. Pushed the button and heard the sweetest sound ever: Start up. NO MORE WATER by the computer. Ever. 😀 Hoping yours is miraculously healed as well…
>ohhhh, my. I’m so sorry…that sucks. You know anyone who can rebuild it? Mac people are famous for rebuilding things. Otherwise, like Amy said, pray your HD is in good shape and that they’ll be able to recover your data!
>As soon as I read your post I moved my cup of tea AWAY from my iBook. FAR AWAY. I always have a glass of water or tea right by it and always tell myself “it’ll be okay, nothing will happen TO MY iBOOK”. Well, I am sooo sorry. I am sending positive thoughts, good computer karma your way. I hope it works soon.
>OMG – I think my hair just turned white out of horrified sympathy. I feel your pain!Here’s a help link. May be too late, but fyi:http://tech.yahoo.com/gd/saving-your-laptop-after-a-spill/153194
>I AM HERE TO OFFER HOPEa few months back i woke up at noon, it was a weekend, don’t judge me! I went over to my laptop, which i keep on 95% of the time, including over night. It was sitting onthe kitchen counter. beside a FULL glass of water. the kids knocked the glass over, onto the keyboard part – hubs did not notice, and by the time I woke up the computer had gone from on and dry to off and soaked. I too tried to turn it on, but all we got was a blue screen and a loud beeeeeeping sound. bonus, pushing the “power” button caused water to squirt out like it was a water gun.I was crushed.we took it in to the local future shop (computer store) and paid 30 bucks for a professional drying, even though the computer tech told us there was no hope. (he tipped it sideways at that time and watter ran out, soaking his shoes.so sure was the tech that my laptop was done for, we bought a new one the same day we dropped off the waterlogged one.three days later they called us. the laptop was (except for the battery) good as new.there. hope offered!n hope it helps! (pee ess ; any good computer store should be able to rescue your pictures off the hard drive, so long as that is not fried..)
>OHNOOO!!!I would have FREAKED.OUT.However, like others have said, I don’t think all is lost. IF it doesn’t work (but we’re all praying it will), you should be able to have the stuff on your hard drive recovered. My PC crashed years ago, and my guy was able to recover them (and it really didn’t cost that much).
>Been there! Only it was with a dell and a can of pepsi. Even then my wonderful repair guy retrieved everything I needed off the hard drive. There is still hope for your macbook!
>My cat (yes, honestly) knocked my big full mug of tea onto the keyboard of our laptop which, crappy though it is, was our only one. After a couple of days, though, we were lucky enough to find it working excpet for the keyboard, so Misterpie opened it up, cut off the wires to the keyboard, and plugged in a peripheral. So now it works, even though it’s not so portable. Not that it was with it’s complete and utter lack of battery anyhow, but still. It sucks. I hope yours does at least that well, maybe better!
>Oh no! Sending good laptop vibes your way. As others said, it may not be a lost cause. I dropped my cell phone into a cup of soda once. Not just wet, but sticky! And fizzy! I was very worried, but hubby took the whole thing apart, rinsed it out!! With water!! then let it dry for a couple of days, and then put all back together, turned it on and I am still using it to this day. Have your nearest computer geek give it a try. There is still hope!
>dude, you have been reading too much Jen Lemen. lolThat being said, I hope the “mouth-to-mouth” works on the laptop. I have been there. About 3 times. Except I like to crack my screens. that’s my m.o.
>This happened to me last year (ask Kristen about all the Cool Mom Picks posts with missing i’s and h’s. Fun!)The good news is, they fixed it. They might have to replace stuff, but they can fix it. Those mac guys are geniuses. Hang in there, old backup computer. We needja for a bit.
>My son did that to my MacBookPro. $161 at the applestore and they replaced my keyboard. easypeasy!
>I know times of crisis aren’t always the best time to offer advice, but … After my hard drive crashed twice last year, I finally coughed up a little extra for a yearly subscription to one of the online Norton/Symantec security products that automatically backs up selected files–whatever you designate–on a regular basis on a remote server. It’s great for people like me who rarely bother to back up.p.s. I’m not a pr person, and I rarely wax eloquent over products, but I love never having to worry about backing up anymore. Also, I don’t have to worry that I’ve saved some important doc or picture on outdated media.
>I feel your pain…I had the same thing happen a few months back. Blonde Mom’s hubby at Mousecalls was able to help me out…they salvaged the thing…I recommend giving them a call immediately…OH, take out the battery if you haven’t yet.Mousecalls:662-0235
>GASP! That’s not good. I will certainly pray for you.
>So after reading the comments, what I want to know is: has this ever happened to anyone before? ;)I feel your pain. Been there. You’d be amazed at how these things dry out. Crossing every freaking thing I can for ya…
>Here’s to hoping that paying double for a computer pays off big time. I would think that the data would still be recoverable off of the hard drive. I’ll cross my fingers that it works!
>I’m a certified geek and your hard drive should be fine. I’ve seen lots of spills and most water spills dry out fine. (sugary drink spills are a different story) It’s possible that you could have damaged the keyboard (cheap) and/or the motherboard (not cheap) but the hard drive data is what you can’t replace. Also? I advise everyone with small children to cough up the jack for accidental protection.
>Lighting a candle and praying to the Mac Gods and Goddess Apple now! That really sucks. I hope it works out for you. Happened to my mother last year and her’s worked after it dried out a few days. I had a “craptop” (love that) with all my pictures on it and it crashed and burned…buh bye pho-tos 🙁 Hope you get it worked out!TN luv,chrissy
>I do think it’s the perfect time to consider begging for sponsorship…not that you’d have to beg, I would think the macbook execs would be ringing your phone off the hook………..good luck.
>Pinkie Leigh (my laptop) short circuited this week, too. She is still under warrenty, but I’ve been without her for 4 days and it looks like another week to go. Fortunately, I had just backed up about a week ago.
>You have my complete sympathy. I dropped my sweeeet cherry red MacBook on its head this week and can’t open it. I’m using my husband’s, but it’s not the same.
>Oh my gosh I would LOSE IT if my computer broke! I feel for you!
>Well, I tried calling Apple’s Public Relations department to see if they would be willing to hook a blogger up in return for her soul and/or webspace forever.But their voicemail inbox was full.Now that’s one way to deter people from asking for free laptops.:{And you’ll probably never read this, because your craptop takes forever to load pages and you won’t be checking your comments ever ever again.
>I think that if that happened to my computer, I would get sparked into full-on active labor immediately. Which, you know, is tempting. But then I’d have to kill myself immediately afterward, which, you know, not so much.
>OMG that totally sucks! I hope it dries out and comes back to life! Keeping fingers crossed!
>OH NO!! I know he’s still a baby, but I would have screamed at the top of my lungs. I’ll light a candle, pray to St. Mac, and hope that little Mac pulls through. He’s tough, I’m sure he’ll make it.
>Usually a lurker here. Take advantage of an online backup service. I did some research on them after an “incident” with my laptop in November where I thought I had lost everything. I ended up going with Mozy.com for 4.95 a month. It takes a long time to do the initial sync but now I have it set up to a schedule. If anything happens I know everything is backed up and available without any worries as to the last time I manually backed up my data.Hope you have success with the dry out!
>Ah yes, I know that feeling well. I am on my third mac laptop. unfortunately, I can’t blame it on my kids, its usually all my fault. I have something I like to refer to as bad electronic juju. Anything of the fancy technology nature that comes within at least 50 feet of me WILL malfunction.Once I sat down at a friends computer and it simply crashed, for no reason. I hadn’t even touched the keyboard.I’ll try and cancel out my bad juju vibes and do my best to send you some good ones….
>This is truly my biggest fear in the whole world. SO SORRY for you … send good drying thoughts your way. You could try soaking it in a bin of dry rice. You know, for extra liquid absorbing.
>I spilled a glass of milk all over my keyboard once. My computer wouldn’t turn on after, but I shipped it to the manufacturer and somehow they magically fixed it and were able to retrieve everything for me. It was a PC though. And many years ago. Hope your Macbook recovers.
>Sorry about your bad news.Please don’t tell me you didn’t have AppleCare. That’s rule number one!Back everything up is rule number 2!I had a hard drive crash in the Fall and learned that every computer deserves an external hard drive for back up purposes. I back up my work laptop onto my iPod, an external HD and transfer the data to my home desktop. My wife’s Macbook gets backed up to the desktop and the desktop has its own external HD that backs everything up. We have multiple redundancies in place.You probably could sell Bruiser to the gypsies for enough to purchase a refurbished model.
>Thinking of you.On the bright side, you’ll definitely be able to get those pictures and stuff restored. The hard drive is almost certainly okay.My husband actually submerged a hard drive in a popular lemon-lime soda, dried it off, plugged it into a computer and it ran beautifully. Won his client a boatload of money too.
>we have a strict policy of no drinks by the laptop. Lo and behold we had a terrible leak over our computer room. Thank goodness i remembered to close the laptop before i left home. Our laptop was only 3mos old. Hubs woulda freaked!But it did teach me to always back up my files. I wish I had a spare laptop lying around for ya. :(I’m sure it will dry off and work just fine. Be glad it wasn’t sticky juice!
>While you’re asking for miracles why not go for the Air?I hope yours dries out. I thought I’d lose my mind while waiting for delivery of a new power cord after the cat decided the old one would make a good chew toy!
>Ooo.. koomba-yah indeed!I’ll lift up a prayer for ya! Maybe you can send it to darth Doc? He had some good suggestions.
>A candle is lit, a prayer is uttered, and the very best of wishes for a full recovery of your MacBook is intoned….oops, did I just spill hot candle wax on the laptop? DOH!*Note to Bruiser*: It took me 32 years to kill my first and only computer; here you are, little past a year, and you’ve (apparently) already tied me!
>So sorry. Drain, drain, drain and air dry. Then light a candle and chant my computer’s favoriate mantra (“Please work Please work Please work”)Chances are you can get the data off if you take it to someone really really smart with computers.But I hope it recovers.
>Bookmomma,Thank you for your confidence in me.I’ve owned nothing but Apple products since 1984, at least 10 computers. Pretty much any problem I had, I brought onto myself. I have, overtime, learned the most cost effective way of dealing with them.Lindsay, if you need suggestions, let me know.
>This is exactly why I do not work on a laptop. I have killed a keyboard at least once every year (I eat and drink around my computer) – can you imagine the cost if it was a laptop? Ugh, feeling your pain.
>Darth Doc and I seem to think along the same lines: it’s time to put Bruiser on eBay.Meanwhile, all my shiny white pieces of Apple magic and I will be sending healing thoughts towards your laptop!
>Oh that sucks! I feel your pain. I’m typing on a white keyboard The Foreigner found in the attic in a box with a bunch of old phones. But at least my mishap was just the keyboard, not my computer.Candle is lit!
>(Hold on, let me move my huge glass of 5pm-Friday-red-wine away from the keyboard…)THERE. Anyway… have you tried spraying it with some canned air? You know, the kind the kids nowadays are using to get high? The kind you can by in a three-pack, all shrink-wrapped in plastic at Sam’s Club? Might be worth a try.I vow to learn from your cautionary tale. I will walk to the other side of the table when I want to sip some wine.(Did I mention I just poured a glass of wine??)
>Talk nice to itmy candle is burning and I told my laptop to be sympathetic towards you and your Mac, I think that helps, if not gets lots of wine, you are going to need it!
>Check with your insurance company and see if by any chance you might have gotten any type of computer insurance. I have it for mine and it paid for a new computer with a $100 deductible. I was incredably thankful. It was insurance that I thought about for half a second they offered it for an extra 30 or so a year so I was like yeah…whatever…go ahead and add it…and it sure was worth it. as for the info on the hard drive, you can have someone recover your data…starts at about $70 an hour (minimum 4 hour charge generally)Good luck
>Everything will be ok, it’s a Mac : )I have faith.