Went out the other night with a mate on one of our stupid expensive piss ups
Having spent the best part of £120 quid on nothing but a mashed head i stumbled home. Too smashed to even undress i passed out.
On waking up i crawled over to my beauty of a pc to start up for some a look at some lady bits and a tasty pizza delivery. Pressing the power button resulted in nothing..... I try again, and again. Then the horror happened. First i spotted the sticky patches all over the top fan grill, then the smell of budweiser and finally the toppled bottle on top of my desk.
Opening the side i find the motherboard, graphics card, power supply and 1gb of ram soaked in bloody american beer. The weekend cost me a grand and now im typing this on my sisters shitty old laptop that she gave me for a pack of M&M's and takes 12 minutes to boot up :(
(doberman, Tue 5 Oct 2010, 1:06, 6 replies)

if you've not run any power through it, it'll be fine. Wash the components (not including the PSU - if that's fucked, toss it) under some hot water, scrub with a soft brush, and dry them very, very thoroughly.

Water itself does no harm to components - it's an integral part of their manufacturing process. If it's a short causing the boot failure - which it probably is, if you've doused it with sugary shite - a good wash, a thorough dry, and a little patience should yield some decent results. If it still doesn't boot, replace it bit by bit, PSU first, motherboard second. It won't all be permanently fucked, if any of it is at all.



Also - serves you right for drinking Bud.
( Happy Phantom has been to Hastings, Brighton, and Eastbourne too, Tue 5 Oct 2010, 1:42, closed)

thanks man, i know my power units fucked cos ive blown it before (similar incident, cider though) so thats 70 quid, but i will wash the graphics, motherboard and ram and see wot happens
(doberman, Tue 5 Oct 2010, 2:57, closed)

I've found this educational.
Thank you.
(-Dodge- , accidentally liked your post on his phone, Tue 5 Oct 2010, 3:57, closed)

After the water...
... rinse well with either deionized water or, if you have it, isopropyl alcohol. Tap water contains minerals which always seem to interfere with the connectors after the water has evaporated or been dried off. And it's the connectors where you're likely to have the most trouble, so a toothbrush and isopropyl is never a bad thing.

There's more, but this is a damned fine place to start.

(Electrical engineer by training.)
(Large Hardon Collider Bah Bloody Humbug, Tue 5 Oct 2010, 4:58, closed)

House insurance
You've more than likely got home insurance (or your parents have). Something like this is probably covered by the accidental damage policy.

Although there will be an excess of about £250 that's better than paying out a grand. No point in having insurance if you don't use it.
(golddust QOTW now revolves around being a cunt, Tue 5 Oct 2010, 11:03, closed)

Just a thought like
but STAY THE FUCK AWAY from your computer when you're shitfaced.
( His Popiness the Hole Invaded Poland on, Tue 5 Oct 2010, 20:16, closed)