Author Topic: Is there a Mustachian way to fix a soggy MacBook Pro?  (Read 5370 times)

NestingFish

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Is there a Mustachian way to fix a soggy MacBook Pro?
« on: February 09, 2013, 10:42:08 AM »
Hi everyone,

Last weekend my lovely husband had a "boys' night" that resulted in our new-ish MacBook Pro getting sprayed with a kitchen hose. We immediately turned it off and kept it off for three days, and when we turned it back on it seemed to be working okay.

Last night, however, I noticed that the computer was automatically clicking whatever I happened to be mousing over. Not consistently, but somewhat regularly, and usually if I just let the mouse linger in one spot that happened to be "clickable."

Any suggestions for how we might go about fixing this in a somewhat Mustachian way? (We do not have any particular skills in this department, though we're willing to learn!)

We bought this computer just before discovering MMM, so sadly, I think this will probably be our last Mac laptop... If we have to replace it we'll go with something much cheaper...

Thank you!


 


JamesAt15

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Re: Is there a Mustachian way to fix a soggy MacBook Pro?
« Reply #1 on: February 09, 2013, 12:12:00 PM »
Hmm...

Sounds like it might be a problem with the trackpad. Check out the guides over at iFixit for your model of MacBook Pro - they have guides for trackpad replacement if it comes to that. They're marked as "moderate" difficulty, and involve a lot of removing small screws, disconnecting connecting cables to the motherboard, etc.

One thing you might try is a tip I heard for dealing with wet iPhones. Submerge the device in a bag of (uncooked) rice. It's apparently quite good at drying out any remaining moistness in the device. Worked like a charm for me when our youngest got a hold of my iPhone and caused it to stop working by coating it in an impressive amount of drool. I suppose it might work for laptops...

If your trackpad simply didn't work, I'd suggest just using an external USB mouse with it (as opposed to buying a new laptop). But if it's automatically clicking on items as your pointer passes over them, that's going to be fairly annoying.

clutchy

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Re: Is there a Mustachian way to fix a soggy MacBook Pro?
« Reply #2 on: February 09, 2013, 01:12:08 PM »
Bury it in rice for a day or so.

The track pad is probably acting up b/c there's retained water. 

The rice will just rip the water out of it over time.


my mother in law tossed her iphone in the toilet and i fixed it using the same method.

GL otherwise you may have to replace stuff.  Also those computers are absurdly expensive...

Freedom2016

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Re: Is there a Mustachian way to fix a soggy MacBook Pro?
« Reply #3 on: February 09, 2013, 06:25:10 PM »
Is your MBP still under warranty? If so, replacing the track pad may be covered. Mine went wonky while still under warranty so I got a free replacement.

NestingFish

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Re: Is there a Mustachian way to fix a soggy MacBook Pro?
« Reply #4 on: February 09, 2013, 06:31:38 PM »
Thanks for the suggestions so far. The MBP is less than a year old, so it's still under some kind of warranty, but I know Apple is pretty strict about water damage and warranty coverage :)

Perhaps I'll try the rice thing tonight.

Whoops... there goes my pointer/trackpad, so I'd better shut this thing down to hopefully prevent any further damage.

nubbs180

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Re: Is there a Mustachian way to fix a soggy MacBook Pro?
« Reply #5 on: February 09, 2013, 06:38:10 PM »
We have a nearly 5-yo Macbook, and the trackpad has similarly been acting out for a while now.  Our solution was to plug in a USB mouse and in system preferences turn off the trackpad (System Preferences > Universal Access > Mouse & Trackpad, the option to turn it off is in an illogical place). It doesn't fix the  trackpad, but keeps the computer usable.

JT

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Re: Is there a Mustachian way to fix a soggy MacBook Pro?
« Reply #6 on: February 09, 2013, 11:03:56 PM »
In defense of all things Apple.

They're the best systems currently available.  Steve Jobs was a perfectionist.

Sure they cost an arm and a leg but if you look at how long they last I'm sure they end up cheaper over their life.

My MacBook was bought in 2008 and is still going strong.

Compare this against a PC ....

I liked the rice suggestion!

Good luck with your MBP.

grantmeaname

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Re: Is there a Mustachian way to fix a soggy MacBook Pro?
« Reply #7 on: February 10, 2013, 06:13:37 AM »
Thanks for the suggestions so far. The MBP is less than a year old, so it's still under some kind of warranty, but I know Apple is pretty strict about water damage and warranty coverage :)

Perhaps I'll try the rice thing tonight.

Whoops... there goes my pointer/trackpad, so I'd better shut this thing down to hopefully prevent any further damage.

Try taking it to an Apple Store for repair first, then try and use the rice if that fails.

TomTX

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Re: Is there a Mustachian way to fix a soggy MacBook Pro?
« Reply #8 on: February 10, 2013, 07:01:22 AM »
In defense of all things Apple.

They're the best systems currently available.  Steve Jobs was a perfectionist.

Sure they cost an arm and a leg but if you look at how long they last I'm sure they end up cheaper over their life.

My MacBook was bought in 2008 and is still going strong.

Compare this against a PC ....

Okey dokey.

My Toshiba Satellite was purchased new in 2009 for under $400 is still working good as new, and has survived one major coffee spill in the keyboard with no lasting effects. I did double the base RAM to 4GB with some freebie RAM from a friend.

Hell, we still have an ancient Win98 laptop in the garage bought in early 1999. Other than the cracked plastic around one hinge from when I dropped the thing, it still worked fine the last time I used it. Not using it anymore because.... well, Win98. Battery was still working last time I used it.  Wife may have used it since 2009, I haven't.  I remember adding 256MB of RAM to the thing (tripling the RAM) when new to the amazement of the tech forum I frequent. Would never need that much RAM! Buying the RAM separately and installing it myself (easy time) was half the price of having the extra RAM installed by the manufacturer.

NestingFish

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Re: Is there a Mustachian way to fix a soggy MacBook Pro?
« Reply #9 on: February 10, 2013, 09:49:03 AM »
Well, I stuck my MBP in a tub of rice last night and just powered it up. So far, the rice seems to have worked! (Now the Mustachian side of me is wanting to use the rice for tonight's dinner.... hmmm...)

Thanks for all the suggestions here. I'll post an update after I've been using it for a while.

I was also encouraged to hear that if the trackpad is still wonky, I might be able to just plug in a USB mouse and call it good.

This was definitely a good reminder to run frequent back ups!

Thanks :)


clutchy

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Re: Is there a Mustachian way to fix a soggy MacBook Pro?
« Reply #10 on: February 10, 2013, 12:26:52 PM »
glad to hear it worked :)

hopefully it continues to work...

 

Wow, a phone plan for fifteen bucks!