Here’s what to do when a large Gin and Tonic/glass of Chardonnay/mug of coffee and your laptop meet.
1. Stop what you’re doing and flip the laptop upside-down on a table or desk with the screen hanging over the edge. DO NOT CLOSE THE LAPTOP.
2. Immediately disconnect the power adapter (charger cable).
3. If you have a removable battery, use the release slider(s) on the bottom to eject and remove it. (If your battery is not removable skip this step.)
4. Hold down the power button for 30 seconds or until the laptop goes off (you should hear the fan stop) and then don’t touch it again. You may have to lift the laptop up over your head (keep it inverted) to find the button.
5. You have now done everything you can to avoid an expensive repair.
6. Avoid mentioning the incident to your brother-in-law or “friend that knows about computers”. They will tell you to go buy a 5kg bag of rice to bury your laptop in for 24 hours. Unfortunately, after the 24 hours are up and you turn it back on, the liquid in the little cups formed by the previously upside-down keys will trickle back onto your motherboard, and you will fry everything.
7. Find a real computer-repair shop. (If it also sells fridges and vacuum cleaners, keep looking.) Once you find a good shop with great reviews, take your laptop there. Tell them it has been upside down with the lid open since the spill. A tear of happiness should run down the tech’s cheek.
