[Stradlater]

About a week ago, I noticed my computer was acting kind of funny. It seemed slower, locking up at times without the helpful rainbow spinner, some keys were harder to push, the trackpad button wobbly and less reponsive. The screw on the right side would sometimes send a pulsing shock if I grazed it with my hand.

A few days later, I talked to a friend who had been over the night before the computer started misbehaving. Apparently, when she opened a bottle of tonic that night, it exploded and some flak hit the computer. Why I wasn't told this right after is beyond me.

It seems to be working OK, though. (Not great, given the symptoms.) A repair would be $755 (before tax), which doesn't even seem worth it, though I'd rather not get a new computer immediately.

I searched the forums and found a few threads, but I guess my main questions are these:
- How safe is it to use this computer? Is it really corroding as we speak? Could it, one day in the next weeks/months, just not start up as a result of this spill?
- Anyone out there survive a spill? How much longer did the computer work?

[seanc]

You could leave it off in a warm dry place for a week to see if it improves. Have you had any kernel panics?

[Stradlater]

No kernel panics yet. Just a restart that failed to happen (spinning indicator for about a half hour).

It's working, just not as well. I just wonder if it's risky to continue to use it; if I'm looking at imminent data loss (though I do regularly back up my data).

[seanc]

Well do you know where the tonic hit it?

I would have thought the hard drive is fine, unless the MacBook has been dropped or the tonic somehow managed to find its way to the HDD.
I would think it's risky to continue using it without letting it dry out for a week, considering it is already running strangely. Is there any liquid under the battery or in that area?

[Stradlater]

The right half of the keyboard and trackpad are sticky, so I think that's the only part that got hit. I guess the HD will probably be recoverable even if the logic board completely fails in the future, so data loss isn't the issue.

Hmm... It's just a scary idea to be working with a computer that may or may not just stop working at any time.

[seanc]

Any computer may stop working at any time for any reason.

Luckily for you, the hard drive on the MacBook is very easy to remove, unlike the previous iBooks. The hard drive is located in the battery bay, along with the memory.

It is possible that your memory may be causing this, either because it's just faulty or because the tonic has damaged it, although I'd be expecting strange corruption and kernel panics.

[jamil5454]

If you're brave you could open the MacBook up yourself and clean it. This would certainly void your warranty, but if you be careful you should be ok. There's a good chance it could corrode enough to make it stop working in the future, but it depends on what exactly was spilled on it. Just use some cotton swabs and rubbing alcohol.

Checkout out iFixit: iPod, iBook, & PowerBook Parts and Accessories for a disassembly guide.

[mfbernstein]

Originally Posted by jamil5454 

If you're brave you could open the MacBook up yourself and clean it. This would certainly void your warranty, but if you be careful you should be ok. There's a good chance it could corrode enough to make it stop working in the future, but it depends on what exactly was spilled on it. Just use some cotton swabs and rubbing alcohol.

Checkout out iFixit: iPod, iBook, & PowerBook Parts and Accessories for a disassembly guide.

Uh... Usually spilling liquid on your computer voids your warranty to begin with. AppleCare does not cover against exploding drinks.

[bmwparamedic]

If you manage to get it fixed I would invest in iskin.com keyboard cover. It has saved me many times.

[jamil5454]

Originally Posted by mfbernstein 

Uh... Usually spilling liquid on your computer voids your warranty to begin with. AppleCare does not cover against exploding drinks.

Touché.

[peeb]

There are a lot of threads about spills - do a search, and good luck!

[Stradlater]

Originally Posted by peeb 

There are a lot of threads about spills - do a search, and good luck!

I did! (And mentioned this.)

But where a person mentions their Mac turned on again, they never followed up: did it turn on again for long?

[Stradlater]

Originally Posted by bmwparamedic 

If you manage to get it fixed I would invest in iskin.com keyboard cover. It has saved me many times.

Is it awkward? I've used computers with keyboard protectors before and it's always been like typing with a condom.