Found a weird fix for a laptop that wouldn't boot after a coffee spill

Client brought in a three-year-old Dell that got a full cup poured on it. After the usual cleaning with isopropyl, it still gave a black screen and a single beep code. On a hunch, I pulled the CMOS battery for about ten minutes (way longer than the usual 30 seconds) and left the main battery unplugged. When I put it all back, it posted on the first try. Has anyone else had luck with a long CMOS clear fixing liquid damage weirdness?

4 comments

4 Comments

max_brown3mo ago

That long CMOS clear was probably just a coincidence. Corrosion from the coffee spill can cause random shorts that clear up on their own after a cleaning, making any fix seem to work. You just got lucky with the timing.

kim_ramirez33mo ago

Come on, that's a stretch.

price.ben2mo ago

Oh, so we're just calling all skill "luck" now?

karencampbell1mo ago

Ha! So we're just gonna ignore that electronics fix voodoo is basically 90% timing and 10% hoping really hard? I've had a laptop boot again just because I looked at it wrong after a full soda bath. Maybe that long CMOS clear just gave the coffee ghosts enough time to pack their bags and leave. Or maybe your hunch was a solid bit of troubleshooting that just happened to work out. Either way, enjoy the win. I'll be over here sacrificing a USB cable to the tech gods just in case.