Spilt tea on my MacBook Pro, please help!

Question

Spilt tea on my MacBook Pro, please help!

Im really upset with myself for letting this happen, I learnt the lesson of not having liquids by electronics the hard way....

Basically, I placed my cup of tea (with milk and sugar in it) next to my MacBook Pro and accidentally knocked my cup over to my Mac. I had it plugged in charging as well while this happened.. I quickly ran to get a towel and turned my Mac upside down to get the liquid out. However, I noticed that before I turned it upside down, my Mac turned itself off and the light on my charger stopped working... About 10 minutes later, the fan turned on on my Mac even though the laptop was off.. What does that mean?

I called apple and was advised to not turn it on for at least 72 hours. I've been reading forums and it states that basically my Mac is ruined. I have so many files on it dating back to 2010 and i really don't want to lose them. If I get it fixed, how much would it cost me? can it be salvaged?

This *****.

Posted on Jul 10, 2014 4:54 AM

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Answer 1

Jul 10, 2014 5:11 AM in response to Leeannelydiate

Which model MacBook Pro do you have (e.g., "15-inch Late 2011")? If it's a non-Retina model, your data may be fine, sitting secure in its sealed enclosure. If a Retina model, however, your flash storage may have shorted out (like many electrical parts in your machine).

Call back with your model information.

Clinton

MacBook Pro (15-inch Late 2011), OS Mavericks 10.9.4, 16GB Crucial RAM, Crucial M500 960GB SSD, 27” Apple Thunderbolt Display

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Answer 2

Csound1

Level 9

59,973 points

Jul 10, 2014 5:12 AM in response to Leeannelydiate

There are 2 lessons here, the one you know (liquids) and the one you don't (backup)

Now tell me what type of MBP this is, model and age please. It is very likely that it is ruined and without a backup the procedure will vary according to the model.

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Answer 3

Jul 10, 2014 5:27 AM in response to clintonfrombirmingham

HI there,

Its the 2010 13 inch MacBook Pro. Model A1278. I just checked it now and the fan is running again.

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Answer 4

Jul 10, 2014 5:29 AM in response to Csound1

AAbsolutely agree with the backup... Ironic that only yesterday I contemplated on backing up my files but decided to do it later on the week...

It is a 13 inch MacBook Pro 2010. Model no. A1278

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Answer 5

Csound1

Level 9

59,973 points

Jul 10, 2014 5:30 AM in response to Leeannelydiate

Leeannelydiate wrote:

HI there,

Its the 2010 13 inch MacBook Pro. Model A1278. I just checked it now and the fan is running again.

That will be because there are short circuits on the logic board, it will continue to happen until the battery dies.

You need to open the Mac and remove the hard drive. It is probably fine. Then you can put it in an external enclosure (or connect with an adaptor cable) and get to your stuff.

You'll need a new Mac as well I'm afraid. Is it insured? (check your homeowners insurance)

And do not plug the Mac back into the charger (but you knew that🙂)

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Answer 6

Csound1

Level 9

59,973 points

Jul 10, 2014 5:34 AM in response to Leeannelydiate

That's usually the way, but now it's time to stop contemplating, get an external drive and turn Time Machine on.

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