Laptop LCD and Water

[LJ]

I have a friend who recently left her laptop in a bag with a bottle of
water, and when she opened the bag she found that the water had leaked into
the computer. Luckily, the computer itself works fine, but the LCD screen
has what looks like water spots under the plastic making the image look like
modern art.

I looked around online and can't find any easy fixes for this, but I have to
think that people have run into this issue before. Does anyone know of an
easy way to clean off the water spots from under the clear LCD layer? She
will replace the screen if necessary, but the unit is out of warranty and
she's trying to save $300.

Thanks,

Matt

[wesley]

On Thu, 18 Dec 2003 13:35:29 +0000, Matthew Streger wrote:
I have a friend who recently left her laptop in a bag with a bottle of water, and when she opened the bag she found that the water had leaked into the computer. Luckily, the computer itself works fine, but the LCD screen has what looks like water spots under the plastic making the image look like modern art. I looked around online and can't find any easy fixes for this, but I have to think that people have run into this issue before. Does anyone know of an easy way to clean off the water spots from under the clear LCD layer? She will replace the screen if necessary, but the unit is out of warranty and she's trying to save $300.

Kind of depends on the specifics of her screen as to whether this can be
fixed without replacing the LCD.

The first step is remove the LCD from the laptop. If you are lucky, there
will be a separate plastic window on top of the LCD itself and you will be
able to separate them and dry things out. Dry both and put back together.

If you are not so lucky, the water will have seeped into the LCD itself.
Unfortunately, the water seeps in MUCH faster than it evaporates out. You
can try accelerating the evaporation by leaving the disassembled LCD in
front of a fan blowing warm air. (Would not recommend attempting to
accelerate drying in an oven.) If the screen has not improved in a couple
of days, you're probably stuck with replacing the LCD. Shop around
however, as LCD parts prices vary widely.

Hate to tell you, but you are more likely to be in the second category
than the first.