Question Assessing damage after water spill Lenovo IdeaPad 110-15IBR

[Milos2030]

Hello,

I spilled some water over my laptop a month ago, and now when I wanted to open it and check for damage, I decided to run it first and the laptop started. It started successfully and booted into Windows but then the screen turned to this: https://ibb.co/6mBjLJN

Important to mention is this:

• When the spill occurred I did not open the laptop or anything, I've just let it dry in a position I assumed will prevent water going where it should not. The spill was not that bad so I thought that would be enough. Here is a picture with red marking the areas most affected: https://ibb.co/TmnKGPY
• The next day I started the laptop and it worked fine, I used it for an hour or so.
• Every other attempt to start it after that was unsuccessful, until today that is, where it worked for a minute.
• When it doesn't start, it is obvious that the battery is fine, and the small light is not showing anything out of ordinary. It's just that nothing appears on the screen.

What could this be? If motherboard is damaged, why does it boot at all? Or is this common occurrence when motherboards get damaged? I will probably have to check if there are any signs of water damage, but I don't have the time right now.

Thanks for reading,
Milos

 

[RolandJS]

I hope your backups are current, made before water entered the laptop.

 

[Milos2030]

Oh the laptop holds no data at all, everything I do with it is done on cloud. I am just curious what could this behavior mean. Could I save it somehow without buying any parts or not. Because it's strange that it can boot if the motherboard is fried.

 

[webworkings]

NOTE: Leaving the laptop closed, and then powering it on that soon isn't really wise. After a spill it is best to open it up and remove things like power cord, battery, anything else attached. Then leave it open and in a safe place to dry for a few days. The more the liquid, the longer the dry time. Additionally, if it anything but clear straight water, then you would likely have to clean out whatever was touched (isopropyl alcohol works well for that) to remove any residue and then again leave it to dry for a few days.

Once you are sure it is residue free and dry, then put it back together and try starting it.

As to the info you included, it is hard to tell by that info and that image what the exact problem is. I would suggest connecting an external display to see if that shows anything.

If you see the same issue on the external monitor, then you likely have to replace the GPU or even the motherboard (if the graphics are on it directly). If, however, it shows fine on the external monitor, then you have just damaged the connection to the display (cable). Now that could be tricky still, as if it is damage on the section of the motherboard where the display connects, again it would mean replacing the board.

 

[RolandJS]

I hope not, however, I'm wondering if water damage has already been done.

 

[Milos2030]

To say it was unwise or a mistake is being generous, I was outright stupid. I just didn't have enough time to open it up or do anything to it when that occurred. I might try to clean it with alcohol when I finally do open it up. I doubt it it has anything to do with the screen, since the water didn't go in that direction at all. I'll check what happened this weekend.

 

[webworkings]

Can't know the extent of the damage until you look. Let us know what you find.

 

[Milos2030]

Can't know the extent of the damage until you look. Let us know what you find.

I will. I will upload pictures as well if anything is visible.

 

[Milos2030]

If you let it as it is for too long then you would not be bale to do anything.

I delayed opening it because I have nothing to clean it with. Now with this pandemic finding any alcohol is a challenge. What else could I use to clean it after opening?