Solved! Help Repair Water Damage

[ChipheadRon]

A friend owns an Asus X54C. She was using it on the deck, closed the umbrella, and water cascaded down onto the open laptop. Now, the keys on the left side of the keyboard (r,s,v,w,z,b,c,2,4, etc.) all produce multiple keystrokes (press r, and it actually produces rw, press s, and it produces 5s, press z, and it produces bz, etc.).

I ordered a replacement keyboard from Amazon, since a replacement could be had for only $15. That didn't change anything, and the problem still exists.

I'm at a loss as to what could be causing the issue. Would anyone have any ideas as to what to try to do next to fix this, or is the laptop toast? Any assistance offered would be appreciated.

 

[Hamperking68]

Firstly, I'm not crazy.

You'll need a large bag of rice.

Follow these steps:

• 
  1) Wrap the laptop in something which air can't get into such as a shirt or pillow case.
  
  2) Ensure the bag is rice tight cause you don't want rice in your laptop.
  
  3) Place the laptop into bag of rice and leave it there for 2 days.
  
  4) Check the laptop to see if the problem has resolved.

 

[ChipheadRon]

Firstly, I'm not crazy.

You'll need a large bag of rice.

Follow these steps:

• 
  1) Wrap the laptop in something which air can't get into such as a shirt or pillow case.
  
  2) Ensure the bag is rice tight cause you don't want rice in your laptop.
  
  3) Place the laptop into bag of rice and leave it there for 2 days.
  
  4) Check the laptop to see if the problem has resolved.

 

[ChipheadRon]

Okay, I can, and will try that, however, this was weeks ago. Do you still think the rice will help after all this time? They left the laptop high and dry for a week or two to air out before giving up and calling me.

I've always heard rice helping absorb moisture from a phone or something small, but, a full-size laptop? That takes quite a bit of rice!

Still, I will try it if you actually think it will help.

 

[Hamperking68]

For the price of rice compared to a laptop I don't think you have much to lose.

 

[ChipheadRon]

Well, short and sweet, that didn't help.

I went to Costco and bought a 20 pound bag of basmati rice. I wrapped the laptop (with battery removed) in a pillow-case. I got a large garbage bag, put in half of the rice as a bottom, placed the laptop (wrapped) in the garbage bag on top of the rice, then covered the laptop with the other half of the bag of rice. I sealed the garbage bag, and left it, not for 2, but, for 5 days. I unwrapped it this morning, reinserted the battery, and booted it up. No luck; the keyboard, at least the left side, doesn't work properly. I press S, and it comes up with 5s, press v, and it comes up as vx, etc.

So, I've replaced the keyboard with no luck. I've wrapped it up and left buried in rice, all to no avail. So, some other component within the computer is clearly damaged. I just have zero idea what and where.

Any other ideas?

Oh, I should mention that I can plug in an external keyboard, and everything works fine. It just defeats the purpose of a laptop having to drag around another keyboard.

I'd love assistance if anyone else has an idea.

 

[ffg7]

take a look at the connector on the motherboard that the keyboard ribbon cable plugs into.