Spilled beer into it last night and now it won't switch on.
Is it worth trying to get it fixed or is this usually terminal?
Is it worth trying to get it fixed
Is it a high-end machine that's worth spending money on or a cheap thing that is basically disposable? Do you have any data on it that you need to recover? Probably, the HDD or SDD will be ok, so you could probably remove that and put it into another machine to either recover the data or the entire operating system. Whether the rest of it can be saved is impossible to say just based on your description, you'll need to take it to an expert or return it to the manufacturer to find out. Unlikely to be worth it if it's a cheap low-end machine.
Bag of rice, airing cupboard?
It's a £350 HP.
I'd concur with thols2. Impossible to predict what damage might have been caused, but likely that any data will be recoverable if the main storage is removeable. Some laptops recently come with the main storage (if it is SSD) soldered directly to the motherboard which makes recovery more challenging. If you conclude that getting it looked at isn't an economical option, it would be well worth taking a look yourself. I've replaced screens and motherboards on previous laptops. If you can find a teardown video and are reasonably methodical and not overly ham-fisted, then it is acheivable. I'd advise getting on with it ASAP though - any corrosion that might occur in connectors, etc will only get worse over time. Similarly, if it just a matter of cleaning up still damp contamination - the sooner the better. Good luck!
I spilled orange juice on a work laptop. Worked fine for rest of the day but wouldn't boot the next. I opened it up and worked out that it would turn on with the touchpad unplugged. Allowed me to get my files off before work swapped it out. So worth trying that, there is load you can unplug if you have monitor/keyboard etc to plug in.
Sugary drinks such as beer are difficult to clean off I think
You're more than welcome to bring it round here for me to have a look at.
A £350 HP though, last rites is probably too good for it. 😁
A long time ago I worked in the laptop repair centre for a large electronics store. In addition to warranty repairs we did the accidental damage covered by the extended guarantees they offer.
Most liquids other than water ended up going beyond economical repair. If they got through the keyboard - and most keyboard don't have a membrane - different liquids did different things. Fizzy or sweet drinks usually just caused corrosion by they time it was in our workshop. Wine and beer seemed to but to a much lesser extent. If it was milk, , well as soon as that was identified work stopped and the whole machine got disposed of.
So, it might work when it's dried out. But even if it does, plan for it to stop working again in the not too distant future.
As above, back your data up. Consider a DIY clean up and dry but keep backing your data up
When it stops working have a rethink
I spilled coffee a few years ago on one of my laptops, I very quickly tipped it upside down, wiped it down and dried it out. It seemed fine for a week then it started to do random things when you pressed a key and eventually the keyboard stopped working altogether.
Bag of rice, airing cupboard?
After a long wait that will deliver a warm device full of rice dust. The best thing to do with any electronic device exposed to liquid is not to turn it back on if it goes off, switch it off if it hasn't shut down, take a hoover and go around any openings in the case, making a seal with your hand as best you can, and suck the liquid back out. Do that for a couple of minutes and it'll likely be good to go.
