Hard drive

If you were to pull a hard drive from a HP laptop, flip it over and there was a beautiful jade green substance rather oozing across from a solder point, corrosive looking if you will... what would you think it is/caused it?

My apologies, I must add also, if the repair tech told you that the 'motherboard' was molded, what would be your thought, i.e. what could cause the mold?

 

If the PC was exposed to water or high humidity, it's possible moisture became trapped in the base of the unit - resulting in corrosion of metals and mold from whatever was in the water.

This is similar to what happens to a car when someone drives it into a flooded area or it is in the path of a hurricane's storm surge. Even if it appears the vehicle has "dried out", water full of microbes and other creepy stuff will lurk in the car's nooks, crannies and circuit boards causing major failures in the months and years to come.

If the tech can get the drive running long enough to transfer any needed data off of it, do so immediately. Don't shoot the messenger but, beyond this, your HP laptop is (or soon will be) a paperweight and is not worth fixing. Buy a new one (and be sure the store you get it at doesn't have a leaky roof :-D).

 

One would have to question where you have this PC sited (in a shed or pool house)
To get so much humidity in a PC is a very difficult situation as the heat generated by the PC itself should be enough to stop the build up of any fluids.

As suggested if you can save the data from the hard drive that is paramount, then get hold of some isopropyl alcohol (from the pharmacy) strip the PC down and clean all the parts (mobo,electrical connectors, CPU and so on) using a soft small brush, just dip it in the alcohol and squeeze out the excess then gently brush all the components ( i have been known to submerge a mobo before today) after that use a hair dryer just to get off any excess liquid (do not touch the components with the hair dryer as this could lead to a static build up and that is deadly to computer parts), in this way you could save the PC but the hard drive is another proposition, you will probably find that the integrity is corrupt thereby making it useless.

 

For the record... the laptop was unboxed, sat on the desk in the office and sat there until the issue began.
How in heavens name any moisture got into it is beyond me.
I had the hard drive out prior to sending it back to HP and peered down inside best I could and I saw nothing unusual.
Only when I examined the HD closely did I see the tiny patch of green ooze.
Do you suppose it is an Irish computer and it was preparing for st paddys day?
Anyway, several days after HP recieved it during our disagreement over whose responsbility it was to repair it did the HP rep send us pictures taken by the repair department of what was supposedly mold, and to boot, now there was evidence of physical damage to the case.
OK... so we've been screwed by HP. :major

 

Sorry if I sounded overly judgmental in my initial response. I was assuming it was a well-used PC.

For what it's worth, here are a few consumer tips that may help you in your fight to have the PC replaced:

* Contact the seller and explain the situation. If it's within the store's return or exchange time frame; have the tech put it back together "as-is" and take it back for a new one.

* If you purchased the PC using a major credit card (MasterCard, Visa, AMEX, etc.) you may have two additional options:

• Contact the bank that issued the credit card and explain the situation (this also applies if it is a store's private credit card or financing plan managed by a third-party lender). They may be able to issue a "chargeback dispute" with the merchant. This freezes or removes your payment from the seller's account and may force the merchant into taking the PC back. (Note: I am not a lawyer; however this is based on consumer rights laws in the United States. If outside the US, consult your country's equivalent of the Better Business Bureau, your credit card issuer or a local attorney for legal rights available to you.)
  
  
• Some major credit cards have an "accidental damage" protection feature. If an item (such as your PC) is lost, stolen or damaged within 90 days of purchase, the credit card issuer will essentially buy it back in its damaged state for the amount you paid (in this case, you'll have to tell them it got wet while in your possession, which is always possible). If you are not sure if you have this coverage, call the toll-free customer service number on your billing statement or the back of your credit card.

* Write a letter personally addressed to the top executive at the HP office in your country and send it by registered, return-receipt postal mail - a polite (but firm) letter detailing who you purchased the PC from, when, what the tech found and HP's response so far - with an action statement that you expect HP to replace the PC under warranty. This is about a 50/50 shot; it's possible it was subjected to extreme humidity (causing the damage noted) during HP's shipping and storage process. Send a copy of the letter to the CEO of the retailer who sold it to you as well.

* File a complaint with the Better Business Bureau, including a written statement from the tech and a copy of the letter noted in the previous step.

On a cheap item, I doubt I'd go to all this trouble. On a several hundred dollar PC, however, I feel it would be worth the effort.

Good luck on solving the problem.

 

Hey Gman... no sweat man... I did not read anything but help into your response... the info is all great and we will likely pursue it.
Thanks again man...

 

Good luck - I hope you can get it replaced at no cost.

Please post back and let us know what the responses were and if they worked.