broken laptop; only media player works

Has anyone dealt with this? I have a Dell Vostro 1400 that I loved but beer got spilled on it and now it wont start. Only the media player button gets it to do anything. It starts up the Dell media player which can play all 12,000 of my mp3s, play dvds, and view my pictures.

What would be your guess as to whats wrong with it and what to do/replace first. Thanks for any advice,

Eric

 

The media button triggers a small hidden xp partition,
if you can start media player/direct and able to type, play movies/songs,
then I think the problem is on the power button, other than that the notebook seems completely healthy ..

but I'm no technician so I'm not sure what to check and how to fix.

 

It sounds like your keyboard is shot, which makes sense given the nature of the accident. Try plugging in a USB keyboard using that to use the computer. If it works, then its a simple matter of replacing the keyboard.

 

The keyboard works fine. when im in the music part of the media player and browsing my mp3's, I can press any letter and it goes to the first artist with that letter.

I did have a silicone cover over the keyboard. It didnt cover the power or media player buttons, but the volume and play/pause etc. still work.

I cant get windows to start or boot up at all. The power button does nothing when pressed or held.

 

looks like the power button/ line got short

 

For some reason I was thinking the motherboard/processor were fried. It would be wicked good news if it was just a button. I liked this computer alot, it has 3gb ram, 250gb HD, 1.8ghz dual core, webcam, Bluetooth. You have one too crayonyes?

I wonder how hard it is to replace the power button?

 

if the mobo /processor were fried you won't be able to start media direct,
so don't worry about it (like I said earlier, mediadirect is a small xp installation in hidden partition)

by any chance can you take it to a service center or call dell support?
I think it's better to have the pro fix it.. I don't know how to fix that myself.

I have one, in my sig , great machine!

 

dell said they could replace a minor part for $159. I'm really on the fence with this one. Is there anyway to get an aftermarket power switch that I can install myself for cheaper?

 

$9.95 here and this should be all you need.
Seems like all you do it pop off the LED power button cover and then unplug a cable or two and swap out the old board for the new one.

 

159 dolars?that is retarded? do a search for that,maybe you can find a power button,not only notebook fixers,you can get help from electronic engineers.it is just a switch,you can create by yourself.

the worst thing that can happen is replacing it with a different button that will look bad.

 

rip-off
First you have to confirm that the power switch/board is the problem,
if you can't do it yourself I suggest you to get a friend's help or maybe a local technician.
If the board is the problem, go with solution below, or look for the item in ebay

yup, this one is cheap. In ebay it's like $17.