With the major weather event and floods which happened in Townsville earlier this year we are still seeing a lot fo computer come in with water damage from the floods.
Problems can range from the computer not turning on, to turning on for a just a bit then shutting down or being very slow.
Some people have reported seeing smoke from the computer when the plug it back in, others and heard a zap noise from the electricity but most see nothing has happened at all except it simply does not start up – nothing at all!
Computers can be repaired, but getting your precious files back, whether they be photos, data or business information seems to be the underlying theme for people wanting to get their computer back. Depending on how badly the computer is damaged will depend if that data is recoverable and how long it ill take.
What Water Can do to a Computer
Water is the worst enemy of any electrical devices (perhaps more than heat) which can literally seep into every components of your computer causing damage from corrosion to surge and short circuiting.
If you think your computer has been in contact with water and you are concerned with not loosing your data, it is very important to do not turn it on or make sure your hard drive is not connected to the computer as you attempt to make the repair.
Can it Be Repaired
All computers can be repaired – but should you?
When I first started off 20 years ago I use to tell my customers to repair everything. Call it naive, or that’s what I though computer businesses should do (telling a customer not to repair can be a daunting thing for a new business owner), but i eventually learnt that not all computers should be repaired. And water damaged computers usually fall into this category.
Unlike a fired hard drive or computer virus, water can literally get into every component of the computer and do damage.
If more than one major component of a computer is damaged and the potential for more down the track, I often tell customers, the money would definitely be better spent on a new computer, than repairing an old.
Recovering Data from Water Damaged Computer
If the computer was not turned on after the water got inside, you stand a much higher chance of recovering the data.
It’s when you turn the computer on and power is added to the mix it makes thing s much harder.
Hard drives are very sensitive and damaged motherboards can often send a surge of electricity into the components directly attached to it like the hard drives where you data in stored on.
That’s not to say the data can not be recovered, but you stand less chance compared to if you did not turn it on.
