For years I have been eating and drinking at my computers and wondered when I will manage to pour something on my keyboard. Finally it happened. I just poured cup of tea on my Lenovo Ideapad Flex 5. I would like to open it to see how badly it has got wet, but I can’t do it safely. The battery is not removable and I can see there’s still power on. The keyboard light flashes on and off, but when I try to push power button nothing happens. So I just can’t switch it off. Do you think there’s anything I can do or is my laptop gone forever?
It is very unlikely that it’s going to start working again on its own. It was powered when it happened, (it’s always powered, since the battery is non-removable), so it’s very likely that at least some components got fried.
Unless you have experience repairing electronics yourself (and in that case, you wouldn’t feel uncomfortable opening it), consider taking it to someone who knows how to do that. I would not take it to any “authorised” repair shops, as they are just going to rip you off (their main incentive is to try to sell you new stuff).
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I was afraid the answer would be something like that. I don’t have any friends who knows much about opening laptops and I’m not that skillful myself. I have opened couple of laptops without problems, but not the ones which has still power on. I don’t want to get myself killed by doing it… 
So it seems I have to start looking for a new laptop now.
That is a very unlikely result of opening a laptop. You can’t get electrocuted from a laptop battery, it’s low voltage.
If you damage the battery while opening it (unlikely, but possible), you could have it release toxic smoke, and maybe some flames, so it’s best to do it outside, away from anything flammable. But if you don’t damage the battery, it should be quite safe.
Of course, this is advice from a random guy on the internet, do take it with a grain of salt.
The bigger problem is that you could cause more damage to the laptop by doing this.
I’m sure there are a bunch of independent repair shops.
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check for a “battery disconnect hole”. many laptops have it. it’s a tiny hole on the bottom of the device where you can stick a thin metal object (i use a needle or a paperclip usually), and that disconnects the battery (not physically, but by using some soft switches). you would not be able to turn the computer on again unless plugging it in beforehand, which reconnects the battery usually.
Edit: I checked pictures of this laptop and didn’t identify any such hole on the back of this particular model. If that were my laptop I’d unscrew the bottom screws, disconnect the battery connector and check what i can do to clean the whole mess up inside. But that would be me. If you’re not comfortable doing so, maybe best to check with a repair shop.
There might be a setting in BIOS for “disabling” the battery.
There is one such setting for my Lenovo Yoga Slim 7 14ARE05.
The problem is that I can’t get to BIOS. There is a power on this machine, but at the moment it just spins the ventilators and makes loud noise.
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I understood the title so wrong…
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Of course you did… 
Gobble GOBBLE!
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gobble gobble
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Can we make this the motto of the forum? Or force everybody to use it as their signature?
Also, best of luck with the laptop. You could also try an external display. It’s possible it is running fine, but the issue is with the display.
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I waited patiently when the battery was finally empty and then opened my Lenovo. Just needed to buy a Torx T5-screwdriver. Everything inside looked normal. I put everything back and plugged the power cord into wall plug. Voila! My Lenovo was alive again! But I couldn’t get the power on if it was on battery. It seems it’s dead. However, I’m not sure if I want to buy a new battery. My laptop is always plugged in anyway.
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So I assume the next laptop you’ll buy will have a water resistant design and a removable battery? 
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ThinkPads have water channels built into the keyboard for those of us who drink . . . Water, yes we’ll go with water. . . And use our computers.
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I fried a newly installed HDD in a MacBook back in 2009. It took out the HDD plus the IR sensor and the light at the front which showed some kind of activity like sleep etc. I was just a bit embarrassed that it was a glass of water that took it out, rather than a glass of proper booze!
Footnote: After replacing the HDD that little laptop (2006 model) is still running today. Maybe I need to douse it in vodka or something like absinthe? No, I ain’t that cruel! 
I never put my absinthes near my laptops. Which reminds me something. I visited in Barcelona couple of weeks ago and found some homecoming gifts… 
Ahh reminds me of the drain holes on some ThinkPads
I know why I am buying only Lenovo laptops! 
Just don’t open the battery itself or mess with the cells. Those things are dangerous.
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