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Spacewolf
May 19, 2014
OK...So, my GF (in TX, while I'm in NJ, yay internet) has a cat. And a laptop.

The two have mixed. She's not a goon, so I'm posting this on her behalf.

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Problem description: Cat (10-12 lbs) sat on laptop keyboard while it was powered on. Not the first time, and not the first time it's turned off as a result too. Now, however, it refuses to go past the startup screen (with the Dell logo) and finish booting.

Attempted fixes: Attempted reboot multiple times, no success.

Recent changes: None.

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Operating system: Windows 7 - the computer isn't in a position to tell her which flavor of Win 7, specifically.
System specs: Dell Inspiron 14Z - can't get to the rest of the info. (Can't remove the battery to check static discharge because the battery is built in and you'd have to remove screws and an optical drive to get to it...)

Location: USA

I have Googled and read the FAQ: Yes

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Skandranon
Sep 6, 2008
fucking stupid, dont listen to me
There are two possibilities that come to mind.

1. The CPU fan has become clogged with cat hair, and has either stopped working completely, or cannot cool enough to allow the computer to run properly. This can likely be fixed by either spraying some compressed air inside the air intake/outlet, or disassembling the laptop and clearing the fan/heatsink out manually. This sounds most likely as it's still booting up somewhat.

2. The cat peed on the keyboard and probably destroyed the motherboard. Even with a good drip tray keyboard, cat urine is extremely corrosive and damaging to electronics, far worse than spilling water or coke on the keyboard. If this is the case, the laptop is gone, best you can hope for is to pull the hard drive and recover data. This should be easy to test for, as your GF (yeah right) should be able to smell it if this is the case.

3. Possibly the hard drive crapped out and it's just a coincidence it was near a cat-reboot.

Spacewolf
May 19, 2014
Cat hair seems likely, or coincidence. Passed on your response, snark and all, to her, and we'll see what happens.

Zarc
Jul 25, 2014
Are any of the keys stuck/wedged?

Spacewolf
May 19, 2014
No

Marmalade Marinade
Feb 20, 2013
Inside tank of fuel is not fuel but love,
Above us, there is nothing above
But the stars above.
If the CPU fan weren't working, wouldn't he see some sort of error during BIOS? I have a laptop that an unknown electrical issue, and simply moving it wrong will cause it to randomly power off. No errors, nothing.

Spacewolf, does it lose power, or just hang?

Spacewolf
May 19, 2014
So far as this machine (which is my GF's computer, not mine, and is in Texas (I'm not) so I can't look at it directly), I believe it just hangs.

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fist4jesus
Nov 24, 2002
You may just need to have a dog sit on it.

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