With hurricane Irene approaching the Mid-Atlantic area, MacMedics clients and friends should un-plug their computer and remove and store back up hard drives in a dry place if you’re not going to be around when the rain and wind hits us.

Power surges via power lines and lightning hits via Comcast’s network seem to be the leading cause of damages to our client’s Macintosh computers. Don’t count on your Surge “Suppressor” to protect you! You really want a Surge “Protector”, and if you paid less than $50 for your’s then chances are, all you have is glorified extension cord with an outlet, a switch, and a little fuse that will do nothing to stop a real surge. Unplugging your gear is really your best first defense. If you have Comcast or DSL, those should also be unplugged during the storm. For Comcast, at the very least unplug your Mac and other computer gear (gaming system) from your cable model, so there is no physical connection via EtherNet. If you really want to be safe and you’re leaving your house, unscrew the cable TV connection from the back of your cable modem. It’s not a bad idea to disconnect your TV as well. In the case of DSL service, just unplug the telephone line from the back of your DSL modem or router.

Also, if your computer is in the basement, get your computer, power supplies, and related hardware off the floor in case there is flooding.

This might also be a good time to enhance your back up plan by adding an off-site back up. MacMedics is now a Mozy partner, so click here if you’d like to sign up for that. We are also a CrashPlan Pro Partner as well, so the link for that is here.

For our friends everywhere, who might be impacted by Irene, MacMedics recommends that you back up your hard drive via a “clone” use Super Duper or Carbon Copy Cloner, as that way you can “test” your back up to insure you have a good, bootable copy. Storing a back up at your office an another way to ensure that you have easy access to your data should your community be in an evacuation zone, or not accessible due to flooding or downed trees.

Take that back up put it in a Ziploc bag and have it ready to go with you, if you should need to evacuate. Also, hurricanes bring the rain with them, so plan ahead to protect your computer AND your back up. If you have to leave it behind, put a garbage bag over your computer. If you have a light roof leak, that might be enough to save your computer. And, don’t forget to keep stuff off the floor.

The important thing is to PLAN AHEAD. Your back up is not complete if it’s not:

1. Automatic
2. Redundant
3. Off-Site

We have tons of posts on Time Machine and we even have a free White Paper on it If you’d like a copy, let us know. We love Time Machine, but for planning ahead, there is no real way to “test” a Time Machine back up, unless you have a scond computer that has enough free space to retire your “user folder”. This is why we like having Time Machine AND a “clone” backup.

If you’re not using an automatic backup, your data is at risk!

P.S. If you are going to be where the hurricane is, then you DO need to go get a Ziploc bag right now, and put it with your iPhone. That way if you get caught outside in the rain, or you’re checking out the surf at the beach, your iPhone is protected. Take my word for it, and you’ll thank me later!!

P.P.S. If your computer or other electronic device gets water in it, don’t turn it on to see if it still works. Just bring it to us. Same for your iPhone, iPad, or iPod if it gets wet leave it off and don’t connect it to power. Put in in a Ziploc bag with one cup of rice and then force all of the air out of the bag. That might help save your device until you can get it into our shop.

While Hurricane Earl will most likely spare the Mid-Atlantic area (MacMedics territory), it will hit somewhere and it will destroy some data in some way.

Here in the Mid-Atlantic area, MacMedics clients and friends should un-plug their computer and remove and store back up hard drives in a dry place if you’re not going to be around when the rain and wind hits us.

Power surges via power lines and lightning hits via Comcast’s network seem to be the leading cause of damages to our client’s Macintosh computers.

This might also be a good time to enhance your back up plan by adding an off-site back up. MacMedics is now a Mozy partner, so click here if you’d like to sign up for that.

For our friends north of the Mid-Atlantic, MacMedics recommends that you back up your hard drive via a “clone” use Super Duper or Carbon Copy Cloner, as that way you can “test” your back up to insure you have a good, bootable copy.

Take that back up put it in a Ziploc bag and have it ready to go with you, if you should need to evacuate. Also, hurricanes bring the rain with them, so plan ahead to protect your computer AND your back up. If you have to leave, put a garbage bag over your computer. If you have a light roof leak, that might be enough to save your computer.

The important thing is to PLAN AHEAD. Your back up is not complete if it’s not:

1. Automatic
2. Redundant
3. Off-Site

We have tons of posts on Time Machine and we even have a free White Paper on it If you’d like a copy, let us know. If you’re not using an automatic backup, your data is at risk!

P.S. If you are going to be where the hurricane is, then you DO need to go get a Ziploc bag right now, and put it with your iPhone. That way if you get caught outside or you’re checking out the surf at the beach, your iPhone is protected. Take my word for it, and you’ll thank me later!!

If you spill coffee into your MacBook or MacBook Pro, the trick is to get it to MacMedics fast. Don’t try to fix it yourself, and just because it seems to be working OK, does NOT mean you’re out of the woods. Best thing to do is try to mop up excess liquid, remove the battery, then get it to us a quickly as possible.

Here are some Do-It-Yourself procedures to avoid:

1. Don’t try to turn the unit on NO MATTER WHAT. If there is liquid in the unit, and it’s making a connection between anything, then that could very well be the end of your laptop.

2. Don’t try to take the unit apart yourself. It’s not that hard to take off most MacBook’s top case, but to ensure the liquid is gone, the logic board needs to be removed in almost every case.

3. Don’t try to clean your logic board or any other part of your computer with “distilled” water. In fact, we don’t recommend you even try to clean it at all.

4. If moisture gets in, it’s usually not going to go away on it’s own. If your computer seems to be working after a spill, then that means you most likely got lucky and we might be able to fix/save your MacBook or MacBook Pro. But, in order to do so, turn the unit off and remove the battery. The liquid problem almost never goes away on it’s own.

5. If you have something like coffee, orange juice, soda, and many other type of acidic liquids, two things, 1. the acid will cause more corrosion than just water, and 2. Anything that has sugars in it won’t totally evaporate, it will just turn in a syrup which can cause it’s own set of problems. If you are growing a corrosion “science fair” project inside your laptop, you’ll end up with something that looks like mold that we call “creeping crud“. This stuff is nasty, because as long as it’s inside your unit, it can sort of “grow” and “creep” to reach other parts of your computer and cause more damage along the way. Anything it touches and then grows on will get get fried if power is applied (even well after the liquid is long gone). It’s also very brittle and it can crack off and then “float” around inside of your unit causing more issues as it “pinballs” its way around the inside of your computer.

6. Do us a big favor, don’t put your Apple laptop into an oven to dry it out. This can cause a whole new set of problems. We just wrapped up writing an estimate on a Unibody MacBook Pro that the owner tried to take it apart, then tried to clean the keyboard with water, and then baked the whole thing in the oven. Total repair $1700. New computer $1200.

One other thing to think about: Your hard drive. If your data is NOT backed up, your liquid soaked laptop could be putting your data at risk. This is the first thing we look a when working on a liquid spill case. We remove the hard drive and check to ensure that your data is safe. Most DIY repairs don’t take this into account, and most won’t take the controller off the hard drive to ensure there’s no liquid under it. When making a back up plan, you should take into account laptop damage as a possible way for your data to get in harm’s way. Please ensure you have a back up (tested and working) at all times.

Here’s a testimonial for one that we fixed a while back. This client was smart and he got the unit to us quickly, so we could get the coffee out while it was still wet.

“Well I’ve received my MacBook delivered back to me via your courier; and, I have to tell you that it was like getting a member of the family home from the hospital. Five days after buying my MacBook, I spilled coffee across the open laptop: I was certain that I had just spent $1,200 for coffee I wouldn’t get to enjoy. I never dreamed you could have saved my files– much less the entire computer. I am in awe of the dedication and skill it must have taken to disassemble my laptop, clean it piece by piece, and then return it to me as good as new. Thank you for the attention, the care, and the professionalism you demonstrated in far exceeding my expectations in quality of service and affordability. I highly recommend MacMedics, and would encourage any Mac user who drinks coffee to put your number on speed dial.”

Shane Townsend
Baltimore, Maryland

Update 6/25/10 If you have just arrived from Dwight Silverman’s Houston Chronicle’s TechBlog regarding this topic, please see my response to that post. This is a delicate subject, and my comments were deemed too long (and maybe too self serving) to be posted. Seriously, please call us to at least chat about your issue, and $150 is a small price to pay to have ALL of the facts regarding your liquid spill case. If you don’t click this link or fully read this Blog post, don’t fall into the trap of thinking you’re out of the woods if your MacBook or MacBook Pro (or any other laptop) is working after you wiped it off, and dried it out. We see lots of cases where the computer will FRY it’s self after what’s left of the liquid inside starts to corrode and grows what we call creeping crud.

MacMedics Frequently Asked Macintosh Service Questions: Is It Worth Repairing A Macbook Pro With $1200.00 In Liquid Damage? This dollar amount is a pretty common price quote from the Apple Store. Before you accept a quote for an “advanced” Macintosh repair of any kind (from anybody), be sure to get a second opinion from the experts at MacMedics. We’ve been fixing Macs since before the Apple Store and since 1989 in the Baltimore-Annapolis-Columbia and Washington DC/NOVA areas.

It is best to see the unit, but there’s no harm in calling us to go over the options and details. Give us a shout anytime at 1-866-MAC-MEDICS!

First off, this is a far too common of an issue. We just successfully repaired a MacBook that had a “Blueberry Smoothie” spilled into it. Folks, please keep liquids at least an arm’s length away from your Apple laptop.

Being in a situation where liquid is in play brings up lots of questions. I’ll try to touch base on a few of the major ones here. If you find yourself in this situation, just call us at 1-866-MAC-MEDICS or send us an e-mail. We’re happy to talk shop about your Apple repair or service problems at anytime.

The first order of business is get the the MacBook or MacBook Pro right into us. Even if it appears that the unit is working after the spill, don’t assume you’ve dodged a bullet. Once there’s moisture inside the unit, it can grow into what we call the “creeping crud” which is really just corrosion that grows kind of like mold inside your computer. If this grows to a point where it’s touching two points that carry current, then zap! and you get a short and could end with with a fried logic board. Don’t forget that the metals used in the construction of your logic board are not normal metals that react in the manner that you would expect. They also react differently depending on what type of liquid gets spilled into your MacBook.

What to do if you have a spill: Turn off the computer, upplug the power adapter, and if possible remove the battery. It’s pretty much pot luck on what to do next. If liquid went in the keyboard, then turn the unit upside down with the screen open. Use a stack of books to place the unit on it’s keyboard, with the screen open. Depending on the situation hitting it with a hair dryer might help too.

How to get started: For $150 we’ll open the unit up take a look around inside. If we see surface damage we can clean, we’ll attack it. If we have to go deeper with the unit we’ll let you know and as in the case of the “Blueberry Smoothie” unit we just wrapped up, it ended up being about $300 in labor to fix the unit. If the unit is beyond repair, the $150 still buys you some rudimentary liquid removal, and we’ll give you the facts on what’s going on as well as a written report you can submit to your insurance company.

This is far better then just signing the death certificate yourself, and even if the news is bad, $150 is a small price to really know what’s really going on. Moving forward you can know that if you need to buy a new unit, your old unit at least had the best chance possible.

Is it worth fixing? If very well might be. In cases of liquid spills (coffee is the most common) the Apple Store is likely to quote you $1200.00 for your repair. Even if you have minor damage (that might seem major) it’s usually the same price. Here at MacMedics, we’ll just fix what’s damaged, and accurately diagnose the problem you have. A common issue after a liquid spill is a bad keyboard, that might be $200 to fix. Another issue we see frequently is a unit that can’t charge the battery or can’t run off the battery. Again, a repair like this at MacMedics is generally going to be $200 to $300.

Don’t try to fool Apple. There are liquid spill indicators inside of your MacBook or MacBook Pro (also iPods, iPads, and iPhones), so if your unit suffered a spill, Apple is going to find out very quickly. They also might charge you to look at it and then do nothing but return it to you.

Even if you do need a new logic board, it’s quite likely that our price will be lower then the Apple Store, and unlike Apple, MacMedics puts a full 1-year warranty on our repairs. (Apple is only 90 days). The other factor is turn around time. At Apple, almost all liquid spills get shipped out for depot service. This can work against you as the unit is out of your control, and you could end up with a repair that is far more than what was quoted. As an Apple Authorized Service Provider, Apple frequently sends clients to us for major repairs because they know our prices are likely going to be better than theirs. Liquid Spills, major case damage, and MacBook and MacBook Pro LCD and glass repair referrals from the Apple store are a daily occurrence at both of our MacMedics repair centers.

There’s not much good news when you spill something into you MacBook Pro. If the unit is a total loss, and you do end up buying new, MacMedics will take the old unit as a trade in (in most cases). As an Apple Authorized Value Added Reseller, we carry the full line of Macintosh MacBooks. We can also help with removing the hard drive from a damaged unit, and if needed cleaning it. If the hard drive is a loss too, and we can’t do anything with it, we can put you in touch with one of our clean room data recovery partners.

One thing that many people forget to check is your home owners or renters insurance. If you laptop suffers major damage, in many cases your insurance will cover it. The deducible is usually pretty high ($250 to $500), but that’s better than getting nothing. Also, American Express offers 90 of accidental damage or loss/theft protection when you buy with your AMEX card. Also, many other “high-end” credit cards also offer various protection levels from 90 days to 1-year. (I have a Capital One VISA and it offers 90 days of damage protection.)

There’s also a company called SafeWare that will insure your Apple laptop or iPhone against damage. It’s also possible to buy an extra insurance rider that can help protect your laptop if it get lost, stolen, or damaged.

One of our MacMedics Mac Techs lost his iPhone 3G in the Patapsco river while boarding a boat for a night of sailing. Not exactly the best way to start off a night of relaxing sailing near Fort McHenry in Baltimore, MD.

There are two lessons here:

1. While it might seem like a good idea to carry your iPhone, Blackberry, or other cellphone/iPod type device clipped to your pocket or belt for easy access, it’s not the safest place. I speak from personal experience, as my horse sort of ran into me (you other horse people know what I’m talking about), knocked my Nextel cell phone off my belt holster, then promptly stepped on it. 1200 pound horse vs. little flip phone, I don’t think I have to revel the winner of that battle here.

The MacMedic who lost his phone overboard (we won’t name names to protect the innocent) was carrying his iPhone on a belt clip. I think the wisest thing it not to clip on, but to carry your iPhone in your pocket. I use a Griffin hard plastic case that (does have clip, but I don’t use the clip to attach it to my belt) and it has saved my phone at least three times. The iPhone is so slim and sleek, my semi-bulky plastic case keeps my iPhone from sliding out of my pocket, and when I go to answer the phone I can locate it quickly and use the case to hold onto the phone as I goto answer a call.

2. The other thing to know here is how Apple treats a lost 3G iPhone. They charged our Tech $400. and forced him to extend his contract with AT&T for an additional two years.

I highly recommend this case, it’s the one I use.

We’ve checked with our friends at Apple and MacMedics has learned that Apple will replace a water damaged iPhone at the Apple store for $199. Customers will most likely end up with a refurbished replacement unit and best of all, your current ATT contract will not get extended in order to obtain a working iPhone.

Our advice on ANY Mac repair is always free, and we love to talk shop! Pick up that iPhone, and give us a call toll free at 1-866-MAC-MEDICS.

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