How to Start Laptop Without Working Keyboard Power Button

October 11, 2024 7:08 AM

Just dropped laptop in tub - yeah. I've taken steps to dry it out and I believe it might come back (see below), but I don't think the keyboard will, and the power button is a keyboard button, so how will I start it up, if it will start up?

Sequence of events:
Drop laptop in tub: lower half of laptop (trackpad + some keyboard) briefly immersed.
Pull laptop out, press power button to turn off, put on towel, then move outside to balcony to dry (it's hot here).
Realize it would dry much better if taken apart, go to store for torx screwdriver.
Return and go to retrieve laptop from balcony and it turns on (power button only sets it to sleep, not off).
Try to turn off with long press of power button, nothing happens.
Try to bring up Windows menu from taskbar to choose "Shut Down" but track pad doesn't work.
Successfully use touch screen to do the same.

So: it's off and should dry well overnight on the balcony. But tomorrow how will I see if it still works/ is useable with an external keyboard and mouse if the keyboard doesn't come back/is toast and so I can't use the power button?

The laptop is a Microsoft Surface Laptop 4. When I took it apart - separated the keyboard/ trackpad half - I could see that the lower half of the body is all battery packs (which look well protected) so I guess it kind of makes sense that it could still work as the other electronics (top half) did not get submerged - if I can work out how turn it on. I have Bluetooth and USB external keyboards, but neither have a power button.

posted by my log does not judge to Technology (3 answers total)

My experience from having spilled a bottle of seltzer on my laptop keyboard is that it's definitely not entirely dry right now, and so some things should be expected not to work. There's a good chance that once it's thoroughly dried out (since it's apart I'd recommend hitting every crevice with compressed air and then turning a fan on it overnight) most everything is likely to work. Mine was a MacBook, which I've found to be very robust, so YMMV.
posted by slkinsey at 7:25 AM on October 11

If you have a dock, it might accept a power on signal from the dock. I have a USB-C dock, and can power on my laptop from it, if the dock recognizes that they're connected.
posted by Spike Glee at 7:33 AM on October 11

You can get external keyboards that have a power key, so that might be an option. But I agree that a thorough drying might bring things further back than you're anticipating. And if you're worried about files, if in fact you can't get it to turn on, you could pull the drive out and plug it in to a different / replacement device to extract them.
posted by macfly at 8:54 AM on October 11