Motherboard corroded...?!

[Haeri]

This is just a question out of curiosity. My friend had her laptop fail on her recently. It started with the sound disappearing, we did some general troubleshooting related to hardware, but no luck - the sound card was no longer detected.

So she turned it in for maintenance (Toshiba), and got it back a few days later. The guys at Toshiba said that the sound component had corroded... Well the computer functioned fine from then on (except no sound) for a few months, until she started getting BSOD:s. A few days later the computer won't even light up.

Apparently the corrosion had spread unto more vital parts of the board.

The problems started happening more than a year after she bought it, so no warranty left. (The wouldn't even acknowledge it as a manufacturing error).

Anyone heard of anything like this before? This is by far the weirdest computer issue I've ever heard of.

And before you ask, no there had been no spillage.

 

[Hylian]

How humid is your friends house?

Is her computer kept anywhere near the washer or dryer?

Is the computer kept anywhere near the bathroom?

 

[Dave]

Does your friend have a male dog?

I'm serious. A friend of mine had her terrier lift his leg on the tower. Lucky the little bastard didn't fry himself but he did get some of the stuff inside wet.

 

[Chibibar]

Toshiba? I know that some of the older dells (GX series) had bad capacitors which corrodes or even "explode" (more like stuff oozing out) It was a series of bad capacitors from China. I wouldn't be surprise if they have the same one.

Also humidity would do it too, but you have to be in there a lot.

 

[PatrThom]

Sweaty hands can do it, pets can do it, being too close to the sink, it could be anything up to (and including) using your computer bag to bring home frozen food and then putting the computer port-side down into all that condensation. Corrosion will do that. It is insidious.

--Patrick

 

[Matt²]

Toshiba? I know that some of the older dells (GX series) had bad capacitors which corrodes or even "explode" (more like stuff oozing out) It was a series of bad capacitors from China. I wouldn't be surprise if they have the same one.

Also humidity would do it too, but you have to be in there a lot.

Probably the capacitors.. it's a classic sign of computer death: one component goes out, then starts taking other parts out -notably with the BSOD's- until final and eventual computer death. I've seen it here in my shop yes, but usually with DESKTOPS, not laptops... which is why I don't like Toshiba...although I will say while their older laptops suck donkey ass, I have only dealt with a couple new ones so I think their quality may have improved.

 

[Haeri]

Ah, well she lives in a tropical country so probably humidity. Though so do millions of others :/ Not sure if this is a common problem over there.