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Hello Everyone,

I have an old (3 years) Compaq Presario 2500 (p/n DP662AV) laptop that was working fine until my son spilled a cup of water in it. He then proceeded to turn it off, clean up the outside, pack it away in its case, and not tell me about it until a week later, when my daughter pulled it out and booted it up. At that point, it wouldn't boot successfully.

I pulled the battery, opened it up as much as I could, and left it out to air dry. After that, it did successfully boot up a couple of times, but not reliably. I then proceeded to take it completely apart and leave it out to dry (well, it was no longer under warranty, so I wasn't voiding anything). I put it back together again, but it still won't boot.

The power is working, the battery charges, the power/network/sound/etc. lights come on, the fans spin up, it sounds like the boot is hitting the CD-ROM drive, but the screen is blank, no BIOS or anything. To verify that it wasn't a problem with the display, I hooked on an external one, and tried to get it to boot from a Linux boot disk, but to no avail.

At this point, I've done everything I can think of except for cleaning the motherboard with distilled water. The other thing I was wondering was if a short in the computer or the long, unplugged storage time had reset the BIOS. The Presario manual I have says that if you replace the motherboard, you have to reset the BIOS from a floppy before you can boot. I'm wondering if the same thing might help my situation.

So, what do you think? Fired hardware? Or possible software problem?

Thanks,
- Bill

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  • Latest Post Latest Post by fren

Dani AI

Generated

's suggestion to try a CMOS/BIOS reset is a reasonable quick check, but liquid exposure usually produces conductive residues and corrosion that a reset alone will not fix. When power and fans run but there is no POST, the most likely culprits are corroded connectors, damaged DC/DC regulators, or shorted chips on the motherboard rather than a simple setting or BIOS lock.

A practical technician workflow that complements the forum replies:

  • Visually inspect all connectors, ribbon cables and the hinge/palmrest area for green/white residue or displaced solder. Liquid often pools at the hinge and the display cable connector.
  • Clean affected areas with high‑purity isopropyl alcohol (90%+), a soft brush and careful mechanical removal of residue; do not use tap water or household cleaners. After cleaning, allow thorough drying (many hours to days) and use gentle compressed air to remove trapped fluid.
  • Reduce the system to minimum components (bareboard + CPU + one RAM stick + power) and test for POST or presence of required power rails. Missing 3.3V/5V/Vsb or blown regulators points to board-level power damage.

Board-level things to look for: bulging/burned capacitors, cracked solder joints near chipset/VRMs, discolored components, and damaged DC jack. If power rails are present but no POST, the BIOS flash chip or chipset can be damaged; reprogramming the BIOS or swapping the chip is an advanced repair option. Ultrasonic cleaning or professional PCB repair is often required for persistent corrosion.

Given the age of a Presario 2500, weigh repair cost vs replacement; salvaging HDD, RAM and optical drive may be the most practical outcome. For anyone without proper tools or electrostatic precautions, professional diagnosis/cleaning is the safer route.

Member Avatar for fren

Look for a hole marked " RESET " located underneath of your laptop. Use straightened paper clip or ballpen tip to reset the BIOS through that hole.

Or

Find your cmos battery on the motherboard. Leave it out for 1 hr or more then put it back again to its holder. Be careful, not all cmos batteries are removable or soldered.

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