I'm not sure if this is really the right forum or not, but here goes. A terrific storm went through Boston today. One of the computers is right under a basement window. You guessed it, the window well filled up and the water came through. Well, I've already learned where not to put a computer, so you can spare me that little lecture, but is there anything I can do to save the hardware? The really good news is that I don't think there's anything worth saving on that machine--it's the oldest and least used, used mostly for Internet and as a remote UPS package station. (And yes I have a pretty recent backup) But it would be nice to save the hardware if possible. Is it even safe to touch it right now? Sorry if this is a stupid question.

Thank you!

Murphie

Well.....if you are lucky you may be able to dry it out and save most of it, that is nothing has shorted out.

Just kill the breaker for that plug and then unplug the machine and open it up....dry as much as you can with towels/etc (cotten towels/rags would be best) then disassemble the machine.....let each component sit out to dry for several days.

Looks like I might be lucky so far. When I opened the case, only the inside of the case was wet--everything else inside looked dry. I'm a little concerned about the power supply box, though--the power cord was wet. Do you think I have a good chance if I leave it open for a while, to just plug it in and see what happens? or?? I'm not real good with electricity. Thanks!
Murphie

I would bring th machine to a dry area, leave it open and blow a fan into it for atleast 24 hours.....if not longer.

Get some compressed air and blow that sucker out. Disconnect the power supply from everything else, then power it up. If there are no sparks or smoke, rig up the hard drive, mobo, and floppy and try it again.

Do not take apart the monitor. If it is wet, plug it in and turn it on all by itself. No sparks or smoke, try it rigged to the computer.

Don't be afraid. Worst case scenario, you get sparks and smoke. In fact, whenever I plug in flooded/salted equipment, I yell "Fire in the hole!" :eek: