[GTALUG] laptop repair in GTA/Markham?

[Tim Tisdall]

So!  I managed to get the computer on and confirm that the issue
appears to be the power button.  What I did was unplug the battery and
the BIOS battery and then when I plugged in the power the default is
for it to immediately turn on.  After I got it running I was able to
confirm that the power button doesn't register a key press but EVERY
OTHER BUTTON DOES WORK.  If any other key broke then at least I could
use an external keyboard until I was able to get replacement parts.

Thanks to everyone for suggestions!  I had assumed that the keyboard
was fused to the casing as I couldn't find any screws (hopefully it's
obvious how to remove it after removing the motherboard, etc).  The
individual keys poke through the metal casing and requires removing
the motherboard and everything else first to access.

To reply to some emails...

The drive is a Micron M600 and it says on it m.2 SATA.  I didn't even
know that was a thing until opening the laptop.  The drive booted fine
so I'm not going to bother buying an enclosure for it, but they have
ones at Canada Computers for around $20.

Hugh, I really appreciate the offer to help backup the drive!  Thank you!

Lennart, thanks for linking to that keyboard replacement otherwise I
probably would have continued to erroneously believe that the keyboard
wasn't replaceable without replacing the casing!  A lot of laptops
still allow keyboard replacement from the front through tabs, but some
other ones (like mine) don't have that convenience.  It seems to be a
design decision.

Stewart, I'll be sure to do what you suggested if I ever spill on it
again.  At the time I didn't have the screwdrivers so I wouldn't have
been able to remove the battery, but at least I could have put it
upside-down or on it's side to prevent gravity from seeping in any
moisture.  I also bought a can of compressed air that I can use next
time to help blow some of the liquid out.