Wine spilt on keyboard

[exhaustman]

a couple of weeks ago I spilt wine onto my keyboard while the computer was on, it shut down, a couple of days later I stripped it down removed the battery , cleaned the main board with electrical cleaner, still no sign of any life, found that the battery was dead so purchased a new battery and a couple of days later connected the new battery, now the dvd drive, internal fan and usb ports all power up, but still nothing, the this is they power up before the power switch is pressed, and pressing it does nothing, any ideas ?

[Max3Aj]

@exhaustman, Hello and welcome to the HP Support Community!

Thanks for posting your question. I'm here to help you get things back on track.

I’m really sorry to hear about the spill and the trouble you're facing. Liquid damage can be tricky, but let’s walk through some steps to help you assess and possibly recover your system.

From your description:

• Wine was spilled while the laptop was powered on.
• It shut down immediately.
• You cleaned the motherboard and replaced the dead battery.
• Now, the DVD drive, fan, and USB ports power up before pressing the power button.
• Pressing the power button does nothing.

This behavior suggests that:

• Power is reaching some components, but the system isn’t completing POST (Power-On Self-Test).
• The power button circuit or motherboard may be shorted or damaged.

Suggested Steps

Disconnect All Peripherals

Remove all USB devices, external drives, and accessories. These can sometimes interfere with boot if damaged or shorted.

Try a Hard Reset

• Disconnect the AC adapter and battery.
• Press and hold the power button for 30 seconds.
• Reconnect only the AC adapter (leave battery out) and try powering on.

Inspect the Power Button Board

If the power button is part of a separate board or ribbon cable:

• Check for corrosion or damage.
• Try reseating or replacing the ribbon cable.
• If you have access to a multimeter, test continuity across the power button.

Check for POST Beeps or LED Codes

Some HP laptops provide diagnostic LED blink codes or beep patterns. Observe any blinking lights near the Caps Lock or Num Lock keys and refer to this guide:
HP Notebook PCs - Computer beeps or a light blinks during startup | HP® Support

Inspect the Motherboard for Residue

Even after cleaning, wine (especially sugary or acidic types) can leave residue that causes shorts. Reinspect the board under good lighting:

• Look for sticky areas, corrosion, or discoloration.
• Use isopropyl alcohol (90% or higher) and a soft brush to clean again if needed.

Try External Display

If the system seems to power on but shows no display, connect to an external monitor to rule out display failure.

BIOS Recovery (if applicable)

Some HP laptops support BIOS recovery via key combinations. Try this:

• Turn off the laptop.
• Press and hold Windows + B, then press and hold the Power button for 2-3 seconds.
• Release the power button but keep holding Windows + B for 10 seconds.

If none of the above works, the motherboard may have sustained deeper damage. In that case, please visit the nearest HP authorized service center, the service team will check and assist you. 
Kindly follow this link to locate the nearest HP service center: HP® Service Center Locator - United Kingdom | HP® Support
(Select the country from the dropdown menu and enter the city name or pincode) 
 

I hope the information shared has been useful and resolves your concern.

Wishing you a smooth and hassle-free experience ahead!

If this solution helped, please click “Accepted Solution” so others can benefit too. Don’t forget to hit the “Yes” button if you found this helpful!

Warm regards,

Max3Aj

HP Support