BIOS Corruption

I get an email from HP saying I need to update the BIOS on my Pavilion notebook. So I begin the update process and after two hours it still isn't finished, but it warned me not to turn off the computer, put it in standby, or close the lid, so I leave it running overnight. In the morning the thing is still on and locked up completely, and fearing a screen burn-in, I have no choice but to turn it off. This of course corrupts the BIOS and the thing won't turn back on.

I send it into HP, thinking that a simple replacement or reprogramming of the BIOS chip will solve the problem. But the tech tells me that my RAM, processor, and motherboard are all unresponsive and that I will have to have my system replaced. He blames the whole problem on a "liquid spillage ", meaning the few drops of candle wax I dripped on my keyboard three months ago that he must have found. Well liquid spillage is not covered by my warranty, and therefore I will have to pay $1080 for a replacement unit.

Well I know that the wax had nothing to do with the problem (trust me), but does it even seem possible that an aborted BIOS update (or leaving a computer running for 10 hours straight) could cause a complete motherboard failure?

 

Short answer, yes.

If the technician did not know that the update had to be aborted, saw the wax, he/she would probably assume it was the immediate cause.

See if you can get them to try a replacement BIOS chip before you go ahead with those major repairs. BIOS chips can be be removable or may be soldered onto the motherboard.

I have seen quite a few instances of BIOS upgrades going wrong running under the operating system (Windows). I always (try to) use a boot floppy or burnt CD method of upgrading the BIOS.

If the system was working perfectly well before the botched upgrade, see if you can find others to ask at HP. Send an email to their tech support and explain the situation:
www.hp.com/support
I expect they will try their best to blame the wax, you will need to do your best to explain that it was working well up until the upgrade. Can they say the upgrade method is completely safe? Worth some investigation in my opinion.

Matt

 

Matt has covered it pretty well and your wax is a convenient fall guy. For the most part, wax in a keyboard is going to require a new keyboard, however, it may have gone to a bunch of other places too. Without knowing the full extent of these circumstances, its tough to make a call but for the amount of the repair price quoted, you would be smarter to look at new computers. Personally, for that price, I'd encourage you to do it yourself and anyone who knows me, knows this runs 180° of my normal posture regarding laptops.

Get it back, replace the BIOS chip with a correctly pre-programmed chip and order a new keyboard if thats what took the wax hit.

 

My first approach would be to challenge the cause of the electrical damage stated by HP, being liquid candle wax. I'm not an Electrical Engineer, so what does the following phrase / formula tell us?? http://adsabs.harvard.edu/abs/1998APS..MAR.E1404D

See also, Thermal diffusivity, thermal conductivity and resistivity of candelilla wax.

The above means absolutely nothing to me. Any electrical engineers on the forums today?
What would be nice is finding electrical conductivity as candle wax changes from liquid to solid.

 

Yeah, I've looked into it and candle wax, liquid or solid, does not conduct electricity. That rules out a short; the question is, is it corrosive? Anyways, I am having the guys at HP take picture of my motherboard and send them to me, so we should have a verdict soon...

 

Good for you, go for it.
If HP is now pointing the other finger at candle wax being corrosive ... yikes, I guess we can no longer have burning candles dripping wax on our birthday cakes. Many gourmet foods are coated with wax. Keep us posted.