-sigh- I broke it.

[Cupcake]

Any help that means I don't have to spend weeks waiting for my laptop to be fixed, would be very much appreciated.

So, I have a laptop. Normally it runs okay, if a little slow, etc. Today, the mousepad stopped working. The cursor still moves, it can hover over icons, it can right click. But it CANNOT left click, either by pressing on the key or on the pad itself, which normally works.

I really can't afford to have it sent off for professional repairs at the moment, I have exams coming up and this is the last thing I need. I'm having to use a wireless desktop mouse from another of my computers and if I carry on doing so, I will face death by younger brother.

If anyone has any ideas, I would be incredibly grateful.

[J. M. Pescado]

I think your left-click wire has come loose. You can try opening it up and see if you can spot the problem, but otherwise, you'll just need to start using a regular mouse.

[nanacake]

Buy a cheap usb mouse from a department store that sells clearance items. Sometimes for as low as $2 USD in those kind of stores, even laser mice are not expensive anymore because wireless has become a commodity. We keep an entire box of usb mice, earphones and extra RCA cables just for these cases. A mouse is much better for your wrist then a laptop mouse track as well. A ball mouse if kept clean still works ok and does not require batteries.

[Cupcake]

How would I open it up to mangle the left click wire? 
Just to clarify, this may or may not be related to half a can of Coke that exploded on it earlier. :-/

[J. M. Pescado]

With a screwdriver. The exact disassembly varies widely by model of laptop. Work it out.

[Cupcake]

Sorry if this sounds 12ish... but there ARE no screws to unscrew.

[Simsample]

Before you try dismantling the laptop, try discharging it completely. To do this, disconnect from the power supply and remove the battery, then press the on/off button a few times. This sometimes solves trackpad issues. If it is as a result of the coke incident then you may find the laptop will work when it has dried out a little. There are screws to take it apart, but they are usually concealed well, beneath rubber plugs or feet. If you do need to dismantle it you'll need some small screwdrivers and a lot of patience. What is the laptop model?

[Cupcake]

HP Pavilion dv2630ea.

The Coke incident happened at about 3pm though? and it's 10 here. How long do laptops take to dry? :-/

[J. M. Pescado]

40 days and 40 nights. That'll teach you to pour coke in the computer. Didn't you learn anything from Rhayden?

[Rhayden]

At least I'm intelligent enough to know how to fix spilling Coke in a server. This one seems hellbent on messing around with a screwdriver when a USB mouse would solve everything.

[Cupcake]

No, it's okay now i can touch with the track pad, just the key won't work, which is a blessing.
Saves me having to muck around with screwdrivers, and for the second time this year, it teaches me not to drink Coke near my computer- last time it was the keyboard.

[Marhis]

Pfffft.

Cling wrap FTW.

[nanacake]

Ahahaha that's so tacky, I love it. 

I wonder if you used color cling wrap in a black light room if it would glow.

[Cupcake]

Marhis, that sounds like an absolute godsend for me. If any members of my family could see that keyboard, they'd be running to the kitchen drawer now for me. Except this thing gets so damn overheated, I would most likely end up with gooey plastic all over the computer.

[phyllis_p]

They actually make things called keyboard guards that fit over your keyboard yet allow full use of the keys.  My predecessor in this job used one.  Hers was kind of old and I felt like I was using someone else's toothbrush, so I got rid of it and did not replace it, but I thought it was kind of a cool idea for folks who needed them.

[jolrei]

They actually make things called keyboard guards that fit over your keyboard yet allow full use of the keys.  My predecessor in this job used one.  Hers was kind of old and I felt like I was using someone else's toothbrush, so I got rid of it and did not replace it, but I thought it was kind of a cool idea for folks who needed them.

I find my old keyboard (which dates back 2 computers now) is so old and battered that I am looking for excuses to replace it with a shiny new one.  Unfortunately, I have not been able to make myself dump coffee on it, and the thing keeps robustly functioning, so I have no justification to spend money on a new one (which is okay, I suppose).  I also have no real desire to protect it from anything.

[Assmitten]

Marhis, that sounds like an absolute godsend for me. If any members of my family could see that keyboard, they'd be running to the kitchen drawer now for me. Except this thing gets so damn overheated, I would most likely end up with gooey plastic all over the computer.

Maybe...just...DRINK AFK?

[Cupcake]

AFK? 

[kazebird]

I had a mouse death recently too. I am like a jinx with mice.

Mouse 1: Died by birdy beak. 1/2 a year

Mouse 2: This one also died by birdy beak, but I did train him out of chewing on wires after this "accident". 1/3 of a year

Mouse 3: This time it was my fault. I left my computer on, but sleeping all day, but when I turned it back on the mouse was unresponsive. So what did I do? I unplugged it, and in the corner of the screen it said "driver connection interrupted. Your mouse may not work properly." Sure enough, when I plugged it back in, it was unresponsive, and the optic light on the bottom was blinking randomly. 1/2 a year.

Mouse 4: My most recent mouse failure. I was working on making a dorm on Sunday, but while furnishing it, I heard a snap and the scroll wheel became unresponsive. I found out later that day while dissecting the mouse to see if it was something like dust, somehow the axel had snapped in two. This one lasted for about 4 years! It was a record compared to my previous mice! R.I.P IOGEAR Optical Mini Mouse.

Oddly enough, I have never needed to replace my keyboard. Apparently Apple makes really sturdy keyboards. Although I would like it if they could somehow bird proof the spacebar. A little cockatiel that weighs about three ounces should not be able to press the spacebar. Oh well, at least I got him out of the habit of dive bombing my apple key from on top of my computer resulting in exiting to the desktop. Sometimes I think he just hates my computer.

[Cupcake]

I feel your pain, parrot- my rabbit ate the wireless slider switch of my laptop, and then proceeded to jump around the keyboard, basically typing incoherent gibberish into my work. He got no treats that night. We've also gone through our fair share of keyboard/mouse combinations, mostly thanks to my little brother being an idiot with them. I swear, I'm completely cursed with electronics. Ten phones, two laptops (soon to be three, most likely), five iPods and three cameras later, I still haven't learnt my lesson.

[Rhayden]

AFK? 

Dictionary.com definition: http://is.gd/wHAW

ETA: Added reference site name so the paranoid don't freak out.

[Cupcake]

It just came up with TinyPic for me 

ETA: I Googled it. Damn, I feel stupid. I thought it was some kind of Awesome drink that didn't spill on your keyboard...

[morriganrant]

It just came up with TinyPic for me 

ETA: I Googled it. Damn, I feel stupid. I thought it was some kind of Awesome drink that didn't spill on your keyboard...

I also get Tinypic. You could always get a Travel mug, refill sports drink bottles(the kind with the pop up tops), get a sippy cup...

[Jelenedra]

Pfffft.

Cling wrap FTW.

OMG, the keyboads at my middle school had those.

I guess that they didn't trust 6s and 12s.

[jolrei]

Pfffft.

Cling wrap FTW.

OMG, the keyboads at my middle school had those.

What kind of keyboard is that?  It looks like an oversized keypad for a calculator.  I like the more chunky "please hit each key with a hammer" style.  Makes you feel you're accomplishing something.  I'd be afraid of breaking this, saran wrap or not.