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Adam? …is there a reason your laptop is in the fridge?

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Re: Adam? …is there a reason your laptop is in the fridge?

#11
post #3

Earlier quoted context omitted.

He mentioned that the reason he didn't do that was to avoid voiding the warranty.

i'd be shocked if refrigerating it didn't

The difference is here, that you can tell if something has been opened, but it is nearly impossible to tell if something has been 'friged.' Apple can only void your warranty if they can catch you. And please don't mention that he 'posted on the internet' so the Apple store will catch him; we all know the prob of that is zeroish.

So, I think it is safe to say for all intents and purposes refrigerating your computer doesn't void your warranty.

Re: Adam? …is there a reason your laptop is in the fridge?

#12
I had a drive that was clicking and was completely unreadable. I put it in the freezer for 45 min and was able to read the drive for about 10 to recover a few files. Then it died and the trick didn't work again. But when all else fails, try the freezer or fridge!

Re: Adam? …is there a reason your laptop is in the fridge?

#13
This is why you typically leave the hard drive (or in this case, the laptop) in the freezer for atleast a few hours. Doing this allowed me to copy a 60 gig which windows couldn't even mount to work no problem - which took well over a couple hours, all in one shot.

Using this method, the electronics don't need to be kept in your refrigerator or freezer.

Re: Adam? …is there a reason your laptop is in the fridge?

#14
post #2

I would recommend just chilling the drive, and using an external enclosure to read the data. Less risk of killing a whole laptop's worth of electronics with condensation, less warmup time wasted in booting, etc.

A fridge is typically quite dry and is a good spot to put stuff that needs to dry out (dry-aged meat for example). A unit like he had with an attached freezer uses the air from the freezer to cool the fridge portion and the freezer air is really dry.

Re: Adam? …is there a reason your laptop is in the fridge?

#15
post #11

Earlier quoted context omitted.

i'd be shocked if refrigerating it didn't

The difference is here, that you can tell if something has been opened, but it is nearly impossible to tell if something has been 'friged.' Apple can only void your warranty if they can catch you. And please don't mention that he 'posted on the internet' so the Apple store will catch him; we all know the prob of that is zeroish. So, I think it is safe to say for all intents and purposes refrigerating your computer do…

Well, if there's enough condensation, they might catch you. Do laptops have the water-damage-sensing things that they put in cell phones? The ones that permanently change color when they get wet so that they know that the phone got wet?

Re: Adam? …is there a reason your laptop is in the fridge?

#18
post #3
post #2

I would recommend just chilling the drive, and using an external enclosure to read the data. Less risk of killing a whole laptop's worth of electronics with condensation, less warmup time wasted in booting, etc.

He mentioned that the reason he didn't do that was to avoid voiding the warranty.

I'm not sure about Powerbooks, but even in unibody Macbook Pros, both the HD and RAM are considered user-serviceable without voiding the warranty. There's an entire section of the manual dedicated to swapping them.

Re: Adam? …is there a reason your laptop is in the fridge?

#19
post #16

Does taking out your hard drive seriously void your warranty on a Macbook? That sounds, uh... completely insane relative to the practices of every other PC manufacturer.

No, it doesn't. Here's the relevant quote, indicating that the only thing they won't cover is damage you cause while attempting a swap. Swapping itself is fine.

WARNING: Apple recommends that you have an Apple-certified technician install replacement drives and memory. Consult the service and support information that came with your computer for information about how to contact Apple for service. If you attempt to install a replacement drive or memory and damage your equipment, such damage is not covered by the limited warranty on your computer.

Re: Adam? …is there a reason your laptop is in the fridge?

#20
post #11

Earlier quoted context omitted.

The difference is here, that you can tell if something has been opened, but it is nearly impossible to tell if something has been 'friged.' Apple can only void your warranty if they can catch you. And please don't mention that he 'posted on the internet' so the Apple store will catch him; we all know the prob of that is zeroish. So, I think it is safe to say for all intents and purposes refrigerating your computer do…

Well, if there's enough condensation, they might catch you. Do laptops have the water-damage-sensing things that they put in cell phones? The ones that permanently change color when they get wet so that they know that the phone got wet?

Don't refrigerators and freezers have lower-than-normal condensation? Put a loaf of bread or cookies in the refrigerator and they will be dry by the end of the day.
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