# help: spilled coffee on my MacBook! argh!



## boxlight (Mar 20, 2008)

I'm a moron.

I spilled a big cup of coffee across my MacBook keyboard. I can't believe I was so stupid! (13" aluminum unibody model.)

The screen went pale-grey blank. I unplugged it, sopped up the coffee with paper towels, and then realized it was still on, so I removed the battery.

I've done everything I can to absorb excess coffee, but I know there's coffee inside the Mac.

I made an appointment to see a Mac Genius at the Apple Store this afternoon. (But I'm assuming this will not be covered under warranty.)

Any thoughts or ideas on what I should do? Is she dead for good? How much will Apple charge to check her out?

<sigh>


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## bighog (Jan 13, 2001)

The most important thing at this point is to not do anything. There is no guarantee that your MacBook is fine, but if you are lucky waiting for it to dry is the most important thing. I can't remember whether your MacBook has a pop-off keyboard, but one simple thing you could do is take off the keyboard and run a hair dryer on it for a while, but not one that only runs hot. I've personally seen a monitor have a jug of water poured on it, and after running a hair dryer to help speed up the drying, things were fine. Once you think its dry, wait longer, don't turn it on until your confident that is is completely dry.

Good luck!


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## monokitty (Jan 26, 2002)

The unibody MacBook keyboard is non-removable. Leave the battery out and let it sit for a good while (3+ days) to dry out. If it still doesn't work thereafter, its logic board is likely fried and the cost to repair will likely be close to that of a replacement MacBook Pro. You have no warranty coverage.


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## chas_m (Dec 2, 2007)

Particularly if that coffee had sugar in it, you're pretty much toast.

This is the second thread in as many days of people (potentially) ruining a very expensive computer by spilling a drink on it. Hopefully others will take the hint and keep their drinks WELL away from their electronics AT ALL TIMES.


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## boxlight (Mar 20, 2008)

Thanks all,

No sugar in the coffee, thank goodness.

I'm bringing to the Genius Bar today, I'll post what I hear from them later.


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## ldphoto (Jul 9, 2009)

If it truly is dead, your homeowner/renters insurance might cover this. I had a friend spill tea on her powerbook, and the insurance covered the replacement.

Luc


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## boxlight (Mar 20, 2008)

ldphoto said:


> If it truly is dead, your homeowner/renters insurance might cover this. I had a friend spill tea on her powerbook, and the insurance covered the replacement.
> 
> Luc


Thanks for the tip! I may look into this.


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## RatsOnMacAttack (Mar 5, 2005)

Ive had 6 Macs THIS WEEK come in to the shop with a spilled drink. Last one was this morning, milk was spilled. These things always come in trends, last week I replaced 8 cracked screens, I guess this week its Macs with drinking problems.


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## HowEver (Jan 11, 2005)

boxlight said:


> Thanks all,
> 
> No sugar in the coffee, thank goodness.
> 
> I'm bringing to the Genius Bar today, I'll post what I hear from them later.


The advice above was to wait 3 days to even turn it on. If there is liquid inside still, you'll be sloshing it around during the trip.

If may be brutal to wait, but I'd wait the 3 days, then take it and have them check it out--unless it works already. If it doesn't work already, popular opinion and the expert advice above is that it won't work. If that happens, you still have lots of great parts, and it may sound stupid but... the hard drive may be fine and have all your data; the bottom and top case (once cleaned) are worth a lot, the screen alone is worth a lot. You could sell the working remaining parts towards a new one; or buy one with a smashed LCD, perhaps for a good price, and use that logic board as a part....

But maybe yours will just dry out and work.


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## Flipstar (Nov 7, 2004)

Keep your drinks lower than your MBPs... or don't have a drink nearby at all.


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## boxlight (Mar 20, 2008)

*Update*

Update:

I brought the coffee-flavoured MacBook to the Genius Bar. The guy removed the back, and there were drops of coffee here and there touching just about every component. He took it in the back and after a few minutes returned with it.

He pointed the dried drops of coffee on the logic board and described that as "coroding already" (which I think is an inaccurate description, but nevertheless); he pointed out the optical drive definitely got coffee in it, so that's probably damaged too; the fan has been touched with coffee; and so was the memory, and the keyboard.

He said there's no telling which of those parts would have to be replaced. He said I'm probably looking at an $800 repair, worst case it's $1500 to replace everything. And of course you can buy a new model for $1399. So it's not worth fixing.

I told him I saw some web sites where people described, with photos, taking it apart and drying every individual piece and that once reassembled it all just worked again. He said I could try that because the Apple warranty is now void, but he said he wouldn't disassemble the innards because you can easily break anything.

He suggested trying to do my best to dry it out and see what happens. On my way back I picked up a can of compressed air, a mini-screwdriver, and some wipes. I'm going to perform surgery when I get home. But like some suggested here, I'm not going to hurry the drying process.


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## HowEver (Jan 11, 2005)

Flipstar said:


> Keep your drinks lower than your MBPs... or don't have a drink nearby at all.


"Keep your friends close, and your drinks the hell away from your electronics."

(with apologies to the OP. At least he didn't blame it on the cat).


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## fyrefly (Apr 16, 2005)

Dunno is there's any helping this situation, but there's a fun top here:

Dry out your soaked gadgets in rice - Cell Phones - Lifehacker


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## rgray (Feb 15, 2005)

This isn't just a matter of drying it out. Coffee is a 'suspension' (as opposed to a solution) there will be a residue on everywhere the coffee got to. Also residual moisture taken up in the board material itself can result in mould. 

Glad you don't blame a pet.... 

That was one expensive cuppa joe....


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## mkolesa (Jul 22, 2008)

*~*

if you do take it apart yourself make sure you follow a disassembly guide... lots of little screws holding those things together and it's not as simple as just randomly unscrewing things!


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## jamesB (Jan 28, 2007)

I cannot believe this thread has reached two pages, and no one has yet suggested the obvious. 
Seeing as the damage (spilled coffee) has already occurred, the first thing that should have been done, (and no, do not let the coffee dry in your computer), would be to remove all sources of power, and thoroughly rinse the laptop with clean, preferably distilled water.
This action cannot do any more damage then has already occurred, and might even help by rinsing out most of the coffee.
Clean water will not harm unpowered electronics and once dried will leave no harmful residue.


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## rgray (Feb 15, 2005)

jamesB said:


> I cannot believe this thread has reached two pages, and no one has yet suggested the obvious.
> Seeing as the damage (spilled coffee) has already occurred, the first thing that should have been done, (and no, do not let the coffee dry in your computer), would be to remove all sources of power, and thoroughly rinse the laptop with clean, preferably distilled water.
> This action cannot do any more damage then has already occurred, and might even help by rinsing out most of the coffee.
> Clean water will not harm unpowered electronics and once dried will leave no harmful residue.


+1 :clap:

However, too late. The OP said he 'dried' it.....


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## mkolesa (Jul 22, 2008)

*~*



jamesB said:


> ...and no one has yet suggested the obvious.


don't know if that's 'obvious'... but i am pretty sure that splashing an electronics device is a lot different than soaking or immersing it, regardless whether it's completely dried afterwards... for instance, hard drives are not hermetically sealed and once moisture gets in, it ain't gettin' out in a hurry...

aside from leaving an odour which will dissipate over time, i don't think the coffee in and of itself is a concern. just my 2¢


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## rgray (Feb 15, 2005)

mkolesa said:


> aside from leaving an odour which will dissipate over time, i don't think the coffee in and of itself is a concern. just my 2¢


 Try putting a few drops of coffee on a glass plate and let it dry. What's left is the 'residue' - mould food.... moisture in the ambient environment or any residua moisture in the boards (which are not entirely impervious) will cause mould to grow and mould is also an enemy of electronics. Years ago, I had a bag-phone (remember those) stolen from my car and recovered sometime later from a snow bank. Dried thoroughly it seemed fine at first but when taken apart after it started randomly making 'calls' on its own it was discovered to be full of mould... YMMV.


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## thegoat54 (Nov 20, 2007)

mkolesa said:


> aside from leaving an odour which will dissipate over time, i don't think the coffee in and of itself is a concern. just my 2¢


MMMMMMM.

I love the smell of coffee.


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## jamesB (Jan 28, 2007)

mkolesa said:


> for instance, hard drives are not hermetically sealed and once moisture gets in, it ain't gettin' out in a hurry...


A quick google search seems to disagree with you on this point, I did find 1 url which like yourself, claims hard drive are not hermetically sealed, but the other 99% claim they are, and in fact have been know to survive floods, fire and just about anything nature can throw at them.


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## whatiwant (Feb 21, 2008)

Flipstar said:


> Keep your drinks lower than your MBPs... or don't have a drink nearby at all.


I learned this lesson with a P.O.S. mdg laptop years ago. water at the time. Now my beverages always stay away from the precious.

Good luck to the OP.


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## mkolesa (Jul 22, 2008)

jamesB said:


> A quick google search seems to disagree with you on this point, I did find 1 url which like yourself, claims hard drive are not hermetically sealed, but the other 99% claim they are, and in fact have been know to survive floods, fire and just about anything nature can throw at them.


the hard drive was a 'for instance'... if people's hard drives have survived immersions it's not because they were designed for that and there is a risk of losing everything which wouldn't be the case if you removed the drive (an easy matter) and wiped down any residue on it. other components such as fans, speakers, etc. will definitely not like getting wet. if the concern of the OP is to remove coffee residue i'd have to think the best bet would be to do a complete tear down of the lower half (assuming the display wasn't touched) and then clean as necessary, being mindful of what's getting wet in the process. just my 2¢


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## krs (Mar 18, 2005)

jamesB said:


> A quick google search seems to disagree with you on this point, I did find 1 url which like yourself, claims hard drive are not hermetically sealed, but the other 99% claim they are, and in fact have been know to survive floods, fire and just about anything nature can throw at them.


I would think the platter part is - you don't want any dust getting in there, but the electronics obviously aren't.


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## boxlight (Mar 20, 2008)

*She's alive!*

SHE'S ALIVE!

I did everything I could to dry the insides, including pointing a fan at it overnight. I was convinced it wasn't going to get any dryer, so I gave it a shot.

Powered up, and except for an initially crunchy keyboard and some keys initially sticking (they're well worked in now), everything is working fine!

In fact, I'm typing this message on her now. 

Thanks for all the advice here, I guess I'm one of the lucky ones.


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## krs (Mar 18, 2005)

Congratulations!

I think this may be a ggod place to post some basic recommendations what to do and what not to do if this happens to any one else since a search on ehMac would bring up this thread.

From what I gathered - and I assume this applies to all MacBooks, MacBook Pros and MacBook Airs.

If one spills coffee over the unit..............

1. Turn off the MacBook
2. Remove the battery
3. Rinse it with distilled water (if available) or regular water until the water runs clear (Does everyone agree with this?)
4. Let air dry for three days or longer
Then replace the battery, charge it if needed and turn it on.

Do NOT ..................

Does that cover it?
What about if other liquids are spilled - tee, clear liquids, beer etc.
Slightly different approach?

I can update this post to have one comprehensive suggested procedure.


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## Adrian. (Nov 28, 2007)

krs said:


> Congratulations!
> 
> I think this may be a ggod place to post some basic recommendations what to do and what not to do if this happens to any one else since a search on ehMac would bring up this thread.
> 
> ...


If the beverage has sugar, or another corrosive element then it becomes more complicated.

Sugar initially because it will gum up the insides. That Macbook will not have a normal life span. Coffee is extremely acidic and the insides will corrode, even if you did wash it out, there will be some corrosion occurring. 

Would carbonated beverages alter the process at all?


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## krs (Mar 18, 2005)

Well, I don't take sugar in my coffee, just milk, but what should the procedure be if there is sugar and/or cream in the coffee.
I hear what you are saying about gumming up the inside and the acidic nature of coffee - these are notes we can add, but do either of these situations mean the procedure should change.

The whole idea here is to give someone who runs into this predicament in the future, the best possible advice what and what not to do to provide the best chance of rescuing the MacBook.

maybe there is something on the net about this - but I always like to tap the combined experience of the ehMac community rather than necessarily believe what someone posts on the net.

Good question about the carbonated beverages............and the answer is ???? (For those of you who remember the old Family Feud)


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## benmossm (Mar 10, 2008)

I had some idiot spill a beer all over my Blackbook back in 2nd year. After drying it for a day I turned it on and it worked except for the keyboard was wicked sticky and some of the letters wouldn't even respond. Brought it in to get fixed for the keyboard, they ended up putting it in the warranty pile and replacing it. Few months later I had more glitches and I brought it into another place and they ended up replacing the logic board and some other internal parts. Luckily these incidents were far enough apart that my warranty covered it all since I didn't think that the two were related.


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## macdoodle (Jul 12, 2009)

just a thought for those of you who know how to take these things apart, 
the FIRST thing is to turn the machine / keyboard over onto a towel, edge of a table works with the 'book' type....most 'stuff' will run out right away.... now when you take your tiny screwdrivers and little flashlights, etc. remember to take also your little Q-Tips, and rubbing alcohol, it will remove residue and it dries super fast, so try to reach all places where liquid flows  .... at least you won't have an odour and mold will not find a place in your new antiseptic environment.... 

Soft drinks will cause more corrosion than you can imagine, and also they contain sugar... not good for us or our Mac's!! 

(the above is for a 'just in case scenario ' I am certain it will not happen again.... 

Glad you are 'up and running'


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## Adrian. (Nov 28, 2007)

KRS,

Rubbing alchohol is a good reccommendation. It dries fast and kills all bacteria, aka mold.


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## krs (Mar 18, 2005)

macdoodle said:


> just a thought for those of you who know how to take these things apart,
> the FIRST thing is to turn the machine / keyboard over onto a towel, edge of a table works with the 'book' type....most 'stuff' will run out right away.... now when you take your tiny screwdrivers and little flashlights, etc. remember to take also your little Q-Tips, and rubbing alcohol, it will remove residue and it dries super fast, so try to reach all places where liquid flows  .... at least you won't have an odour and mold will not find a place in your new antiseptic environment....
> 
> Soft drinks will cause more corrosion than you can imagine, and also they contain sugar... not good for us or our Mac's!!


So forget rinsing it out with water which was suggested?

Or is it - spill > turn MacBook off > remove battery > turn MacBook upside down on a towel so that most stuff runs out, then either proceed with tiny screwdriver and Q-tip and rubbing alcohol if you're comfortable doing that OR rinse with water if you're not?
I assume the warranty is out the window as soon as any liquid is spilled on the unit - so that is not even a consideration.


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## daniels (Jul 27, 2009)

i hope that was an expensive coffee. good thing it works now though


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## macdoodle (Jul 12, 2009)

KRS
I don't think rinsing it with water right away would do harm, providing it was a fast rinse, and quick to the towel, I was only mentioning the rubbing alcohol for those who dare to crawl inside and sop up most of the water / coffee whatever... and do a thorough job.... the best part of using RA is it will dry out even a whisper of moisture... and doesn't corrode parts...


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## krs (Mar 18, 2005)

I was just thinking about the minerals in the water.
People don't usually have distilled water sitting around and I assume one would want to get whatever was spilled out of the Mac asap.
So the question is - would normal citywater with a reasonable hardness as found in the larger cities, possibly make matters worse because of the mineral content.
I have no clue - just asking.
I'll post a disclaimer on the final post anyway, but I satill want to give the best possible advice.


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## macdoodle (Jul 12, 2009)

Well, my take on this is tap water is better than no water, plus you are not 'soaking it' ... these would be fast immediate solutions, the objective to remove the 'icky' stuff as fast as possible, I believe any water would help to neutralize whatever..  I would be inclined to turn the keyboard upside down and spray from underneath, (a removable shower-head would be ideal for a 'quick' clearing.. 3 seconds, if that, then to the table and towel to 'drip' out ..

hopefully I never have to find out, i have a low shelf at my desk and that is where I place my milk and cookies ...


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## eMacMan (Nov 27, 2006)

macdoodle said:


> Well, my take on this is tap water is better than no water, plus you are not 'soaking it' ... these would be fast immediate solutions, the objective to remove the 'icky' stuff as fast as possible, I believe any water would help to neutralize whatever..  I would be inclined to turn the keyboard upside down and spray from underneath, (a removable shower-head would be ideal for a 'quick' clearing.. 3 seconds, if that, then to the table and towel to 'drip' out ..
> 
> hopefully I never have to find out, i have a low shelf at my desk and that is where I place my milk and cookies ...


At my computer the rule is simple. NO DRINKS! Food is limited to the non sticky and non sauce varieties that cannot harm a computer.


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## krs (Mar 18, 2005)

macdoodle said:


> .....hopefully I never have to find out, i have a low shelf at my desk and that is where I place my milk and cookies ...


I use my MacBookPro mostly as a desktop - with a regular keyboard and mouse and external 23-inch monitor.
I love to eat and drink while I'm on the Mac - haven't spilled any liquid yet but I get crumbs all over the keyboard and have to replace that every once in a while,
Tried the keyboard skins but didn't like them.


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## boxlight (Mar 20, 2008)

boxlight said:


> SHE'S ALIVE!
> Powered up, and except for an initially crunchy keyboard and some keys initially sticking (they're well worked in now), everything is working fine!


I may have spoken too soon. After an evening of usage, there's been a few little weird things.

A couple times when rebooting and getting to the logon window, there was a continuous beep-beep-beep-beep... as though a key was being pressed. It stopped when I hit a shift key.

It sat powered on on my couch for 20 minutes or so, and then when I picked it up the bottom was hotter than I can recall it being before. I rebooted and when it came on, the fan kicked in and spun with a slight vibrating/unbalance sound for a bit and then went quiet again.

After another while of usage, a couple strange things occured, like I was using Firefox and I'd type a URL in the address bar and hit enter, and the enter key wouldn't take, the address bar just reverted back to the previous typed URL. Then the keyboard stopped functioning entirely until I logged out / logged in (note: a simple logout/login fixed the keyboard, not a restart).

It appears I might have some keyboard/fan issues. Does anyone have any ideas?


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## macdoodle (Jul 12, 2009)

Well, I am no expert, but it sounds as if something that was wet, didn't really get dry. there may still be some residue around fan parts, hence the R Alcohol thought. You may have to bite the bullet on this one..... 

May I suggest a refurb new from Apple? it comes with a full warrantee the same as new, and does save you a few $$ it ships free and will be updated already with the new OS! (I think.... or will be included perhaps to install at your convenience ... (when some of the bugs are worked out, it can be updated right away )

I got an Imac refurb and as one tech put it, ( when I voiced my concern) sometimes they are better as they are thoroughly tested and run on all fronts, that is why they give the full coverage.... 
Just call 1800 MY Apple and ask for products, then ask that person about a refub .... When I got mine I thought they had made a mistake and sent me a new one....  

Just a thought...


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## boxlight (Mar 20, 2008)

macdoodle said:


> Well, I am no expert, but it sounds as if something that was wet, didn't really get dry ...
> May I suggest a refurb new from Apple?


Interesting thought. I've been using it all morning (3 hours now) and no issuers so far. Maybe something wasn't quite dry last night? I've contacted two repair guys to get quotes on "professionally cleaning" it.

If I have to replace her, I'll just get a new one. The new 7 hour battery, back-lit keyboard, and SD memory slot will be very nice to have. I wonder how much I could get for this one on ebay (with a full and honest disclosure of the incident and sympthoms, of course).


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## daniels (Jul 27, 2009)

you could get around $800.00 US for it I would pay that much for an apple laptop that has been covered with coffee.


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## boxlight (Mar 20, 2008)

daniels said:


> you could get around $800.00 US for it I would pay that much for an apple laptop that has been covered with coffee.


Interesting, if anyone would like to make me an offer on it, please let me know. I'm in Ottawa, by the way -- happy to show it to you if you like.


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## jamesB (Jan 28, 2007)

boxlight said:


> Interesting, if anyone would like to make me an offer on it, please let me know. I'm in Ottawa, by the way -- happy to show it to you if you like.


I think daniels already did, in post #42


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## macdoodle (Jul 12, 2009)

I think Boxlight needs to have a private chat with Daniels, he has mentioned a couple of times he would like to buy it, is Boxlight not getting these posts? 

You wouldn't have to worry about full disclosure as he has been here from the beginning....  I believe Daniels made an offer to purchase before he knew if it was working again ..... 

Get together and you can both be winners! 

Good Luck to both...


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## daniels (Jul 27, 2009)

i would buy it but i just bought a macbook pro 3 weeks ago  and i also have another computer i dont need a 3rd computer now but if this showed up before those 3 weeks i would've been really interested.


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## macdoodle (Jul 12, 2009)

Oh dear, I'm sorry, I thought you meant in your post that you were offering to buy it... I misinterpreted it 
forgive me... daniels ... my apologies.


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## daniels (Jul 27, 2009)

thats ok, boxlight was just asking how much could he get for it, Let me know if you sell it. Also try craigslist and Free Kijiji Canada Classifieds | Free Ads | Petites Annonces Gratuites I've had sucess selling most of my things there first if it doesnt sell then try eBay since eBay charges alot of selling fee's.


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## SINC (Feb 16, 2001)

Off topic, but why do people insist on using the non word "alot".

C'mon folks, the term is "a lot". TWO words. "ALOT" does not exist as a word.

There is a word "allot" meaning to dispense or give out.


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## jamesB (Jan 28, 2007)

:clap:


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## hbp (Apr 18, 2007)

SINC said:


> Off topic, but why do people insist on using the non word "alot".
> 
> C'mon folks, the term is "a lot". TWO words. "ALOT" does not exist as a word.
> 
> There is a word "allot" meaning to dispense or give out.


This bothers me alot too.


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## HowEver (Jan 11, 2005)

jamesB said:


> :clap:


I like how your signature reads as follows:



jamesB said:


> ROFL: (Rolling on the floor laughing.) Typically used by people who are too lazy to press the rest of the keys on their keyboard needed to communicate in English.


...but you used a smilie as your only response above.

.


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## jamesB (Jan 28, 2007)

Finally, some one is awake,
I was just testing everyone here.

jb.


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