Chosen Solution
I have cleaned already cleaned up any water damage here, and the machine is fine despite being purchased as a “no POST” system - this was likely why. Normally I condemn water damaged hardware if I don’t know how old it is without any cleaning attempts, but for this one being so minor I decided to try and clean it and hope for the best. In addition to the board the CMOS battery has a little bit on the wires (but not the connectors) and it’s not leaking so it’s probably cosmetic. I’ll still replace it as a precaution due to being exposed, but it’s not worrying in the sense it’ll ruin the board. Should I need to worry or am I better off using it with caution until I feel good it’s not going to break? @jayeff here’s some up close photos of the CMOS battery connector:
Did you note the corrosion under the RTC plug? I’d use it till it fails. Remember, “If it ain’t broke, don’t fix it!”
Hi @nick , I may be seeing it wrong and can’t get in close enough but this looks like a suspect solder joint that is partially covered over but I can’t tell by what. You may want to check it out just in case. Perhaps stress test the laptop for 24 hours and see how that goes.
(click on image to enlarge)
