The Ultimate Gadget Rescue Guide

Published by David on October 27th, 2009

sand in mobile

Get sand out of your gadgets

Sand really isn’t good for your mobile/camera/ laptop/MP3 player, so pack a compressed air canister (£6 from a computer shop) in your case.

After a day on the beach, spray compressed air around the gadget and turn it on its side and upside down to shake out any lurking grains.

Fix your iPod screen if it goes too dark

Have you been using it in the sun a lot? Most Mp3 players have LCD screens that can be fragile. With prolonged exposure to direct sunlight the pixels in the screen will activate and the screen can appear very dark. Stop using it straightaway and leave it somewhere cool and dark overnight. This will allow the pixels to reset back to normal.

Make one last call or text when you mobile battery dies

If your phone battery is dead but you need to get a number or send one last text, warming it up may give you a tiny bit of power. Take the battery from the phone and rub it between your hands. If it’s an iPhone, warm it under your arm for a few minutes with the phone turned off. Then try booting up – but work quickly.

Fix your non-waterproof gadget after it gets wet

First, try drying it out with a vacuum cleaner. Or, put it in an airtight container with packets of silica gel to absorb the moisture. If silica gel isn’t readily to hand, fill a pot or bowl with regular uncooked rice and bury your damp gadget inside. The uncooked rice should absorb all the water and, after a few hours, you should be able to use the gadget normally.

Get a stuck disk out of your Mac

While PCs have eject buttons, many Macs just have slots. If yours has a funny turn and you can’t get the disk out, turn it off and reboot it holding down the trackpad button or mouse button. When it starts, it will spit your disk out.

Read more: http://www.dailymail.co.uk/sciencetech/article-1206518/How-dry-wet-phone-10-geeky-tips-rescue-gadgets-distress.html?ITO=1490#ixzz0V8nGHBIG

Check if your remote control is broken

If replacing the batteries won’t do the trick, get the camera function up on your phone and point the remote at the lens. When you press a button on the remote, if it’s working then the glass bobble at the front of the remote will light up when you look at it on the screen of your phone. This is because the LCD screen on a phone or digital camera also picks up infrared, even though your eyes don’t. If it doesn’t, the remote’s at fault, if it does, it’s the receiving device.

Open your car after you lock the key fob inside

If the spare keys are at home, call someone there on their mobile from your mobile. Hold your mobile about a foot from the car door and have the person at home hold the spare fob to their mobile and press the unlock button. The sonic message should transmit through your phone and unlock your car so you can retrieve the keys.

Get rid of sticky stuff on your laptop without water

Use a little lighter fluid on a cotton bud or piece of cotton wool to remove stains and stickiness from the keyboard. Never use strong cleaners on your screen as this can damage it.

Instead, mix a little vinegar with water (50/50) and dab on to a rag to clean your screen. Alternatively you can buy specialist wipe cleaners but these can be expensive.

What to do if your iPod freezes

If your iPod won’t turn on or respond, reset it. It’s like taking the batteries out – but you won’t lose any of your media files. Make sure it’s plugged into the mains or to your computer then switch the hold button on and off.

Then hold down both the Menu and Select buttons for about five seconds until you see the Apple logo appear. Your iPod has been reset and should work perfectly.

How to dry a wet mobile phone

First, fish it out of the pool/sea/toilet/pint and remove the battery. If the battery remains in the phone it can fry the circuits. The next step is to remove your Sim card, which contains all your contact info, so if you aren’t able to resurrect your phone, you will at least save your contact information. From here you can try to dry it out.

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