Need advice!

[ND Bob]

Sad news - at our otherwise fun confirmation event tonight, I took a bucket of water in the face. This would have been fun (pastors aren't exempt from water fights), except for the fact that my iPAQ was in my pocket at the moment of the dousing. :(

It was in its leather case, and I brought it inside right away to be dried off. Now that it's dry and I'm home, I tried turning it on - nothing. But I remembered that it was almost out of batteries this morning...maybe that was the issue?

So I plugged it in. The screen came on (albeit with a few flickers), and the iPAQ went into a hard reset. That's no problem, since I had a current backup. But when the progress bar reached the 100% mark, nothing more happened.

I initiated several more hard resets, to the same end.

After trying this a number of times, the Pocket PC stoped even trying. It's plugged in right now, but the charging light isn't lit, and no combination of button presses can convince it to do anything at all - no hard reset, no waking up, no powering on at all.

So, here's the obvious question (if you'll pardon the uncomfortable pun) - is my iPAQ completely hosed? :evil: Is there anything else you can think of trying, or should I head into Fargo tomorrow to look for a replacement?

Thanks for the input...I'm going to go sulk now, and try to remember how much fun the rest of the evening was.

[jeremyweisser]

Take the battery out, let it sit in a dry place overnight and try everything again in the morning. If that doesn't work you are probably out of luck though you could try sending it back to HP.

[ND Bob]

Well, the screen is working again (with glitches), but the results aren't any better - the progress bar works its way up to 100%, and then nothing more happens. Still would appreciate any input you can give.

Thanks,
-B.

[tanalasta]

Sounds like a hardware fault unfortunately :( Something probably short-circuited with the water.

I was going to suggest try an alternate battery (borrow a friend's) but i don't think this is the problem.

If it's still under warranty - take it back! Get it serviced (or a new one from your vendor altogether) - you don't necessarily have to tell them it got soaked in water. Just tell them it stopped working spontaneously :P

Water fights during confirmation events heh? That's certainly a viable suggestion! I know we throw our youth leaders into the pool on a semi-regular basis (after removing all expensive electronics, though i hear a nokia 8250 survived once!)

[ND Bob]

Hardware fault... yep, that's pretty much what I expected to hear. :cry:

I doubt that sending it in will be a good option. For starters, I just got it back from HP less than a week ago! (Yes, it was working perfectly after the refurb, so I know that's not the issue.) After quite a weird customer service experience - in which the $200 repair somehow got done even though I told the tech that I could get a new one for that same price! - I finally got it fixed, and at no charge to me. I have this hunch that I've probably received my quota of generosity from HP for this year.

And then there's the whole honesty thing - since it's pretty obvious the faults have something to do with a good soaking, it hardly seems right to even ask HP to fix it under warranty. *sigh*

But it was a fun evening. The water fight occurred spontaneously (it had just rained, and we were all a bit wet anyway), but the kids had done a pretty good job of understanding who the combatants were, and who was not involved! :wink: All it takes is one overzealous kid, though. Just because you're not throwing any water yourself doesn't mean you won't get soaked...it's a rule of thumb I should have kept in mind tonight.

[Pony99CA]

If it's still under warranty - take it back! Get it serviced (or a new one from your vendor altogether) - you don't necessarily have to tell them it got soaked in water. Just tell them it stopped working spontaneously :P
You're suggesting that a pastor lie? :roll: I guess you were absent during the "Thou shalt not steal" lecture. :rotfl:

Steve

[Pony99CA]

Take the battery out, let it sit in a dry place overnight and try everything again in the morning. If that doesn't work you are probably out of luck though you could try sending it back to HP.
Exactly. It's probably too late for ND Bob, but I've heard that water won't always kill electronic devices. However, you do not want to turn them on right after getting wet; take the device apart as much as possible, blot away any water, then let the parts dry for a while.

Steve

[Kacey Green]

I hate it when people do crap like that, why douse a known gadget toter with water? Stupid... Or anyone else for that matter most people don't like being splashed w/o expecting it.
You should tell his parents what happened, it's your discretion if you want them to pay for it, but bring it to their attention, or maybe sit down with the child and explain how not thinking cost you $200.

:evil: :evil: :evil:

[GoldKey]

I hate it when people do crap like that, why douse a known gadget toter with water? Stupid... Or anyone else for that matter most people don't like being splashed w/o expecting it.
You should tell his parents what happened, it's your discretion if you want them to pay for it, but bring it to their attention, or maybe sit down with the child and explain how not thinking cost you $200.

:evil: :evil: :evil:

Agreed, just as you know it is wrong to try and get HP to pay to fix it, the individual who soaked it should not expect you to pay to get it fixed.

[Steven Cedrone]

I don't think it's reasonable for the person who threw the water to pay for it. He/she was just caught up in the moment! Who could resist the urge to douse your local pastor with some nice cold water? :wink: Might I suggest the following: Steal half of the money from the collections this week to pay for a new device! And maybe a new laptop as well! :wink: :twisted: Only Joking! No! Really! :lol:

Why not call HP and tell them what happened. Explain that you were caught in a downpour and then doused with water. The worst they can say is: "Good luck, we have some nice refurbs on sale right now". Good luck!

Steve

[Pony99CA]

I don't think it's reasonable for the person who threw the water to pay for it. He/she was just caught up in the moment! Who could resist the urge to douse your local pastor with some nice cold water?
I think it's very reasonable for them to pay for it. It's about personal responsiblity. If you break something of your neighbor's, wouldn't you offer to pay for it, even if it was an accident? Hosing somebody down goes beyond being accidental to what could be viewed in court as negligence.

I bet if ND Bob took it to Judge Judy, she'd rule for him. :-D

Steve

[Steven Cedrone]

I bet if ND Bob took it to Judge Judy, she'd rule for him. :-D

I think ND Bob is going to take it to a higher judge! :wink:

Steve

[ND Bob]

Reading the replies here has almost been amusing enough to make up for my sacrificial iPAQ. :lol:

No change in the handheld's behavior this morning - screen is still flickery, and it's stuck in the realm of the interminable reset. It's a loss.

Now, the more interesting question is how to handle the situation now that the iPAQ is dead. I find myself agreeing with Steve (Cedrone - lots of Steves in this thread!)... when you're dealing with 7-9 graders, there's not a lot of forethought going on, especially (!) in the middle of a spontaneous water fight. That's part of their charm. :wink:

In retrospect, it was mostly my fault. (No, this isn't a Lutheran guilt thing!) I was the only one who was aware of the tech. I was (or should have been) aware that pastors are always prime targets eventually... duh! I had opportunity to hide away the tech in my car, but I didn't think I'd need to. And I'd grinned and borne it when we got rained on, and even when I got sprinkled with the hose (albeit gently from 30 feet).

Sooooo... let's look at it from a kid's perspective: Their brain is not working fully - it's usually a crazy cocktail of hormones anyhow, and now you've got this wild fight going on. The pastor's already let himself get a little wet, and - come to think of it - he's starting to dry off! :twisted: Everyone else is getting buckets (or basins) of water hurled at them, so why not the pastor, who's standing around and grinning? :mrgreen: Like so.

Naw, Steve's right. There was absolutely no malicious intent against my Pocket PC, and if I'd simply not been stupid in the first place, the only harm done would have been exactly the harm intended - that I'd get doused along with the rest of 'em.

Besides, $200 is a pretty big amout of money to a junior higher, and it's probably not a small chunk of change to their parents, either. Now, I'm not saying it's a minor amount for a pastor :? , but at least I have this pretty little "professional expenses account" in my comp packaged, to the tune of $500 per year. It's there for buying things like books, journal subscriptions... and Pocket PCs. I mean, I use this thing for everything - can't imagine being a pastor without one. It's just about the best professional expense I can think of.

With the $200 left over from buying the now-hosed iPAQ last year, and the $200 or so left over from buying a cool upgrade to my Logos software :D I should have enough to recover from this disaster.

Sure, it stinks, but I'm chalking it up to occupational hazard. In the long run I think my relationship with the kid(s) is much better served by being cool about the whole business. It was a really fun night last night, and I'd hate for the lingering memory of our outing together this year to be how so-and-so wrecked the pastor's computer and got stuck with a bill he had to pay off from his summer job.

We Lutherans are always busy talking about the proper distinction between Law and Gospel. I like to think ol' Martin himself would have laughed and forgiven a cheeky confirmand. And then he would have gone looking for his bucket... :devilboy:

[Steven Cedrone]

Sounds great! Glad it's going to work out for you (and I think you are doing the right thing about just "letting it go"). One thing though: did the kids know about the Pocket PC getting wrecked after the water fight? If yes, too bad (I'm sure the kid is going to feel guilty about it). If not, I probably would not even mention it (Do they read Pocket PC Thoughts? :wink: )

Now repeat after me: From Spring until Fall, I will always carry my Pocket PC in a Ziplock bag when going to outdoor functions where there may be water present... :wink: :wink: :wink:

Let us know how it all turns out! (And what kind of Pocket PC you wind up buying!)

Steve

[Mobile_Bear]

You do not have an idea how much I enjoy the company of children. Is one of those things that keep you alive. I am a father, and had coached soccer and football children teams on my free time.

A week ago I came back home from a week long business trip that ended with a very important business lunch, attired on my best business suit, my favourite silk tie and my naked 2215 Ipaq on my breast pocket (long story). My two year old was helping mom painting the door, and came running to receive me to the door extending his arms (and the brush dripping with paint in his tiny hand), expecting a big hug…. It was the first time we missed a weekend together, and I just could not refuse a hug from my son. My jacket and tie got the very worst part, being directly hit by the paint. My ipaq just got a hit with my kid’s knee: the battery backdoor does not keeps closed since.
The cleaners did a good job, but the suit is ruined.
A piece of tape handled the Ipaq issue.

I enjoyed the hug big time! :lol:

[Kacey Green]

I bet if ND Bob took it to Judge Judy, she'd rule for him. :-D

I think ND Bob is going to take it to a higher judge! :wink:

Steve
I wasn't saying he should be petty about it but as I alluded to in my original post, whether or not the kid/kid's parents can afford a new iPAQ, a chat would still be in order about responcibility, not hounding him but a short private discussion. (Pastor no need to hide your tech, as long as your people aren't recieving the wrong message)

[ND Bob]

Hi, all!

Well, here's the story: A week after The Incident :wink: my iPAQ has finally managed to reset itself completely. Only problem is that the backlight appears completley dead. Where it had been flickering before, now there's just no coaxing it to come on at all. I imagine I'll put it up on eBay for parts or something.

Since I was in the market for a new device, I shopped around. Sure, it looks like I could get another 1910 new for around $200, and it's true that I've been really happy with this model. After taking a good look at the 1945 (icky yellow screen... unh-uh, not after my 1910) and the other current iPAQs, I decided that none of them offered the best bang for my buck. I know new ones are on the way, but I'm in the market now!

So I settled on the mid-range Axim X30. For $100 more, I'm nabbing a much faster device with more RAM, user-accessible ROM, Wi-Fi and Bluetooth for my home network, and a warranty that covers things like water damage. :D well worth the extra 19 buckeroos on that option, considering!

Only thing I'm not so excited about is the long delay. I would have thought Dell would have truckloads of these things sitting around and ready to be shipped - doesn't seem like there's anything to configure outside of the add-ons...waiting almost three weeks seems a little bit much. Since my iPAQ had just come back from being serviced (think I mentioned that), that means I'll have gone darn near two months without my Pocket PC before this is finally resolved. Can we say insane pastor? :wink:

Anyhow, thanks for the input and for making me laugh over this. And I think I might just look into the Ziplock solution...!

[ND Bob]

... The cleaners did a good job, but the suit is ruined. A piece of tape handled the Ipaq issue. I enjoyed the hug big time! :lol:

Life is all about priorities, isn't it? :D Suits, iPAQs... there are things that are so much more important when push comes to shove.

[ND Bob]

Hmmm... on closer examination, it seems that the reset button on the iPAQ has quit, too. Parts, parts, parts... somebody's gonna get parts...