# Does this look like a PC warranty issue or accidental damage/abuse?

**URL:** <https://boards.straightdope.com/t/does-this-look-like-a-pc-warranty-issue-or-accidental-damage-abuse/549338>\
**Category:** In My Humble Opinion\
**Created:** [August 5, 2010, 9:48pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/does-this-look-like-a-pc-warranty-issue-or-accidental-damage-abuse/549338 "2010-08-05T21:48:12Z")\
**Posts on this page:** 4\
**Page:** 2

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**Author:** ![astro](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/9dc877/32.png) [@astro](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/astro)\
**Post date:** [August 6, 2010, 7:10am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/does-this-look-like-a-pc-warranty-issue-or-accidental-damage-abuse/549338/21 "2010-08-06T07:10:18Z")

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> [@gotpasswords](#):
>
> From personal experience, a halogen desk lamp could easily do this.

This is by far the most likely explanation. This is especially problematic with older counter balanced swing arm halogens that may have dropped one or twice, when the pot metal gears mis-align and the light no longer stays reliably in place but swings down right on top of the keyboard.

The only other cause for that kind of localized warping might be a hair dryer in the hands of a doofus who kept it focused constantly one the one spot where the spill occurred vs swinging it across the keys.

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**Author:** ![Quartz](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/quartz/32/267_2.png) [@Quartz](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Quartz)\
**Post date:** [August 6, 2010, 7:48am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/does-this-look-like-a-pc-warranty-issue-or-accidental-damage-abuse/549338/22 "2010-08-06T07:48:56Z")

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If there’s no sign of dried liquid, put me down for a lamp or the sun. Some windows can focus sunlight - fires have been started this way. Not your fault, but probably not his either.

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**Author:** ![Turble](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/8dc957/32.png) [@Turble](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Turble)\
**Post date:** [August 6, 2010, 5:48pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/does-this-look-like-a-pc-warranty-issue-or-accidental-damage-abuse/549338/23 "2010-08-06T17:48:10Z")

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I suggest it isn’t worth worrying about. Just fix it. Make the customer happy. Move on.

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**Author:** ![Al\_Bundy](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/e79b87/32.png) [@Al\_Bundy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Al_Bundy)\
**Post date:** [August 11, 2010, 1:01pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/does-this-look-like-a-pc-warranty-issue-or-accidental-damage-abuse/549338/24 "2010-08-11T13:01:02Z")

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> [@beowulff](#):
>
> Someone tried to dry the keyboard with a heat gun.  
> There’s no way that a coffee mug would ever be hot enough to warp the plastic.

Boy, that fits the look of those keys perfectly. I have a strong hair dryer that might almost do it, but a Wagner heat gun on low would do it every time. Someone might spill something, even water, and think that would be helpful. They could have just dumped the water out and used a simple fan and been fine. People sure have their brass to pretend they were not responsible for such obvious abuse.

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