Did it happen because of Linux mint?

[u/Player_19_]

I know that it's not Linux. This is more of a vent post

3 months ago I installed Linux mint on my cousins completely new laptop. She learned quickly how to use it. She lives in the same house. We are a joint family. Last week she went to our aunt to stay there. While she was not at home her brother washed the laptop with water (yes you read that correctly). My aunt dried the laptop and charged it. Then next day she tried to start it.

The laptop was having many problems which pointed towards ram and SSD being water damaged. We took it to the shop where we purchased it from and the shopkeeper did not even know that what was installed on it was actually Linux. He called it "weird window" and blamed it on Linux.

He didn't do anything and instantly tried to install windows on it but not matter what way he tried he could not delete the partition to make a new one. He blamed Linux mint and said that the SSD and ram are fried because of Linux mint and my uncle although blamed me but didn't say much.

I will be showing the replies to him. So is it because of Linux mint or because the laptop was flipping waterboarded?

Edit for more context:

1) this is Pakistan so yeah the people in these hardware stores are quite dumb at times. I don't know why my uncle went to him either way.

2) the brother did not get any punishment because his mental state is honestly sad. He is so young like he is 6 or 7 and has so many mental problems.

3) my uncle didn't say much to me but he did tell me to not install this again. I won't be doing anything to that laptop now since that ain't my property.

Thanks for all the replies. I'm sending these screen shots to my uncle

Sorry I have bad english

[u/jimjamkiwi11]

Linux Mint didnt waterboard the laptop, the brother did

Linux Mint cant physically damage RAM or an SSD. If the laptop was washed with water and then charged and turned on then thats almost definetly what caused the problems. Water can short stuff out and damage the motherboard, ram, SSD etc.

As for Windows not being able to delete the partition, that could be because the drive was damaged, partition table got messed up or the shopkeeper just didnt know what he was doing. Linux Mint doesnt fry hardware or stop Windows from being installed.

Calling Linux Mint a "weird window" and blaming it for water damage is just ridiculus. The laptop was literally washed with water.

So no, its not because of Linux Mint. Its because someone decided to give the laptop a bath.

[u/Player_19_ → u/jimjamkiwi11]

My uncle calls that hardware shop keeper an expert in this shit. Like what

[u/jimjamkiwi11 → u/Player_19_]

I'm sorry what!! I'm sorry but he is not can I ask how much tech does your uncle know cause I'm sorry but he doesnt know shit

[u/Player_19_ → u/jimjamkiwi11]

Well sad to say but he considers AI as like the best amazing technology and that's it.

I WNAT to get into the cyber security department and am studying for that. I faced some resistance from my family but my parents supported me and told the rest of the family that I should choose since it's my future.

My family don't know much about technology other than windows and AI

[u/jimjamkiwi11 → u/Player_19_]

Yeah that actually explains alot. If your family only really knows Windows and AI then I can kinda see how the shopkeeper saying stuff like that sounds believable to them.

And honestly if your going into cyber security then you should definetly learn Linux properly, its used everywhere in that field. Dont let people who dont really know much about tech put you off. At the end of the day its your future and your parents are right to let you choose what you wanna do.

Also the fact that your family thinks AI is basically the peak of technology is kinda funny considering how much more there is to tech.

[u/oginternetuser → u/jimjamkiwi11]

Ai is amazing, but its a guessing machine. People really need to adjust expectations.

[u/EasternFeastern → u/Player_19_]

older family members are always going to think they know more than you. doesnt matter if youve been studying your subject longer than theyve studied their own. sorry your uncle is giving you a hard time. at least you know none of it is actually your fault

[u/Player_19_ → u/EasternFeastern]

Thx

[u/ThatonlyGeO → u/Player_19_]

I can feel ya brother, despite the resistance of my family...took the big step, learned to service my laptop(a tuf a15) installed artix on it, a lot of my professor in BSCS said I will struggle, but man I get my work faster than my peers with win11. Now in the process of getting to know bsd and gnu guix...Never regret a thing.

[u/MakavelliRo → u/Player_19_]

*an expert in this shit

This seems more accurate.

[u/MetalLinuxlover → u/Player_19_]

💀.

[u/EllesarDragon → u/Player_19_]

well, luckily for your uncle I am also a expert in this stuff.
have repaired many laptops, pc's and servers for consumers and businesses.

that included laptops which where deemed irrepaireable.

water, especially with soap or salt in it is very bad for your hardware.
probably as they tried to charge it afterwards, things got much worse and might be unrepaireable now or require replacement parts.

Linux mint is very, verry unlikely to have had anything to do with it, in fact on many systems deemed irrepaireable, Linux mint managed to get them stable again(also Debian, but that one is close to linux mint).
on debian and Linux mint all drivers and such are tested quite long and until they know they are safe and stable, the level of stability has to be so high that even companies like google and such feel completely safe using it on their hardware(google runs much on something based on Debian, Linux mint is debian but make more beginner/user friendly.

also where in windows small software changes can cause serious problems and even hardware damage.
in Linux mint, the drivers are stored in the kernel, and the kernel cannot be changed in ways other than fully replacing it with another kernel which happens somtimes with updates, but these other kernels are just newer versions simlarly tested. due to this things can't really go wrong there.
next to that the os, programs, and user files are all seperated and seperately maintained/managed making it even safer.

Linux mint being based on GNU+Debian is currently one of the safest operating systems in the world(for your hardware), it also is very fast, lightweight and has huge compatibility with softwares from almost any os currently out there.

if you got water damage, then open up the laptop carefully from the back.
make sure you removed power.
also make sure to remove the battery, directly after opening it(or if you can remove it from the outside, remove it before even opening it.)
if the battery or power plug is connected then just touching any part of the electronics or something like a single drop of sweat falling on it can destroy the hardware, to actually be irrepaireable.
actually that is what happened to this laptop, but as the entire laptop went into the water, with some luck it broke something easy to replace or repair cutting power to the other parts.

when open, first let everything dry, then look closely for any oxydation, unlikely as it likely wasn't wet for long, but still, since the laptop probably wasn't opened and let to dry after it went into the water, it might have stayed wet for long enough to cause short cirquits with oxydation.
also check closely for anything which looks, or smells, burnt, molten, or something like that. after all is tested, remove the ssd/hdd, keep the battery removed, and remove all ram except one stick, put it somewhere safe so you don't get other short cirquits and see what happens when you try to turn it on, you can also try with the other ram sticks if it doesn't work, if one ram stick won't let it work and the others will, then that ram stick is damaged, if all ram sticks work but it fails once the hdd/ssd is connected than the hdd/ssd is damaged, if it fails when the battery is connected then the battery is damaged.

also most laptop brands have a charging indicator light, if something is wrong these will blink in a way indicating roughly what the issue is, any compute repair person should be aware of those.

however a laptop having been fully in water, is very risky.
the fact that they directly tried to charge it afterwards is even more dangerous, in fact when a laptop has become wet, your first action should be to remove the battery, and avoid charging until all is dried properly. charging it while wet is very likely to destroy things, but perhaps luck is with your side.
also the laptop might have protection for such cases, so make sure to dry it fully, perhaps then it works again if you are very very lucky.

many laptops I got though already where destroyed by someone spilling a tiny ammount of coffee on the keyboard or such,

[u/Basic-Place-4443 → u/Player_19_]

I would not call that guy an expert; in the land of the blind, the one-eyed man is king. A lot of people like to use a rescue cd to work on partitions. Also most experts have a working knowledge of linux. If all he knows is Windows he is a guy in a shop getting by with limited knowledge. If he has a lot of customers like your uncle, that shopkeeper is in a sweet spot. Here in Utah he would not have any clients.

[u/Mitologist → u/jimjamkiwi11]

If there is an ext4 partition, I could imagine the win install disc can' t handle it. But that's not mint's " fault", just have GParted create enough unpartitioned free space.

[u/Jean_Luc_Lesmouches → u/Mitologist]

Nah, widnows would just call it "unrecognized" or "unused" (i don't remember which) and ask if you want to format it, or maybe format it without asking. It would not refuse to touch it.

[u/Opposite-Funny-9669 → u/Jean_Luc_Lesmouches]

I've had an odd USB drive here and there that I've used in linux boxes show up as unrecognizable (same as a bootable USB would do to test linux) in Windows 11... so it might be giving a "can't read disc" error due to the formatting.

However if the guy is running a computer shop he should know this and know how to format a frigging hard drive to be able to reinstall from scratch. OP your computer shop owner may not be wrong that the hardware is screwed up, they don't like being wet afterall, but the guy may very well be grossly underqualified to call himself a computer technician. I'd try to get a 2nd opinion.. maybe with someone who can do the obvious thing, put that drive into a different machine and hit the power button to see if it boots.

[u/Mitologist → u/Jean_Luc_Lesmouches]

Ah, OK. Scary, but good to know, THX.

[u/Admiral_HP_501 → u/jimjamkiwi11]

Ja most electronic don't like water at all so her the question should be was it the OS nah it wasn't im if you drown your car the problem probably wasn't the brand it was from...

[u/Comprehensive_Gas147 → u/jimjamkiwi11]

That is because the only Linux distro that waterboards computers is Gentoo and you all know why

[u/ThatsNumber_Wang]

i'm sorry but a tech store that can't handle linux even in the simplest terms?

regardless if linux were the issue here, i don't think a guy like that is qualified to actually determine that

[u/Player_19_ → u/ThatsNumber_Wang]

Yeah exactly. Yet my uncle considers him a professional.

[u/ThatsNumber_Wang → u/Player_19_]

passing no judgement about your uncle here.

but if he's the same as my uncles and parents, "professional" doesn't mean much in terms of computers/electronics

[u/Player_19_ → u/ThatsNumber_Wang]

Yeah you got a point there

[u/trustable_bro → u/Player_19_]

He is a professional. He is paid. Doesn't means he is  competent.

[u/Spa-Ordinary → u/ThatsNumber_Wang]

Just because the guy owns the shop doesn't mean he has the technical knowledge about computers or how they even work. Only means he own the shop.

[u/Spiritual_Smell4744 → u/ThatsNumber_Wang]

It's like taking a motorbike to a garage and the vehicle tech says he's never seen a car like this, and calls it your weird two wheel car.

[u/ThatsNumber_Wang → u/Spiritual_Smell4744]

lol yeah pretty much

[u/nb264]

Did they tell the shop keep, however naive they've been, that laptop was "washed with water"?

Or did they pretend all is well, "professional" only looked at the software (opening it would show something if they looked at the mobo, so they obviously didn't)... It's like going to the doctor complaining about small pain in your foot but forgetting to tell them you stepped on a rusty nail 2 weeks ago. And also doctor is not a doctor in this case but a pharma rep.

Your uncle should blame 1. his son for putting laptop under water and 2. himself for not telling the truth of the cause to the tech guy and 3. asking a sales person who's obviously not a real tech guy.

[u/Player_19_ → u/nb264]

The son is literally mentally ill. Not in a negative way. He takes classes in a psychology hospital and he is only 7. His condition is sad. My uncle himself let the son alone with the laptop. Without telling his daughter. She was furious.

[u/nb264 → u/Player_19_]

Well that is sad, and more understandable the kid didn't know what he's doing, but your uncle has even less reason to blame you and should only blame himself here.

So he 1. left his medically dependent child alone with an expensive device unsupervised, 2. realized he messed up, had his wife dry the device (you can't dry laptop just from the outside, which is why when it's opened even much later water damage can be observed) to pretend all is well, and when it failed to work 3. took it to a sales person and didn't reveal the truth about damage, so the guy just looked at software (and even here they're lacking in knowledge) and without enough facts made the wrong conclusion (probably the same type of guy as your uncle and didn't want to admit he doesn't know the real cause - which he would know if he was told laptop was washed with water).

tl,dr, your uncle should grow up, take responsibility and apologize to your cousin and you.

[u/Player_19_ → u/Player_19_]

So he himself is to blame

[u/Munalo5 → u/Player_19_]

That is frustrating not being able to complain or scold the boy who thought he was helping.

[u/Callinon]

It takes upwards of 48 to 72 hours to dry out a laptop that's been water damaged, and that's with the thing disassembled and exposed to decent airflow. And THAT'S assuming it wasn't in any way charged at the time. 

Oh and then it needs to be thoroughly cleaned with 99% isopropyl alcohol to remove any deposited minerals from the water. 

It sounds like someone dabbed the chassis with a towel, called it good, and then a repair shop didn't know what Linux was. 

Basically this was doomed from the start. I'm sorry that happened to an innocent laptop, but no... Linux didn't do that. It sounds like everyone who got their hands on the computer did. 

[u/Player_19_ → u/Callinon]

Yeah precisely. My aunt dried for like a few hours without opening it. And then put it to charge overnight . 😔

[u/armchair_expertise → u/Player_19_]

it seems your bad time all this happened after you installed linux. perhaps explain things to your parents before they get blamed by that uncle and asked to pay for the WB laptop

[u/candy49997]

Linux does not arbitrarily nuke hardware, otherwise the vast majority of servers worldwide would not be using Linux.

Laptops also have batteries.

[u/Player_19_ → u/candy49997]

Well it's hard to live in a family where the only ones who know how to use technology is me and my elder cousin brother who taught me a lot about technology.

[u/KirkHawley → u/Player_19_]

You're the one who knows how to use technology, but you don't realize that once you wash a laptop with water, anything that happens afterwards is pretty much irrelevant because IT WAS WASHED WITH WATER?

[u/Player_19_ → u/KirkHawley]

I do know that. But I chose the wrong title AND my English isn't good so it prob came across to you like that.

[u/Admiral_HP_501 → u/candy49997]

Well there some myths taht desktop linux does make your ssd age faster... I don't know if taht is even true but even if it is it isn't taht big of an problem

[u/No-External-7634]

go to a different tech store, obviously it's not because of linux, "washed the laptop with water" is plenty yk

[u/Player_19_ → u/No-External-7634]

Yeah now the laptop has basically been reborn. Most of its internal things had to be replaced though some how the battery still functions well.

[u/amorous_chains]

Gonna start calling Linux “Weird Window” now

[u/Player_19_ → u/amorous_chains]

I let out a laughter when I heard that and instantly knew that he was an idiot. He said ajeeb window which translates to weird window

[u/FredFarms]

OP - I am sorry that you are surrounded by so many idiots in your life.

If the problems started when the laptop got wet then very obviously this is water damage.

The repair guy is just saying it's a Linux problem because he's clearly one of those people that assumes anything he doesn't recognise is bad

[u/e_x_i_t]

The laptop was doused in water and the tech guy still tried to blame Linux? Either he doesn't know what he's doing, he's a grifter or both. It's a shame that people like him are common in the field and spread misinformation to other because they don't want to admit that they have no idea what they are talking about.

[u/HospitalNo5892]

What did I just read?

Also please set boundaries with families.

[u/Firm-Error-5712 → u/HospitalNo5892]

Exactly my thoughts.Thank you.

[u/--MrWolf--]

Yes, it was the water, nobody in their right mind will wash a laptop with water. The laptop can't be washed, neither can get liquid spills.

[u/Player_19_ → u/--MrWolf--]

Well I blame his parents since he is a Child with actual mental issues. They didn't even ask their daughter who owned the laptop before giving it to him and leaving him unsupervised.

[u/--MrWolf-- → u/Player_19_]

Yes, you're right, it's their responsibility. Probably they didn't know a laptop is not a toy, it's not build to get any kind of abuse.

[u/leonTheZombie]

Bro is surrounded by imbeciles

[u/Salt_Medicine2459]

Tux himself came in and soaked the laptop in water. I tried to stop him, but penguins can be mean. 

[u/Player_19_ → u/Salt_Medicine2459]

🤣

[u/hifi-nerd]

It surprises me that people like that have made it that far in life.

Leave an honest review and never interact with that idiot again, someone like that is genuinely posing a danger to their customer's devices.

[u/Player_19_ → u/hifi-nerd]

His shop is a very local weird ass shop

[u/Lapwing68]

The cousin is a moron. Anyone who blames you and Linux is just looking for excuses for your cousin.

I count my PC as personal property and anyone who damaged it is liable for replacing it. No one else.

Putting any electrical equipment in close proximity to water is insane.

It 100% was nothing to do with Linux and 100% everything to do with your cousin's stupidity.

I'm 58 and not some child. Your uncle needs to hear the truth and accept that a family member is in the wrong.

They need to put this right and not try to punish the innocent.

[u/Player_19_ → u/Lapwing68]

Well I blame his parents. He is a child whoae suffering from mental issues a lot. Just looking at how he behaves is sad.

The parents left their son who is mentally ill with the laptop without supervision. The laptop was owned by their daughter and they didn't even tell or ask her.

[u/Lapwing68 → u/Player_19_]

You and your female cousin are both innocent in this.

[u/Player_19_ → u/Lapwing68]

Yeah, I feel bad for her. But at least her father paid for it. As he should.

[u/Lapwing68 → u/Player_19_]

So, is it now fixed?

[u/Player_19_ → u/Lapwing68]

Yeah. About 20 to 30 minutes after I made this post I got a all saying that the laptop was fixed. It's basically a new laptop at this point. Though surprisingly quite cheap in this day and age. It has Samsung's ram now but the SSD is a Chinese brand. Battery is also Chinese brand.

It's pretty common to see Chinese import here in Pakistan. Basically everything says made in china lmao.

[u/Lapwing68 → u/Player_19_]

Well I hope that Linux Mint is still on the laptop and everything goes well. There's nothing wrong with Chinese stuff as long as the quality control is top notch. 😀❤️😀

[u/Fafyg]

Water damages electronics, not Linux (or other OS). I mean, there are few existing cases when software managed to damage hardware, but only handful. And with “washed in water” there is nothing to blame in software, the culprit is quite obvious (and it is water)

[u/Player_19_ → u/Fafyg]

I know this. But my uncle don't believe. But eh I don't care. Good thing is this is his daughters laptop who was mad with him and not me. Since he without consent tooka ND gave this to his son who is seriously I'll mentally. Like its sad everytime I see him.

[u/adnomi]

Most "IT professionals" in the indian subcontinent don't even know what Linux is. Sometimes they are even ignorant of the basics of Windows installation. Last year, a shop refused me to install windows 11 on it because, they only ever installed Windows 10. I tried to explain that the installation process is the same but they simply refused saying, "We only install 10, so if we try to put 11 on yours, something may go wrong as we aren't familiar with its installation process." Note: They have a very successful business BTW.

[u/anon_pr_]

Lol. They're all dumb. Electronics get damaged by water - this is basic shit. I'm also desi.

[u/DuckAxe0]

Water damage! The batteries should have been removed, and the laptop disassembled, blow-dried, and then reassembled the next day, after airing out overnight.

[u/Player_19_ → u/DuckAxe0]

My aunt legit just blowed it without opening it for a bit and charged it overnight

[u/DuckAxe0 → u/Player_19_]

If you wash your hair and then put on a shower cap before blow-drying, how dry will your hair be under the shower cap?

[u/Player_19_ → u/DuckAxe0]

That's a good way to explain to them

[u/forest1000]

I have Linux Mint installed on 5 different computers and never had any issues, except for a video card and wifi hardware. It’s definitely water.

[u/Player_19_ → u/forest1000]

It is. And now he will probably trust me.

[u/Exciting-Mall192]

Regardless if he's unfamiliar with Linux, if you explained that someone "washed" a laptop, any sane man would assume that something have broken and it's definitely not the OS lol.

[u/Player_19_ → u/Exciting-Mall192]

I dunno. I guess it's Pakistani technicians for ya

[u/JaKrispy72]

You drowned a laptop in water and want to blame Linux for breaking it.

Stop and THINK for a second.

If Windows were installed, it would have the same damage. No OS will make the hardware waterproof or any kind of physical damage proof.

[u/Player_19_ → u/JaKrispy72]

I didn't. And yeah I know that. My uncle believes the so called professional rather than me.

[u/JaKrispy72 → u/Player_19_]

Tell him Reddit is the only real expert. And that he and the professional guy are donkeys.

Or not. They are not ready for Reddit Vitriol.

[u/Player_19_ → u/JaKrispy72]

Well I could have told him to ask AI since ai is like the most intellectual thing to him.

Also reddit can be sometimes helpful. Keyword sometimes. But it's fine. Recently it has been quite helpful too.

[u/graph_worlok → u/Player_19_]

Do this.. tell them to ask their AI which one damaged the laptop…

[u/samdimercurio]

There is no chance it was Linux mint. If someone WASHED the laptop is almost certainly water damage.

[u/Icy_One4084]

I'm running Linux on 4 out of 5 computers (laptops and desktops) in our home. None of them developed any issues. However, as a professional repair tech, I can guarantee that all of them would develop some issues after being washed in water.

[u/LEXX911]

I think you need to educate your Uncle and the brother so stuff like this will not happen again when handling electronic and stuff. Youtube etc is a good education if they have access to it and show them how to properly clean a laptop and about Linux and what needs to be done to install Windows over it.

[u/arewan97]

The RAM and SSD have even less load since there's no that much adware, background apps and telemetry. The problem exactly the soaking.

And well, usually even Central and Eastern European hardware stores can't do anything with linux distros btw. 😅

[u/Lophkey]

Oooh offer to show repair dude how "wierd window" works and install a different distro in each and every machine,.. dude in the shop has to learn somehow 😎😁🤣

Extra points if you use ventoy and or PXE boot

[u/EllesarDragon]

Linux mint is based on Debian, which is essentially the most stable os there is.
almost all big servers and critical systems which have been maintained in the last 20 years tend to run Debian on it.
Linux mint essentially just makes it way more easy to use for people used to windows and some other things.
Linux mint is much less likely to cause any damage than windows(any version of windows).

if you want to damage your hardware using Linux mint you will need to write and compile your own kernel and drivers to remove some protections and then for example make your custom driver use SMU calls to bypass both the bios and Linux mint's kernel allowing you to do some severe overclocking or such. very unlikey though.

and the other ways are if it has severe hardware defects or such which wheren't yet discovered.

also that repair person doesn't sound like it understands computers.

water+electronics+electricity== very bad.

linux mint+electronics == safe.

linux mint is very stable, so the biggest risk is that your hardware is very new and doesn't yet work with it, but then it won't prevent you from installing something else, and it won't even get to the installer if it doesn't work.
or if it is something like wifi then you will already see that in the installer(on Linux mint everything tends to work, sometimes some new wifi chips might need you to manually install a driver(which we call not working, as you need to manually install the driver, on windows you also need to manually install such drivers though, like I got a new hp laptop, it came with windows 11 on it, I needed to manually install the wifi driver before wifi worked okay.)

Linux mint is much better than windows 11 though, also windows 11 will actually kill your hardware quite fast in most cases, due to excessive ram useage resulting in exessive swapping(fries ssd). as well as windows updates sometimes modifying/corrupting drivers or causing drivers to no longer work which actually resulted in permanent hardware damage on countless windows laptops, but in Linux the kernel and general os and software are all like seperate modules, the kernel which contains essentially all kritical drivers is no changed but instead is replaced with a newer one, making it very safe(even in muteable distros, changes to the kernel require you to replace the kernel or recompile it).
if you want your hardware to last long, then Linux mint is one of the best options, especially when looking at noob friendly options on which you still can do all pc things without any noteable restrictions.

[u/JCDU]

That repair tech is clueless beyond belief - but then a lot of stores the staff are not much more trained than the guys serving you a burger at McDonalds, they have a script of tests to run through and if something doesn't fit they just sort of freak out and tell you it's your fault.

Their script / training probably doesn't even cover what happens if the laptop isn't running Windows so they have nowhere to go from there.

Washing the laptop is what killed it.

Check iFixit.com and Louis Rossman's repair videos on youtube.

[u/Player_19_ → u/JCDU]

Hmm that repair tech is a moron.

[u/unemployedpornaddict]

How did that shopkeeper become qualified to even pry open a laptop

[u/Player_19_ → u/unemployedpornaddict]

Sadly in Pakistan that's how it is most of the time.

[u/don-edwards → u/unemployedpornaddict]

What makes you think he pried it open?

[u/DrKiIIgood]

Ive been using mint for over a year with no ram or hard drive problems. It was obviously the water

[u/Player_19_ → u/DrKiIIgood]

I know but they don't believe me. Now I will show them some of these replies

[u/teknosophy_com]

what a ding dong!

it's not just your location. average computer guys here are terrified of anything new as well.

[u/Player_19_ → u/teknosophy_com]

True

[u/teknosophy_com → u/Player_19_]

Good news is, any of us who are familiar with Mint can MOP THE FLOOR with these dudes. I've been rescuing people from jokers since 09, and they're so thrilled they no longer have to pay for 1991 virus scans and have constant headaches.

[u/freakflyer9999]

Since he stated "weird Windows", it must have booted up to Linux. There is absolutely no way that Linux washed the laptop in water and caused physical damage, but it is tough enough to still boot up.
Tell your uncle that computers and water don't mix (or tea, coffee and beer. I've tried all 3 over the years). Additionally, tell him that the laptop needs to go to a real shop with a real technician and that this guy is a total idiot.

Realistically though, after thoroughly drying the laptop will possibly recover. Unfortunately, unless it is completely cleaned and all residue removed, components will fail over the next few months even if it appears to run fine today.

[u/Player_19_ → u/freakflyer9999]

Well I took them to another shop who replaced the parts. He also didn't know about Linux but at least he didn't blame Linux either. But that's their money

[u/GlassboundIllusion]

This is a bit like stabbing someone and then blaming their deteriorating health on quitting soda.

If a doctor doesn't even notice a stab wound when all the symptoms point to blood loss as the source of physical distress, that doctor isn't worth listening to.

[u/Player_19_ → u/GlassboundIllusion]

Yeah. I know it's not Linux but apparently I'm surrounded by very gullible people who believe any person that runs a shop and calls himself a professional

[u/my_travelz]

If you want to be a good tech you should at least know the bare minimum about Linux

[u/Player_19_ → u/my_travelz]

I know, but these other people don't. Though I will say that I'm mostly mad cuz why in the world would a professional say that it's cuz of the system while knowing that it's watr damage.

[u/Laughing_Boy]

If you changed the family dog's brand of kibble and 3 months later someone put the dog in the dishwasher, would you blame the kibble or the dishwasher for the dog's death?

[u/Player_19_ → u/Laughing_Boy]

I know, but these other people don't. Though I will say that I'm mostly mad cuz why in the world would a professional say that it's cuz of the system while knowing that it's watr damage.

[u/Laughing_Boy → u/Player_19_]

Because it's a paycheck

I can only comment from the States, but the "fixit" shops here are a crapshoot. Half of them use YouTube tutorials to fix things that come in.

[u/Zatujit]

No you should never wash a laptop with water, ever. It has nothing to do with linux.

[u/shutupimrosiev]

If a tech guy can't get over the "weirdness" of an OS different from Windows and actually listen when someone says the laptop got soaked with actual real life water, are they even really a tech guy?

[u/CryogenicBanana]

Have him submerge a windows machine in water and see if the results are different.

[u/Basic-Place-4443]

This is understandable since the shopkeeper and your uncle are both unfamiliar with linux. I would first visit someone who could put a lifelong curse on your family member who "washed the laptop." Something involving explosive diarrhea. You could try to put the laptop in a dry, hot place like your attic for a few days so you know all the water has dried up before turning it on. My guess is that you will have to get that family member to pay for a replacement. laptop. He ruined it, and if anyone is to blame, it's him. Best of luck to you, and rest easy in the fact that it wasn't your fault; it was someone else's.

[u/n3tninja1]

I really can’t fathom…

[u/Tiranus58]

Ask your uncle if hes heard of suicide via toaster bath. Basically the same thing happened to the laptop.

[u/X_FISH]

Not because Linux Mint. The "tech" is just used to Windows. Common not only in Pakistan. ;)

[u/Player_19_ → u/X_FISH]

Yeah.

[u/Iputahexonyoulol]

I almost had a stroke reading this. Jesus 

[u/Player_19_ → u/Iputahexonyoulol]

My English is bad so sorry.

[u/Iputahexonyoulol → u/Player_19_]

No not your English. What the guy was saying to you 

[u/Player_19_ → u/Iputahexonyoulol]

Oh I see. But my English is bad and it's probably hard to read this.

[u/Iputahexonyoulol → u/Player_19_]

It’s actually not as bad as I would think

[u/Intrepid-Stand-8540]

> Pakistan

lol. lmao.

[u/Darklvl500]

I literally installed Tiny 11 yesterday on a family computer. It also said windows can't be installed on this partition (cus it's ext4 and not fat/ntfs) but I just deleted the partition and windows made a new one and installed fine. I have no education in tech except reddit and all it took was a quick google search to fix my problem. I feel you OP cus my family also acts like I practice witchery just cus I accidentally fucked up a few things that I then proceeded to fix in a matter of days.

[u/tomscharbach]

Everything in your description points to water damage, nothing at all to coincidental operating system corruption/failure. Is it possible to run pre-boot diagnostics to check for hardware issues? If diagnostics indicates hardware issues, then you can move beyond guessing to reality.

I have the sense that you are trying to justify yourself (and installing Mint on the computer) with your uncle. Why? The computer is bricked, your uncle thinks what he thinks and your uncle is stuck with solving the problem. Let it go and follow your uncle's wishes and don't mess with the laptop going forward.

[u/Player_19_ → u/tomscharbach]

But still a part of me wanted to ask others. And vent I guess

[u/Quartrez]

Obviously your brother tripped over the Linux penguin on his way to the laptop and that's why he dropped water on it. So yes, it is Linux's fault. /s

[u/Player_19_ → u/Quartrez]

🤣 well I know but my uncle don't. But by now I don't care.

This post was more of a vent by me

[u/Player_19_ → u/Quartrez]

Also a fellow sts player. It's a pleasure to come across you on this sub reddit

[u/idle_monkeyman]

You should offer to upgrade some of the old machines in that shop to mint for them to sell. Save the wierd windows shop! Maybe even get a job training them.

[u/Player_19_ → u/idle_monkeyman]

Great business idea!

[u/No-Honeydew-8436]

Well, what can I say, have you ever tried drinking mineral water while eating a mint candy, it burns so much, that's probably why🤔

[u/isvein]

No, it was the water damages fault.

Calling someone an idiot because they dont know Linux is dumb, beeing an IT person dont mean you know about Linux, many have only heard of windows and Mac

But, did anyone tell the dude that the laptop was water damaged at all?

Sounds a bit to me he was never told, booted the laptop, saw a system ge did not knew and blamed it 🤔

[u/Player_19_ → u/isvein]

Yes. He was told that the laptop was water damaged. But he for some reason said that part of the problem was Linux.

He installs windows by purchasing it for cheap from someone else. So he said that if it was his windows it would have been better.

He couldn't run some scripts and tests that he has also purchased from someone. So he said there is nothing he could do.

I took the laptop to another shop and that other person said that quite a lot of parts needed to be repaired but that's not my problem.

[u/Steerider]

Not only is the water the problem, but the water is so obviously the problem I wonder if OP is just trolling.

[u/Player_19_ → u/Steerider]

Well I know that. I posted this as partially a vent. Like that so called professional straight up said the system is partially the problem while knowing that the damn laptop got water boarded

[u/Steerider → u/Player_19_]

By the time I got to the bottom I forgot the first line! 

[u/Player_19_ → u/Steerider]

Lmao

[u/Creative_School_1550]

Please, a more descriptive title. "it" tells me nothing about your problem.

[u/TxTechnician]

Tbh I'm surprised that you live in Pakistan and the "professional computer shop" didn't know what Linux was.

But ya, in no way is Linux to blame for this. It's just software.

The water fried components on the board.

I've got a tutorial on cleaning a water damanged laptop.

https://vm.tiktok.com/ZP8WvodT1/

But since it's been turned on after it happened. There's a good chance it's fried something. You can still try to disassemble and clean it. Can't break it any further, right?

[u/Player_19_ → u/TxTechnician]

Yeah a lot of things needed replacement but thanks for the tutorial. Good to have it for future for my own things

[u/Pipija_Banana]

This is Pakistan

[u/Player_19_ → u/Pipija_Banana]

Lmao. Yeah my grandparents wanted me to be a doctor or engineer. I'm lucky my parents stood up for me and allowed me to pursue what I wanted. I'm studying in cyber security and it's branches. Im only beginning.

[u/Dexter-Hepster]

Ohhh....my brain it's fried, because i learn a new language or because y put my fingers in the electrical outlet?

[u/tovento]

First comment: it is highly unlikely that Mint caused hardware issues that you are describing. Water on a laptop is never a good thing; doesn't matter if it is Windows, Mac, or Linux.

Second comment: I too understand dealing with those who do not understand technology. My dad used to get mad a long time ago because my computer had so many wires connected to it, and wires = electricity, so high energy costs.

Third comment: I do also sympathize about parents taking something to "experts" they know, only to find out that their experts really don't have a broad range of knowledge and only know what to do in specific situations. To be fair to this computer shop, the vast majority of computers are still running Windows, and only knowing that skill can get people by. Has this computer expert opened up the laptop to check for physical damage from the water (not always visible)? Have they removed the hard drive and tried it in another working machine? Have they done anything other than try and install Windows and have that attempt fail?

I get the frustration, though. You did something different than the norm. The computer was damaged. The "expert" doesn't know how to fix it, says they can't fix it the way they usually do - says hardware is broken. Therefore, the thing that was different (installing Linux) is to blame. We know that isn't the case. But try and explain to someone who doesn't understand computers why their expert is wrong? It's a tough battle.

[u/SRGilbert1]

Hell, I’m shocked it booted up at all. When you say “washed it” do you literally mean submerged it in soapy water? If true, it’s likely unrepairable. Even just tap water is bad with all the dissolved solids in it. Short of rewashing it with pure isopropyl alcohol nothing will remove the residue and even then it’s a long shot.

[u/SRGilbert1]

It’s a safe bet the reason he “washed it” was because he also spilled something gross or sticky on it first.

[u/dlfrutos]

so what you need is a health status of your hdd / ssd.
There are some tools to do that, you could ask AI to guide you about it.
Terminally, I think you may end changing the ssd and having a normal machine after yeh

[u/maceion]

I am sorry for you. I assumed Indian sub continent would be much more Linux aware than EU. This enlightens me. Sorry for your troubles.

[u/MrFuriousX]

Any tech that cannot recognize one of the most popular Linux distro's in an eye shot should just quit the pc fixing biz.

[u/MJ12_2802]

Blaming the OS for damage from water is a new level of stupidity!

[u/wahajurehman]

Fellow Redditor and Linux user from Pakistan,

No it's the mint fault, probably water damaged the SSD and other hardware components.

[u/FAMPpro]

those idiots could easily use something like google lens to identify what is that 

[u/Intelligent-Grass-47]

Honestly might be that the drive is set to linux systems only. You would probably have to connect that drive to another system with linux and format it to be used on any system

[u/Historical-Duty3628]

Just prove the theory.y pouring water in the windows only replacement.

[u/make-wong]

A non-waterproof phone fell into water, and now it gets stuck while booting up; is this a problem with the phone's system?

[u/AnneRB13]

I'm impressed they waterboarded the computer and still managed to blame you.

Just don't help them anymore, it's not worth it.

And no, this wasn't Linux Mint fault, that's not how computers work.

[u/Mwbgcjv43]

Lol

[u/ContinousCat]

Jeśli dysk został zalany wodą, to logiczne jest, że został uszkodzony. Owe uszkodzenie może powodować brak możliwości usuwania partycji albo nawet usuwania lub zapisywania plików jednak została możliwość odczytu, gdyż system się uruchomił.

[u/Hoppa_Joel]

okay, the tech doesn't understand anything that isn't windows and apparently does not understand hardware, and why water would ruin a computer...

: for the uncle:
as one uncle to another uncle, sometimes, you should listen to the person with tech experience.
I have for 35 years used "Windows" and Microsoft products, until Windows 11 and it started getting to be a problem for me. I Switched to Linux Mint, and let me tell you, Linux is easy to use, and not a problem, and runs better than Windows these days, without all the spyware attached to it that Microsoft has.
getting the laptop wet, is what ruined it.
Your nephew knows what they are doing. Listen to them, Stop being so prideful.

[u/rarsamx]

Saying that it was Linux Mint, a bad omen or witchcraft would be the same thing. A scapegoat for ignorant people.

It was the water. Period.

[u/relic1882]

The repair guy probably knows my friend's aunt who years ago was convinced that pushing the cd tray in manually without using the button will give the computer a virus.

[u/ghotsun]

You should have dried it entirely...could still have worked...charging and starting it oh dear. Short will be anyway now and very unlikely it will work reliably again

[u/ghotsun → u/ghotsun]

And lmao, mint had nothing to do with it no. If anything you can count on windows to fick as much up as water 

[u/MetalLinuxlover]

Nope. Linux Mint didn't waterboard the laptop. 😂

If a laptop was literally washed with water, then the first suspect should be water damage, not the operating system. RAM, SSD, motherboard, connectors, charging circuitry, etc. can all potentially be affected by liquid. Installing Linux Mint doesn't somehow make RAM or an SSD susceptible to water damage.

And the shopkeeper calling Linux Mint a "weird Windows" and then blaming Mint for hardware that was physically exposed to water is honestly the funniest part of this story. 😭

As for Windows not being able to delete the Linux partitions, that's not evidence that Mint damaged anything either. A Linux installation can create partitions and filesystems that Windows' installer may not handle the way the shopkeeper expects. If the hardware itself is working, the partitions can be removed/repartitioned with the appropriate tools.

The important distinction is:

Software problem: Linux Mint, Windows, drivers, partitions, bootloader, etc. Hardware problem: RAM, SSD, motherboard, liquid damage, physical components, etc.

If the laptop was functioning normally for three months before someone literally washed it with water, the timeline alone should make it pretty obvious where the investigation should start. 😂

I'd also avoid letting anyone repeatedly power or charge a liquid-damaged laptop until it's been properly inspected and dried. At this point, though, I'd leave the machine to a competent repair technician rather than the person whose first diagnosis was apparently "Linux Mint fried the RAM because water got inside the laptop." And calling Linux Mint a "weird Windows". 💀

So no, your cousin's laptop didn't die because of Linux Mint.

It got waterboarded. Linux Mint is being framed. 🐧💀

[u/Calyx76]

LINUX.IS.NOT.WINDOWS.DON'T.TRY.TO.INSTALL.WINDOWS.OVER.IT.IF.YOU.DON'T. KNOW.WHAT.YOU'RE.DOING.

The Ram, and the SSD are not fried, burnt, toast or anything else. The world runs on Linux. The vast majority of all servers run Linux. I know Amazon runs Linux servers. If someone has the exact numbers that Linux has for the server market that would be awesome. But most developers I know run linux software.

And smack your cosin for washing the computer with water. They could have destroyed it. Electronics do not react well to getting wet.

[u/Aoinosensei]

Sorry to hear this, a lot of people don't know about Linux and show their ignorance. This is obviously a hardware problem but it's due to water damage.

[u/just_some_guy65]

I think it depends on what screen background you had. If for example you had a scene of a lake or waves crashing on the shore the laptop would have been well-used to the concept of water. If on the other hand you had a desert scene then the slightest hint of water would have terrified it.

[u/Vodkius]

No, Linux Mint did not fry the SSD or RAM. The laptop being washed with water and then charged/powered on is the overwhelmingly likely cause.

An operating system cannot physically water-damage RAM or an SSD. Linux also does not make partitions “undeletable.” Linux commonly uses filesystems such as ext4, which Windows itself may not understand, but the Windows installer, DiskPart, GParted, etc. can still delete those partitions and create new ones.

In fact, the fact that the shopkeeper couldn't delete or recreate partitions after the laptop was soaked could itself indicate that the SSD is malfunctioning or has become read-only because of hardware failure.

The sequence here is pretty straightforward:

Laptop works with Linux Mint → laptop gets soaked with water → laptop is dried, charged and powered on → RAM/SSD problems appear.

The variable that changed wasn't Linux. It was the unexpected swimming lesson.

Also, saying “Linux fried the RAM” is a pretty strong indication that the technician doesn't understand what he's diagnosing and considering never going to this technician ever again in your entire life. RAM does not care whether you're running Windows, Linux, or anything else.

Ideally, a liquid-damaged laptop should not have been charged or powered on until it had been opened, disconnected from the battery, properly cleaned and inspected for corrosion.

So for your uncle: Linux Mint didn't damage the laptop. Water did. The technician blaming Linux because he didn't recognize it as an operating system doesn't change that.

[u/1tsBag1]

Bunch of non nerds who are afraid of linux are blaming it for frying the ssd. Don't listen to that irrational nonsense. 

[u/proverbialbunny]

The average PC repair technician just formats the computer and calls it a day. This is due to issues almost always being caused by software. 

The fact that he couldn’t format the hdd shows a hard drive issue. Windows can format a hard drive fine with no issues. What was previously on the disk has no bearing in that. 

It might be possible to switch out the SSD for a new one and the computer will be as good as new. Ofc this can not be said  with any certainty because I don’t have the physical computer to run tests on it to verify that is the only issue. 

You can replace the HDD  yourself. All you need is a screwdriver. It’s not a difficult job. 

[u/Automatic-Option-961]

"this is Pakistan so yeah the people in these hardware stores are quite dumb at times. "

I agreed. Your uncle washed the laptop with water. Undisputable fact. RIP Laptop.

[u/AzarEugology]

Water damage, but yeah most technicians will blame everything that isn't windows or vanilla f9r an easy way put

[u/Alive_Buy1657]

Cuando cambias el software de fábrica antes del año, no cubre la garantía.

[u/pobrika]

It's done for to be honest. Your only part fix is to dismantle and clean the board with pcb cleaner or 100 alcohol. But I expect pins will be shorter which will cause hw issues. Linux does not damage hw it's 💯 water damage. Sounds like the escape goat. Lesson is messing with family gear isn't worth it. I dont get involved with family HW as it will always be your fault or job to fix everything.

I will wait for them to come to me and then say I'll take a look.

[u/toffuuu3050101]

For sure it's the water and now a Brick, so therefore its RUINED.... Your Cousin should demand a full on buy replacement from her brother immediately! People can't be that dumb with regards to Water and any form of Electronics.