Then, hook up that drive to the new computer. One way is by using a $10 USB-> SATA converter cable.

If the computer is disabled such that it cannot copy the files, then you'll have to remove the drive.

have you tried going to the dell website and upgrading what you can to fix the 'video screwed up' laptop?

You may be able to replace the keyboard on other laptop


When I replaced keyboard before (may be different from yours) it was something like THIS:
1) Pop out plastic piece just above keyboard
2) Unscrew the one or two screws
3) Lift keyboard out slightly
4) Unhook cable.
5) clean the 'spill'.

*If it isn't booting at all, even after removing the keyboard you have a more serious problem than just the keyboard not working.

If it DOES start working but only the keyboard has stopped then you may need to replace the keyboard.

Do you get anything on the screen at all when you boot up? Or a flaw in the display?

I had a Dell laptop that developed a video display problem (no display at all); it was a simple fix--a new display inverter ($15 maybe on e-Bay), pull the screen frame off, disconnect the old inverter, reconnect the new, replace frame, done. A friend of mine had a Dell that had a dead display; I replaced his screen, another easy fix.
These were hardware fixes. Software issues can be more complicated. You would have to give us more info to resolve something like that.

More details about what's not working would help.

By "video screwed up", do you mean the display on one laptop doesn't work?

If so, are they the same model? If that's the case, then swapping the screen's quite easy, and Dell are very good at supplying detailed online instructions for how to disassemble and reassemble their laptops (I've done this quite a few times) - name the models and I could look up the instructions for you.

If so and they're different models, it's a longer shot, but there's still a chance the screens may be compatible if they're not too far apart in age.

Otherwise, buying a whole replacement screen for most models can be fairly inexpensive nowadays (I've had luck with secondhand ones), and it's one of the easier parts to physically replace.

Alternatively, it could be just the inverter that needs to be replaced. Doing that is a little more of a challenge, but I've done it a few times. A replacement inverter's quite cheap, so if I'm ever in doubt what's gone wrong with a screen, I'll try replacing that first (if it ends up not being the inverter at fault, I at least have a spare for the next time something goes wrong with a display).

I'm not optimistic about the water-damaged laptop - with the Dells I've known, any serious amount of fluid spilt on the keyboard will find its way deep inside, and unless you managed to turn it off immediately and dry it out for a good long time, then it's likely irreparable (though some parts may be OK for spares).