Slashdot Mirror

← Back to Stories (view on slashdot.org)

What Is the Best Way To Disinfect Your Laptop?

Posted by timothy on from the use-a-nice-strong-antivirus dept.

akutz writes "I've had the flu since Tuesday afternoon. My wife picked me up from work with a temperature of 103.6 and it finally broke at 98.7 around 3am this morning. Yay. The problem is that I used my laptop during my periods of feverish deliriousness, contaminating my shiny 15" MacBook Pro with the icky influenza virus. I am asking my fellow Slashdotters if they have ever sought out a good way of disinfecting their lucky laptops after an illness. Do you use soap? A light acid bath? Just get the family dog to lick it until it looks clean?"

17 of 545 comments (clear)

  1. Bring it to the airport by xstonedogx · · Score: 5, Funny

    Then you won't have to worry about it.

  2. Apple should issue a security patch... by NoobixCube · · Score: 5, Funny

    for the crippling virus infecting their machines.

    --
    Admit it. You post strawman arguments as AC so you get modded Insightful for refuting them, rather than Troll
    1. Re:Apple should issue a security patch... by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 5, Funny

      I have mod points, and I am not afraid to use them.

      Then maybe you shouldn't have posted?

  3. possible secondary infection by fred+fleenblat · · Score: 5, Funny

    Sounds like you might have been exposed to hypochondria as well. You should go to a specialist and have that checked out right away.

    1. Re:possible secondary infection by VGPowerlord · · Score: 5, Funny

      I told my doctor that, but he said I didn't have anything!

      I told him I wanted a second opinion; he told me I was an idiot!

      --
      GLaDOS for President 2016! "Well here we are again. It's always such a pleasure." -- GLaDOS, 2011
  4. Use a condom? by Maestro485 · · Score: 5, Funny

    Use a condom?

    I kid, I kid.
    Bye bye karma ;)

  5. Nuke it from orbit... by suss · · Score: 5, Funny

    It's the only way to be sure.

  6. Have you tried by srjh · · Score: 5, Funny

    Updating your virus definitions?

  7. Re:Set it out in the Sun by markov_chain · · Score: 5, Funny

    I'd think twice about doing this. You will end up killing 99% of the bugs, but the 1% that survive will be sunlight resistant! You'll kill us all!

    --
    Tsunami -- You can't bring a good wave down!
  8. Re:Set it out in the Sun by CastrTroy · · Score: 5, Funny

    This is Slashdot. I think you need to go into more explanation about this whole sunlight thing.

    --

    Anthropic principle: We see the universe the way it is because if it were different we would not be here to see it.
  9. Don't worry about it. by camperdave · · Score: 5, Funny

    The problem is that I used my laptop during my periods of feverish deliriousness, contaminating my shiny 15" MacBook Pro with the icky influenza virus. I am asking my fellow Slashdotters if they have ever sought out a good way of disinfecting their lucky laptops after an illness

    Don't worry about it. There isn't a virus yet that can make the leap from biological to technological infection. Your laptop is perfectly safe.

    --
    When our name is on the back of your car, we're behind you all the way!
    1. Re:Don't worry about it. by shermo · · Score: 5, Funny

      They said that about bird flu

      --
      Insanity: voting in the same two parties over and over again and expecting different results
    2. Re:Don't worry about it. by Hognoxious · · Score: 5, Funny

      I'm OK, I run linux. Odd, because bothe my parents are mainframes. Maybe I'm adopted or something.

      --
      Confucius say, "Find worm in apple - bad. Find half a worm - worse."
  10. Obligatory... by Sensible+Clod · · Score: 5, Funny

    Nuke it from orbit. It's the only way to be sure...

    --

    The difference between spam and poop is that you don't have to dig through septic tanks looking for real food. -- Me
  11. Re:Lysol by Darkk · · Score: 5, Funny

    A good ol' alcohol wipe will do the trick! You know, like the alcohol prep pads doctors use to disinfect your skin before sticking you with a needle. We use them all of the time at work to disinfect our cameras after daily use.

    Disinfect your cameras after daily use? Do I wanna know?

  12. Re:UV light by Walt+Dismal · · Score: 5, Funny
    "UV light damages virii so that they cannot reproduce."

    Unfortunately, this does not work on illegal aliens, spammers, trolls, and people who listen to Amy Winehouse.

  13. Re:Lysol by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 5, Funny

    I dunno, there's something about this ask slashdot that doesn't quite ring true.

    He's the kind of guy that:

    • keeps a thermometer in his desk
    • uses his laptop when he's too sick to work
    • gets up at 3am to take his temperature
    • asks slashdot how to disinfect his laptop

    and yet... he has a wife?