Surface Pro 8 – Hardware-Liquid Damage

Device: Microsoft Surface Pro 8

Pre-incident condition: Fully functional, no known hardware faults

Incident Details

• A small Coca-Cola spill occurred around the Type Cover (keyboard) connector area only
• Area exposed cleaned immediately 
• No liquid exposure to USB-C ports, Surface Connect charging port, vents, or display
• Type Cover remained attached following the spill
• Device was left connected to the charger for approximately 3 hours after the spill, with the keyboard still attached

Observed Behaviour (Following Morning)

• Device will not power on unless connected to AC power
• Investigated- Found liquid around type cover (nothing visible on the ports)
• When powered on:
• Boots normally
• Reaches Windows login
• After login and loading the desktop, the system shuts down abruptly without warning
• Shutdown occurs consistently after OS load
• No shutdown occurs during UEFI/POST

Security / Firmware Event

• Device subsequently displayed a BitLocker recovery prompt
• Correct recovery key was entered
• System successfully decrypted and booted into Windows
• Device again shut down abruptly after reaching the desktop

Current Status

• Device is currently powered off
• No factory reset, OS reinstall, or internal cleaning attempted
• Type Cover and charger have been disconnected
• No visible external corrosion or physical damage

Assessment Context

• SSD, display, and CPU appear functional (successful OS load)
• Failure appears load-dependent and occurs post-login
• Behaviour suggests possible power delivery, embedded controller, or internal board-level instability
• No user-replaceable component has been identified as a definitive failure point

Please advise on:

1. Viability of the device for reliable continued use
2. Whether the observed behaviour is consistent with recoverable hardware condition or non-economical repair
3. Whether Microsoft recommends replacement vs. repair given the described failure pattern