Ryan's laptop wasn't working, so I took a look at it. It would start to power on, stop, start to power on, stop, start to power on, etc. Looking around on the Wide World of Web, it seemed like the motherboard was the problem. I could not locate any replacement motherboards for her four year old model, but I did find a possible solution at this website:
It said that there is a chip on the board that works loose and the problem is common to this type of computer. A possible solution is to take the motherboard out and bake it in the oven for eight minutes at 385 degrees. This will re-flow the solder and attach the chip again when it cools. (Note: kids, do not try this at home.) With nothing to loose, I disassembled the computer:
and baked the motherboard.
I put it back together, all the time thinking, this is never going to work. Then, I did something stupid. I was putting the screws in on the bottom and without thinking, I put the battery back in. I flipped it over and connected the laptop screen cable to the innerworkings, but I still had to attach the screen to the laptop, when I accidentally hit the power button.
The laptop started booting up and I thought, well, let's see what happens. Lo and behold, it went right to Windows XP for the first time in who knows how long. Well, I turned it off, finished hooking and connecting everything, and booted it up again. It came on again and looks like it's going to be okay. Wow, never thought I could do something like that. Learn something new everyday.
