signs of life in the laptop...

the board itself actually seems to not have a short in it. the short appears to be connected to the video cable. but, it's bad enough that it's setting off some kind of shut down on the board or something. i don't understand it quite yet...

i decided i was going to fix it rather than sell it. if there was something blown on the board, and it was really bad, i should be able to see it. so, i took it apart to check to see if i could find any blown capacitors or otherwise wonky seeming parts. now, swapping out parts on a board is...i know how to do it, in theory, but i wouldn't bother actually doing it, because i know the outcome. i mean, i know how to take a laptop apart, too, but i couldn't actually do it.

when i was a kid, i wanted to be a surgeon, but i abandoned it because i realized i could barely write my name on the lines. it was actually kind of a profound experience. i've got all this knowledge in my head, but my hands are fucking useless to me.

did i mention i was a nerd?

so, i took it apart and quickly realized there wasn't anything visibly wrong with it. so, i plugged it in for a lark and it got power on the led, indicating  the actual board is ok.

the next thing to do is to put it back together piece by piece, checking to see when it stops. and, it stops when i plug the video in.

i've played with it enough to know that's where the break is, but i'm not yet convinced that the part is broken. it may not be snug enough, or may require some tape. i'm going to ask around on the forums before i give up and order the part.

but, the board is fine, and that's a huge relief.