So my cousin used a Compaq Presario c700 laptop which started overheating, eventually leading to much global warming-themed humour throughout the family. We eventually got it looked at; the repair guy just put in a new battery and sent us off with a condescending smile. All was well so far. HINT: The following paragraph is some background for those who feel like reading. Do skip this paragraph if you want me to cut to the chase. Three months down the lane, the laptop blew a hole about $300 deep when it fried three external HDDs (each of a 1 TB capacity and almost stuffed with data). Of the three, one was still under warranty, so we returned it to WD (the nicest people ever! They sent us a 2 TB replacement, no questions asked-honestly!) and the service guy told us with his most solemn expression that this was a lost cause (as we wept and mourned the loss of several hundred pirated movies/TV shows/whatnot as well as 3 TB of perfectly good storage). Apparently, the laptop's USB controller had gone psycho, deciding to send double the normal power through the disks (So THAT'S why power corrupts! I get it!) but one thing was for certain: the disks were screwed, as was probably the laptop's USB controller. HINT: Back to the express lane. A little research (around 300 Benjamins, to be precise; for more, read last paragraph) hinted that the laptop will screw up any external disk connected to it. So my cousin got himself a new laptop and kept this for playing games/checking mail/anything that keeps its USB ports starved (Bad doggie! Bad bad doggie! No USB devices for you!). Eventually, even the power system (the whatchamacallit that provides the juice when it's connected to the power outlet) gave way and he was all set to toss this disk-tructor into the garbage, at which stage I told him to hold on to it a little longer. Question: To be or not to be? Just kidding. What I really want to know is what to do with the laptop. It's totally stripped down, with no damage. The bunch of screws in a little cup makes me want to call it the parliament. (Note to self: Stop digressing.) Processor, display and other vitals are still good to go. I had a doctor look at them and he says I can harvest the organs without any legal trouble. Oh, wait. The laptop. Sorry. Yeah, it's still functional except for the battery (deader than bin Laden) and (probably) the USB controller (don't run, just back away slowly; no sudden movements lest it bite you and that 2 TB disk in your pocket). Any DIY projects I can do? I've searched on Google, but I thought I should get some more ideas and diagnoses before getting involved. And if there's nothing worthwhile, selling off parts to some hobbyist is always an option (but buyers are hard to come by in my country. And I mean REAL hard.) Any more information needed, please ask. Will answer to the best of my ability. (If this will be any help: On a tech-savviness scale of illiterate hillbilly to Bill G, I would be closer to the lower end.) Thanks! *goes off to prevent laptop attacking the mailman*
This is great news. But I was thinking I could try some tinkering and make something useful of this. Besides, the mobo is probably not in good condition (esp. since it wrecked three disks!) so I'm not sure whether I can get a good deal for it...