The prognosis appears to be terminal.
This started sometime back.
Everything was fine until I attempted to download Microsoft's Window's XP Service Pack 3.
My computer got hung up during the install and I was forced to do a hard reboot.
When I did I got a blue screen memory parity error.
From that point on, I was only able to boot in Safe Mode.
When I researched the problem I discovered that Microsoft was offering FREE TECHNICAL SUPPORT for XP SP# issues until April of 2009! For those of you familiar with Microsoft, you know that this is unprecedented and indicative of their foreknowledge that they had a problem.
So I have been availing myself of this support for MONTHS. I'm even getting personalized, persistant, 2nd Tier technical support. They even sent me a bootable Windows XP CD so we can troubleshoot at the next level.
Unfortunately, my computer has since ceased to function entirely.
I came upstairs the other night to find my computer turned off. I never turn it off. When I tried to boot, the power light went amber for a few seconds, the hard drive light didn't blink at all and the computer went dead. Nothing.
I've tried some troubleshooting suggestions from Dell.com and they didn't help.
I tried cracking the case, cleaning the innards and wiggling stuff around. That didn't work.
So. I have some decisions to make.
Do I spend hundreds of dollars replacing component by component until I stumble across the right combination that brings my XPS back to life?
Do I yank the hard drive and send the rest to The Geek Squad and spend hundreds of dollars to see if they can fix the problems?
Or do I cut my losses, spend $400 on a new laptop that does 80% of what I need (email, blogger, twitter & HD porn) and cannibalize the 200gb hard drive and whatever else I can salvage from the XPS?
Your thoughts?
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