Just to beat jab and the other techno gods here.........BACK-UP, back-up., back-up.

LOL, now I need to take that advice. It's always "I'll get around to it.......someday" and by that time it will probably be too late. All my pics, docs etc will be lost.

Other than that, I can't help with the problem. Not sure, but has your hubby tried a vacuum to "suck out" the hard drive info?

If the motherboard is dead, the hard drive can be pulled out and plugged into this: http://www.coolest-gadgets.com/20070222/access-any-old-hard-drive-via-usb/

So... you get a new laptop. Pull out the hard drive from the old laptop and plug it into this device. Then plug this device into the USB port of your new laptop and fish out the files.

If you backed it up on disk, that is the important part. Any new computer or hard drive will be able to read it. Glad you did that! It saves a lot of heartache.

You don't understand.... remove the hard drive from the old laptop once you get a new laptop. Plug the old drive into the device (at the link) and plug the USB from the device into your NEW laptop's USB port. Your new laptop will just pick it up as an external drive. You can copy your files from the old drive onto your NEW laptop. You will also be able to retrieve some if not most of your emails and bookmarks.

Tried a simple windows start-up disk? A Windows CD?
Anything on the screen? Checked the BIOS? (or CMOS as Sid would say... )

Is there any sound when trying to boot up?

Tapping F8 before windows starts to get different startup options?
Could be a simple boot file corrupted.
Does it recognize CDRom? You could burn a startup disk with Lappy's operating system.
That should get you definitely to repair/restore options.

Hal, is it you?

Dave Bowman: Hello, HAL. Do you read me, HAL?
HAL: Affirmative, Dave. I read you.
Dave Bowman: Open the pod bay doors, HAL.
HAL: I'm sorry, Dave. I'm afraid I can't do that.
Dave Bowman: What's the problem?
HAL: I think you know what the problem is just as well as I do.
Dave Bowman: What are you talking about, HAL?
HAL: This mission is too important for me to allow you to jeopardize it.
Dave Bowman: I don't know what you're talking about, HAL.
HAL: I know that you and Frank were planning to disconnect me, and I'm afraid that's something I cannot allow to happen.
Dave Bowman: [feigning ignorance] Where the hell did you get that idea, HAL?
HAL: Dave, although you took very thorough precautions in the pod against my hearing you, I could see your lips move.
Dave Bowman: Alright, HAL. I'll go in through the emergency airlock.
HAL: Without your space helmet, Dave? You're going to find that rather difficult.
Dave Bowman: HAL, I won't argue with you anymore! Open the doors!
HAL: Dave, this conversation can serve no purpose anymore. Goodbye.

I freakin' love that movie!