hmm..I actually am authorized to work on Dell Laptops (haven't in years, but I'm up on certifications..;) Usually if a Motherboard goes, you don't get very far past POST (usually the 'non-graphic' portion of bootup).

I've actually called Dell tech support, and I've talked to what I term 'script kiddies'..in other words, they have  a diagram or list of steps to follow, that they get confused if you skip a step on them (they have to ask them in order) or get 'off script'..:|  Alas, I've also had problems with their grasp of English (or American), but that's another subject..;)

If you're getting up to the Operating Sysem, that's a good sign. What you got before is something known to us 'geek-types' call 'The Blue Screen of Death'. What you best should do is find the tiny scrap of English on the screen (usually something like 'IRQ not equal to', or 'Problem with miniNT4.dll', etc. That's the best clue of what's actually going on. Usually, it's producing a 'log', of what actually went wrong, on a very low level, and incorporating it into a file, usually ending with a suffix of '.log'. The log file (if the first-level techs can understand it..sorry, I've been doing tech support for 19 years, and I occasionally get miffed at talking to someone in tech support who knows less than I do..;)  can  be examined to see what's wrong.

The problem with laptops, is, as mentioned above, everything is pretty much geared towards that model, and none other. I would ask for a 2nd opinion, maybe a local PC shop, if you know one you can trust. The actual problem could be anything, as we don't know what it said. Replacing a motherboard in a laptop isn't something I'd recommend to anyone who isn't fairly familiar with the subject (desktops are another matter, sometimes they have a little wiggle room; laptops have to fit exactly, and there's cables, Ziff connectors, more cables, tiny tiny screws, yada yada..;)

In short, have someone who's up on fixing computers have a look at it before you shell out the buckaroonies for a repair. Heck, a re-image would probably be a better idea before you go whole hog like that..good luck..

I wish I'd said that.. The Staircase Wit

anahl nathrak uth vas betude doth yel dyenvey..;)