Unfortunately I don't know anyone who has a laptop.

I have an external hard drive which is actually an internal one in an external casing.  Maybe my nephew can swap them out and some of my data can be salvaged.

As for repairs?   Don't know when I'll be able to get a new motherboard.  I do know that I won't be sending it away to Dell for repair.  They'll charge me an arm and a leg, not to mention the shipping costs.   My nephew fixes computers for a living so I figure he should be able to fix a Dell laptop.  It's just a matter of getting a new motherboard for it....if they even make them for this model anymore.  It seems computers are expensive,  but considered disposable   :sad:

I am going to write to Dell and kick up a storm about this though.   I'm really upset that the major component that makes up my 3 year old computer craps out 5 months after my warranty expires. I'm not at all impressed!!!  Downright angry about it actually. 

In the meantime I'll have to get my Poser fixes vicariously through all of you 

"It is good to see ourselves as others see us. Try as we may, we are never
able to know ourselves fully as we are, especially the evil side of us.
This we can do only if we are not angry with our critics but will take in good
heart whatever they might have to say." - Ghandi