Quote - Normally if the motherboard goes fubar the machine won't boot up at all.

Thanks for the suggestiongs :)

However, it doesn't boot at all. No sound of any kind whatsoever. Just a few green lights  below the screen lighting up for 1 or 2 seconds and then going out...then nothing but the slow flashing green light that indicates there is power.

Anyway, I'm considering that computer toast. One day I'll take out the hard drive and get that adaptor and maybe use it as an extra hard drive in a desktop.

I don't know if you have read the whole thread or not, but I've tried all kinds of things, including  dismantling parts of the computer while on the phone with Dell.  Based on the symptoms and everything I've tried, pretty much everyone is pretty sure it's the motherboard.

"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