So I dropped my computer…

from about table height down to a very hard and unforgiving floor. And it didn’t like it very much. At all. So it shut down in protest.

After refitting the parts that fell off (part of a USB port and the IR-port cover), I tried to turn it on – no luck. No lights were lit, including the one indicating charging. So naturally the next step was to check if the battery was loose. It wasn’t, but I took it out anyway just to be sure. After refitting the battery I tried the power button again. No luck.

At this point I started to get worried. Really worried. But I would not give up (partly because I had no battery on my iPod, had forgotten my charger at home and there was nothing good on TV. Normally I would have waited and hoped it had resolved itself by the time I got back to it). So with a little help from my trusty IKEA toolkit and a screwdriver that kinda sorta fit, I got the covers away from the RAM and HD slots.

It is virtually impossible for an untrained eye like mine to see if anything is broken on the two components, but I pried them out anyway to have a look. The both looked ok (meaning they were not broken in two or bent at funny angles) so I put them back in again: after a bit of trial and error and prying with the aforementioned screwdriver they slotted into place. You should think it is as easy to put them in as it was to take them out - but it never is.

At least now I know that I have a HD from Fujitsu and RAM from some manufacturer I had never heard of and have already forgotten…

After refitting the covers I tried the power button again. Lo and behold: it worked! My trusty old computer booted up, no problems. I love electronics that, when broken, gets fixed after looking sternly at the individual parts…

This was Saturday evening, and it still works. It’s as good today as the day I got it! Apart from a broken keyboard that had an unfortunate run-in with some coffee, cracked cover around the hinges and middle due to an unfortunate run-in with a shoe, partly busted audio out due to tripping over a headset cable and a partly busted USB port due to the mentioned run-in with the floor. But aside from those minor details it’s all good!

I should take better care of my computer...