On most laptops there will be various covers held in place by screws under and on the side of the base. One will cover the RAM (two narrow circuit boards with several microprocessors attachedin a row), another will cover the main processor (a single, chunky square microprocessor) and one will contain the hard drive - usually a silver case, about the size of a cigarette packet but thinner, that slides into the slot.
The fault is unlikely to be the hard drive, if you are getting nothing at all. But, lots of hard drives available of eBay... also cheap laptops. The C840 is selling for under £200GBP, less than a major repair might cost you.
Can you borrow another poser supply to check that it is working? Or a multi-meter to check the power is coming out of the plug. The charging light on the PSU does not necessarily mean there is power going into the computer.
Does the charging LED on the laptop light up, even though there is not any life from the computer? If not, it is likely to be a problem on the circuit board, possibly where the power socket is soldered on.
If the laptop does appear to be charging, is the power switch faulty? (Have you got the second button that powers up Dell Media Direct? Does that work?) If it is a power switch fault, the can prise the cover with the power switch off (if it is the same as my Dell) using a screwdriver in the slot above the keyboard on the right hand side, next to the hinge.
failing that... it is off to a computer repair man.
Ivor, October 2008
