Update: I fixed the computer!

Phew! Persistence, and good problem solving skills pay off. I fixed my compusa psycho computer refurbishment. There is a lot to be said for going to bed and coming back to a problem. With a fresh mind I started to walk back through the debug tools, and i relized that if I had a memory failure that odds are that at least one module is still good. It would take something really catastrophic to kill both DDR modules. Fortunately, I was right and wrong. I was right that I didn’t have a memory failure, but wrong to assume to look in the memory circuit. Turns out I just didn’t have the processor seated well. It is an easy mistake to make. The huge heat sink masks the fact that the processor was just not seated properly. Pull the CPU out and put it back in and viola! The hole thing showed me that i really could never be a mac user. I just enjoy electronics too much to let someone build it for me. Now if i ever need the services of another laptop, well . . . . Ill then consider. We’ll I still need to get a new mainboard to fit in the MicroATX case, but at least i know everything else is in good shape.

However, this leaves the question how many times have you left a project in frustration and come back later only to solve your problem, or overcome writer’s block? There is a lot to be said about rest and how important it is.

Next update: My story of firewire observations….I think it can be made a DIY project.