Vogue–
Not sure what type of info you’re looking for. Would you like feedback on a specific model that you have in mind, or recommendations for laptops in that price range?
Also, to give meaningful feedback to that type of question, we need to know what type of applications you will be running.
Thanks for the recommendation.
For those who haven’t yet seen my disclaimer, I’m not a PC professional, nor a serious hobbyist. I potchke with – er, repair – PCs for myself and family using info gathered from the internet.
yentingyenta–
I realize that it’s a done deal at this point, but I’ve had laptop keyboards destroyed by spilled drinks, and was able to replace the keyboard and restore the PC to full functionality. Even if you don’t do the repair yourself, it can still be far cheaper than replacing the entire PC.
oomis–
Without examining the PC there’s no way of knowing what the problem is.
It may be that a component (such as the hard drive) has jolted loose, a component may be broken, or the PC may be damaged beyond repair (e.g. cracked motherboard).
If there’s someone available to take a quick look at the PC, I recommend that they go into the BIOS setup and see if the hard disk is recognized – if it isn’t, it’s likely damaged or disconnected. Memory is another thing that may have been damaged or loosened.
The fact that the splash screen is showing means at least the LCD isn’t broken and is functioning.