I'm always a sucker for a bargain, sometimes going way out on a limb
only to watch it be chopped off.

Picked up the above today fairly cheap off Craigslist. Symptom was that
battery wasn't charging, and backlight intermittent (it almost never
worked).

Battery issue turned out to be due to aftermarket power supply. Fixed.

Symptom: backlight came on upon power up, but only lasted a few seconds.
Would again come on after return from hibernate mode. External
display worked fine. Visible image on the internal LCD.

Web research indicated this model had an issue with display, most often
due to a defective magnetic reed switch which signals lid closure.
Diagnostic test for this is to put a small magnet near the location of
the switch and observe. I did that, except I used a hard drive magnet.
Sure enough, the screen lit momentarily, and the machine went into
standby...as if the lid was being closed.

Further experimentation produced longer 'on' times, so I thought I might
be 'on' to something. Sure enough, exercising the reed switch
repeatedly with the powerful hd magnet apparently 'unstuck' the switch,
and it's working fine now.

I wonder if it will last....

jak