Question about hardware

[TongKe Xue <tkxue@stanford.edu>]

Hello,

Apologies if not closely related to mailing list; not sure where else to ask
for help -- need some help w/ Hardware

I've used both Gentoo (yay emerge!) & Debian (yay apt-get!) at one time or
another; I hope you'll not flame me for my somewhat offtopic post on account
of that.

If you respond, please CC me a copy of the email; the lists are a bit too
high volume for me, so I'll be unsubscribing shortly afterwards.

Store named written as XYZ to avoid bashing an entire store
just because of one bad experience.

Scenario:
  Laptop got broken a while back
   - BIOS won't even load; just has blank screen when
     I turn it on; tried to "login blindly" -- wait 2 minutes
     (better finish loading by then), typing in user/password,
     then typing some command to make it beep -- nothing happens
   - Not running sshd on laptop; so unable to try to login 
     via LAN
  Tried to get it fixed yesterday
  Service desk at XYZ's requires that a HD be in the laptop for
    them to troubleshoot it (side note: I don't even recall them
    mentioning "the original" HD, just "a HD").
    [how fscked up is this? they don't have extra HD's lying around?]
  I can't do that because
    * I don't trust random people with data on my computer (i.e.
        nothing prevents them from making a backup, and trying to
        do identity theft on me)
    * I use to use Mozilla; the password/form manager has old
        passwords on it
    * I use GAIM ... AIM password also stored on there
    * I worked unofficially with a CS Prof on trying to improve a
        program his research group developed (source code on my laptop),
        and I can not distribute the source code [and I have no guarantee
        the service desk ppl won't copy the code]

So here's what I tired:
  * Asked store about separate HDs for given model of laptop
  * Bought a separate laptop HD; ppl at XYZ's service desk won't lend
      me a screw driver to switch HD, so had to leave store, install
      HD, then come back to the service desk a 2nd time
  * Apparently the people at XYZ's says warranty only valid if
      original configuration (so they won't fix it)

So here's my question:
  * Is there some way I can access the laptop HD (2.5" I think,
      don't remember exact specs) ... I need is some hardware so
      that I can mount the HD under linux, and I can take care of
      the rest. (Perferably USB, I'm not familiar with firewire; though
      if I have to open up my computer to connect it in, that's fine too).

Anyone have bad scenarios like this? I think I'm going to avoid
laptops at XYZ for the rest of my life; anyone know of a company
that actually offers good warranty service?


Thanks,
--TongKe Xue

-- 
Luke 12:48 "From everyone who has been given much, much will be demanded;
and from the one who has been entrusted with much, much more will be asked."
I'm so screwed. Time to stop wasting time, do something good for humanity,
and hope I can compensate my earlier laziness with future hard work.