You didn't break anything. It's definitely a hardware problem. If it was dead RAM, you'd get beeps when you started the computer. If it was the hard drive, you'd get a "no operating system" error. If it was your power supply, you probably wouldn't have been getting the blue-screens nor the disk check.
If none of the above applies, it's probably your motherboard. Since it's a laptop, this is not something you replace, and unless it's still under warranty and you can send it back to the manufacturer, the fix is to get a new laptop and simply salvage the RAM and the hard drive. DVD rom too, if you want it.

If you'd prefer verifying whether it's the RAM or the hard drive, you can swap either out with a friends computer and see if you have any luck. If not, you can pretty much default to the mobo crapping out. Again, since it's not practical to replace a laptop mobo, you'll be purchasing a new laptop.

This can either be a software problem, or a software problem caused by a hardware problem. I bought a laptop back in '03 that, right out of the gate, had an issue where any time I would power down, I had to end up restoring system files. I never figured out what it was, but I always assumed it was possibly a bad cmos chip or some other issue with the motherboard, because no matter how many times I wiped and re-installed, the issue persisted.

With that in mind, the first easiest/cheapest way to test your options is to make sure it's not just a software problem. You can start by updating all your drivers, doing a cleaning and defrag, scanning for viruses, and seeing if that fixes the issue.
If this doesn't solve it, you go more drastic. Wipe and re-install. Install all your drivers and monitor the situation. Go? No go?

Finally, failing the above, you move on to hardware problems. Like I told BD up there, try to see if you can swap out the swappable stuff and see if it makes a difference. RAM, HD, maybe replace the CMOS battery for sh*ts and giggles.

I don't know about where you live, but over here most of the PC repair shops will let you bring a computer in and have the hardware checked for free. These tend to be the shops that sell hardware, so keep that in mind. But don't go out and buy new parts just to test an old throwaway laptop. Do what you can to borrow or utilize a friends', or a PC repair shop. Shops always have loads of spares lying around for this very purpose.

If you can determine that it is/isn't the swappable stuff, go from there. If it's not the RAM, not the HD, etc. then you can pretty much bank on it being the motherboard. And like I told BD, this is not something you're going to be getting repaired or replaced on a laptop.
Assuming that laptop is no longer under warranty, if it turns out to be the mobo, you can go ahead and start shopping for a new lappy.

You can get an older Dell with an i5 for around 5-600 dollars on Amazon. Lenovo is also another brand that has some low priced offerings. Search 'em up, but beware of the ones that come with Windows 8, or else you'll be buying Windows 7 just to get out from under it if you don't like it.

Good luck.

Danke, Senor

ipod related question, if anyone can help me.
I regularly grab selections of albums from my PC to put on my ipod via Media Monkey, but when I play them in the ipod often some of the albums don't show album art. Now I know that they all do have album art --- I've checked them on MM, shots enclosed. So why would some show up and some not? Any ideas?

It's only a little thing but damn I hate that grey note icon! :rolleyes:
Thanks if anyone can shed any light on this most perplexing mystery! ;)
http://www.trollheart.com/ipod1.png
http://www.trollheart.com/ipod2.png

I don't know about Media Monkey but I know iTunes has two ways of storing artwork. If you paste an image into the info dialogue I believe it pastes the image into the file itself but if you download the artwork through iTunes it stores it separately in an Album Artwork folder. Perhaps Media Monkey doesn't transfer the artwork that is stored separately? Just guessing.

I know some of the artwork can be flaky on my iPod but I don't actually load the songs onto it. I just use home sharing and stream the songs from my iMac. Sometimes I find albums showing the artwork for a completely different album.

Yeah thanks for that stp. The way around it seems to be to use itunes; I just hate the bloody thing! :(
It's odd though that it only happens with some albums, while others are fine.
Oh well, like I say it's not a huge problem and at least I know how to get around it if I really need to.
Thx again for the reply.
TH

iTunes isn't really a way around it. I use iTunes and I still get misfires sometimes. I'm not really sure what causes them but I assume it stems from some there being some little thing somewhere in the way that particular image file was written that the iPod just doesn't like. I've found that replacing the art with a different image file of the same thing usually fixes it.

Yeah I don't seem to have as many problems with iTunes as people complain about but one issue I have is with albums being split so the same album appears two or more times in cover flow. I usually fix it by renaming the album to something else temporarily and then changing it back and it cures whatever annoying glitch it was stuck on.

What determines which are the first images in a google images search? Like a specific word or thing typed in, is it most viewed or most visited?

You would definitely have to ask Google about that. If their methods were common knowledge, they wouldn't be on top.
But generally, I think the things that are most relevant to the query being made will tend to show up more at the top, but not before being initially more accessible due to SEO of the website that is hosting those pictures.

But if there are a large number of images relevant to that image, just say it was a historic even, and there are photos of tapestries and paintings. They are all relevant, but what makes one more relevant than the other? It is the amount of activity directed to those image in relation to the relevant subject?