Brooks Moses

First, let me say, this post rocks! My Compaq 2195US AND my boyfriend's Sony both have DC jack issues. The AC adapter on mine get's really really hot, the computer runs, but once it gets so hot, the lappy shuts itself down. I took it to a repair dude, and he was like "the jack itself is broken, it'll be $350 to fix"... FORGET IT, the laptop is 2+ years old, out of warranty, and since I have limited experience, might as well try it myself. I tore it apart, and with the help from this post, I used that link to order a new jack. I have never actually soldered anything before, I do plan on practicing on a clock like you suggested in an earlier post, but is there anything I should know before I do it to my laptop? I heard a rumor that you can burn out the middle layer of a multi-layer motherboard easily... is this true in your opinion? What can you advise me to be careful of? And also, someone mentioned to me to use a de-soldering wick before attaching the new jack... ??? One more: If I'm asking these questions, should I just take my motherboard and the peice to a professional? lol