Ok here goes. I have a Gateway Solo 5300 laptop. I realize this model is a little old(purchased in 2001), but I have had lots of trouble free use out of it. I have not had a working battery for a long time now(I fried it by not treating it well) so I always use the AC adapter to power it. I don't have a problem always plugging it in, but just the other day the laptop started losing power whenever the part that plugs into the back of the computer moves, turns, jiggles etc. It's just a brief power interruption, but of course the computer turns off and has to be rebooted. After about a week of this not only did it start to happen more frequently, but the adapter will not come out of the back of the computer now(it's stuck and will rotate but not come out). also if you rotate it in a circle it makes a weird grinding noise. Well I know a decent amount about computers so I have the thing taken apart and I see that the little black plastic box that the adapter slides into that is attached to the motherboard is totally cracked and separated into 2 pieces. Can't really tell whats going on inside of it that it won't let the plug go, but it seems like such a small part that it seems a shame to either replace the whole motherboard($100-$200) or trash it for a new one since it seems to work fine in all other respects and also since I can't afford a new one at the moment. Does anyone know if this is something that can be swapped out maybe by a repair center or if I am just SOL. I'd appreciate any idea at this point. Thanks in advance for any responses.

I've 'heard' of people have a new connector soldered to the motherboard and it fixed the problem. I think it's worth taking to a shop and have it checked. If you are handy with a soldering iron, you might even want to try it yourself. Do yourself a favor BACKUP!

If I were to do it, I think I would also consider epoxying the connector to the motherboard, to make it surdier. Do yourself a favor BACKUP!

Thanks guys I was hoping this was the case. I don't have a soldering iron nor have I used one to date(although I wouldn't mind learning). If I were to try and do it myself do you think I could get the little part from a repair store or would it be too specialized. Hopefully I can just find some shop that will do it for me cheap since I already have the board out and I could take it up there like that.

If you have never done any soldering I would strongly advise taking it to a shop. I'm not sure that all laptops with that problem can be fixed. If it can, it should be pretty inexpensive and safer than trying it yourself. Do yourself a favor BACKUP!

Ham30 you're the man thanks for the info. I've posted this on 3 different boards and you are the only one out of all of them to even try and reply. Thanks again. I will stop by a couple places tomorrow when I get paid.

Cool, Coolcjp. :-) Good luck, I have a feeling that it's gonna work out ok. Do yourself a favor BACKUP!