Could it be that a voltage to the motherboard is bad? It is a long shot, but if the lightening shorted some component that is pulling down that voltage, any circuit it powers will not work. Can you check the voltages into the bluetooth board or out of a USB port? Do you know if the USBs all send data to the same serial device on the motherboard? I do not know if Bluetooth also feeds the same ASIC. It might (it is a low data rate device). You will probably need to swap the motherboard.

Any chance of finding a schematic? There would not be a 110v/220v switch that might be in the wrong position? (I had to ask). I am guessing you are not hearing a 60Hz hum, so it is probably not a filter cap. See if there is a reference zener (looks like a diode). It may be labeled CRx or ZNx, VRx or Vrefx. These are available in many values, but are only stable in certain values (that's Physics for you - only partly stable). If the reference is bad the output would only go a few volts high or low which should produce that symptom.

Answer to 2: Alcohol should not cause any corrosion. It is often used as a cleaner for electronic assemblies (now that we cannot get Freon). Some adhesives don't like alcohol much. Most plastics should tolerate it well. Water *may* leave a greenish residue. Copper corrodes into a green dust. Distilled water will not do much harm, Sea water is really bad. I would scrub (gentle pressure) with a soft brush (they sell acid brushes for this purpose) any green residue and probably with a brush that had some alcohol on it. If you need a more serious scrubbing tool, you can trim the bristles to no less than 1/4" long but do not push so hard you bend the bristles. There are lots of sites that teach basic electronics. Most portable devices are really, really complex. Just 10 years ago an iPod would have required a desk full of electronics. In 10 more years it will probably be implanted at birth. Many of the parts are 'programmed' (look up FPGA and ASIC) and you could not make a replacement even if you could get the...

You may check your Energy setting for 'Put Drives to Sleep' and ensure that is off. Update: You could have a bed drive (even if new). Look, if a company makes a million of something there is a good chance that at least one of them is bad. I have a FireWire drive that is externally powered and sometimes it just stops. I think it is the drive itself.

Does the DVD have a headphone jack? If it does, check that and see if it works. If it works, try a headphone on the surround sound amplifier. If that does not work, check wires from DVD, if it does work I would double check the wiring to the speakers (on the back of the surround sound and at the speakers). The wires can break right at the speakers or touch or you can 'crimp' them on the insulation (not that *I* have ever done that). If that all looks OK, do you have another speaker and wire you can try to connect just long enough to verify operation? If that does not work, could volume be turned down? If still does not work, I would disconnect all speakers from surround and try just one known good one and wire. If still does not work, see if where you bought it can test it. Good luck.

Yes, and no.... It probably will not work the way you wish it would, to be able to play the iPod through the stereo. However, if you designate part of the iPod as a hard drive *and* you store songs on that hard drive in mp3 format *and* your stereo will play mp3 files from a USB memory device it *should* work. See Apple's support for how to designate part of your iPod as a Hard Drive or use this link: http://www.ilounge.com/index.php/article...-guide-to-using-iPods-as-hard-disks/ Another option would be to use an Aux input on your stereo with a cable like this: http://www.mac-pro.com/iPod-Headphone-Jack-to-2-RCA-Jack-6-Foot Note: If you use this cable, turn your iPod volume all the way down and your stereo volume to less than 1/4th and turn the iPod volume up very slowly. If the iPod volume is too high you will get bad distortion. You want your stereo to do most of the amplifying (it was designed for that).

You could try different screwdrivers. Generally only the center of the screw strips. Using a screw driver with a larger tip may work. If you have already removed one if the screws, wrap some tape around the threads (so it is harder to lose if you drop it) and take it to the hardware store or a good Electronics store (one that sells electronic parts Radio Shack or better). Put the screwdriver in the screw head and try to wiggle the screwdriver back and forth, it should not wiggle at all (there should be no 'play' in the fit). Look at the fit from the side. You want the screwdriver tip to 'fill' the slot in the head of the screw, a little more is ok, less concentrates your effort on less metal and bad things happen. You can also try a small (good quality) straight blade screw driver. Sometimes there is enough metal left for them to grip. Note: Now is the time to buy that good quality screwdriver you have always wanted. Cheap will most likely make things worse.

It could be temperature related. Many companies, trying to be more energy efficient, shut down the Air Conditioning at night. I would run Console and check your log files. You should be able to see if a chron job or temperature is shutting it down. If you do not understand what Console is, someone will either need to do some studying or hire a Unix Guru. You may be able to send the logs to Apple Support, if you have a Service Agreement. It is far beyond the scope of this site to instruct how to analyze log files. If you think it might be temperature related, leave the door to the room the server is in open (put furniture in the way with a 'do not move' sign) or put a cheap box fan (less than $20) where it will blow air on the server and see if it stays up that night. Note: this is a test, not a permanent solution.

If you have not changed the battery on the Motherboard, that might be it. IT can cause strange power up and down problems.

Unless you are cutting other ceramics or diamonds, these knives should almost never get dull. Use a wood or bamboo cutting board (ceramic, glass or metal is a no-no) and push less. They cut so well because they are so much harder than anything you will encounter in cooking. Bone has a hardness of about 3.5, steel knives about 6.5 and ceramic knives about 9.5. Diamonds are 10. If you really want to sharpen them you will need a fine or very fine diamond sharpener. The diamond size should be as small as you can get—1000 or more (6 microns or smaller). DMT makes good ones. You can find diamond sharpeners at better hardware, woodworking, and sporting goods stores. They should cost $20 to $60. The trouble is that ceramic is so hard it will take a lot of effort to restore the edge. Use water to lubricate and clean your sharpener. Be prepared to rub (use light pressure) about a dozen times, rinse the diamond and repeat many, many times. Inspect the edge with a magnifying glass. General knife sharpening rules...