I have a similar problem. I have a B&S 6.5 HP self propelled YardMan. It is a few years old. I bought it used and lost the gamble. The guy had it put in storage for a while. I got it home, filled the tank only to see the gas leak out of the front of the primer and air filter. I took the carb apart, cleaned out the thick gunk in the bowl and ports, put everything back together only to break the pull cord on first pull. I replaced that, cleaned the magneto, changed the oil, checked the spark, and felt for compression. All things checked out good. I took the carb apart and cleaned it yet again and this time replaced the gasket between the carb and air filter. Still no luck. It will start for a second when I prime it like 20 times or with a little starter fluid, but thats it. Why aren't I getting gas to the engine? Ideas? I've done all I know how. Thanks

Your husband may well be able to rebuild this computer. However it would be best to ensure that the issue is with the motherboard and not some other component. What if you buy the board for $100 after being absolutely sure it is the same and all the current components are compatible but the computer still does not work. Returning good parts is not an accepted way with computer stores. The chances of finding a 6 year old motherboard are slim at best, current boards will not accept those older parts probably. Somewhere on that board is a model number and revision number to make the search easier. Most importantly you cannot use your current XP operating system so you need to buy another one, another $100 plus gone and for an operating system 2 steps behind the times. Your current XP is tied to the specific motherboard it was installed on with factory built computers. You will need to ensure you either have all the CDs that came with the computer so that all the drivers are available or that you can find them for free online. The processor will need cleaning once removed and it will require Arctic Silver or equal quality paste to re-seat the heatsink on the processor. This bit is the most difficult or frightening apart from deciding on what parts are compatible. Do the math then take a look at today's computers for pricing. Also if hubby feels good about it check components to self build, it can be a very gratifying experience once all the parts are determined and compatible with each other. You likely will only be able to salvage the hard drive from the existing machine if you build new.

Les, thanks for the links. I'm looking at all the options. Summiebee, we don't presently have an alarm system, but we've thought about purchasing one. It would be great if it also doubles as child protection in some way. I know ADT is a reputable company. Daisyadair - thanks for sharing your story about your creative daughter. Aren't they inventive? Hope all is going well for your family. Thanks for the link. I now feel more informed about the various options out there. I'm wondering if my son could figure out how to remove window stops. parsonse, I've looked at the Guardian Angel window guards, and they seem to be an excellent option. I also wondered if my youngest could figure out the unlocking mechanisms though. ideefixe, you're right that it's probably unlikely that our child would exit out of the home through his window in the case of fire. However, we just built our home, and there are codes related to emergency exit situations. I know we could bolt all the windows shut, but I'm hoping there is a better option than that. Yes, any 7-year-old might take out a window screen, but I need to stress that my boys do not display normal fear reactions in dangerous situations. When my oldest was just five years old, he ran up to the top of the balcony at our church, after the service, and to our horror, proceeded to climb over the edge. He was hanging by one arm! This is not "normal" on a daily basis. Even though we've discussed the dangers of opening upstairs windows and told both boys that they are not allowed to open windows in the house, they have both done so anyway. I have no faith whatsoever that my youngest won't try this again in a more daring fashion in the future. Thanks for the window safe link. Jan

Wow, here I am almost 8 months later and there is very little progress toward our bathroom! No word at all from Jim, the contractor. I wonder if he is still doing the commercial job or if he even wants our work. Plus, Toby, our dog, is even older now - 16 - and on prednisone, so he is peeing a lot. He has doggy dementia, too. He is not terribly confused, not enough to put him down, but there is no way I want new, clean grout on that floor. The bathroom is on hold until he decides to take a trip over the rainbow bridge. I have just contracted to replace the last four windows in the house. The aluminum sliders will be gone in 6 weeks or less! We are getting an awning window for the bathroom with a blind in the glass that can be raised and lowered. It is our sunniest room, and light from that window lights up the whole end of the hallway. I wanted the option to raise the blinds up. The three bedrooms are getting double casement windows with blinds in the glass. Hey - I don't clean, so the blinds are a major, major plus for us! Now I have to get windowsills for all three bedrooms. And for the bathroom, the need for a windowsill is forcing me to decide on the counter top for the vanity. It seems to me that they should be the same material. Tomorrow I am going to try to find the Cambria Quartz source for the area. I want the place where I can get a leftover piece of someone else's slab, since I need such a small piece. My vanity is only 18" x 46". I am hoping for the color called Parys. [houzz=https://www.houzz.com/photos/cambria-countertop-2010-traditional-kitchen-phvw-vp~2704735] Since I still have not chosen the color for the wall tiles in the bathroom, the color for the vanity top is going to determine what direction we go, since it is the next critical decision that I have to make. I like Parys because it is dark and will contrast with the white sink. It will also contrast with all the different wall tiles I have considered. I especially love the glowing blue bits in it. It reminds me of my favorite stone I use when making jewelry, Labradorite! It has that chatoyancy, that glow when it catches the light just right. Opal also does that. Parys just glows in any light. Other things I have made progress on have to do with the vanity. I have sanded it and have decided to replace the original drawer pulls. No way will we enjoy finding the little bail that recedes into a groove on those babies. I am going to fill the holes and then drill one center hole and use a glass knob with chrome in the center. I had already purchased three of them to use on the new cupboards that I was adding into the wall across from the vanity. I have also removed the metal floor protectors on the bottom of the 8 vanity legs and discovered that the small feet that can be leveled that I purchased will fit into the ends of the legs. Holes have to be drilled for them. Because the floor will be made waterproof, and sloped toward a drain, if I did not put levelers into the feet of the vanity, the whole thing would be unlevel and the sink would not drain properly. A and C below make up my leg levelers. Yes, I do try to think of everything. When you have THREE YEARS to do nothing but plan, you do a lot of planning! I have also purchased the shower plumbing - the rainhead, the shower temperature balancing valve, and three volume controls, one for the rain head, one for the shower head, and one for the hand-held, and the controls will each have those labels on them! I already had the shower head. I still have to decide on the hand-held system. I also purchased a really cute hand towel holder. I don't like the rings because the towel gets bunched and does not dry well. This one is from Ginger and it has two bars that move on a swivel, independently of each other. The bars are 12 inches long and the holder holds them a good 2" away from the wall. Plus, since they swivel the whole way around, if one is particularly wet, you can pull it away from the wall and it will hang perpendicular to the wall as you wait until it is dry. In this picture, they show the arms out away from the wall. Normally, they will hang closer to the wall that the thing is mounted on, I would think. For instance, I plan to hang it on the wall to the side of the vanity. The arms would be folded up close to the wall most of the time. I suppose you could install it on the wall next to the medicine cabinet and have the towels hang over the vanity area, if you liked.