answer:I’m at work right now (surfing by smartphone) so I’m a little distracted, but give me a few goes and I can help. I can say right now that I’ve seen pristine-looking machines that were bricked, and beat-up rigs that worked perfectly, so an external inspection isn’t always reliable. BTW, some laptops have a slot for a docking station, and some older ones have slots for PCMCIA cards; it way be one of those, or just a spot for a Kensington lock.