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I'd go with the hard drive adapter to USB, and pick up another laptop. I buy used laptops off eBay. Have a few HP NC6000 around, but those have a couple of chronic issues, power adapter coming loose being one, and a power control chip being another. Latest laptop is a Lenovo T420. $230 or so, shipped. It's plenty fast, has a nice screen, etc.

The power adapter repair route works too, but if a competent tech says the motherboard/adapter can't be reliably repaired, I'd trust him (or her). If you haven;t worked with solder before, don;t try the repair yourself, unless you are willing to risk the motherboard. My tech tells me he sees quite a few "ruined" boards, where he has to run wires to replace traces burned up by do it yourselfers.