I suggest that you replace your HDD with a SSD, usually you only need to open a clap on the backside ... I asume it is the one in the middle above the battery slider labeld with a "3" ! Picture of backside
I assume it is CHEAPER if you buy a used NEWER iPhone for less than 100 € than trying to replace the display ! I have the same problem since several years, and have upgraded first to 3g and now a 4s model in the meantime
As far as I know, you shouldnt get problems as long as your SSD/HDD has a capacity of less than 2.19 TB ! I suggest reading http://www.wdc.com/wdproducts/library/Wh...-771501.pdf yourself ... ... limitations of 512-byte Sector Size may prefent you from using drives with higher capacity and there might be problems with capacities of more than 4TB, HFS+ should support volume sizes of up to 80000000 TB = 8 exabyte ( https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/HFS_Plus )
Exact THIS problem is one of the reasons why I havnt installed Linux on my MBP until now :( Are you using a TRIPLE boot, or Linux instead of OS X ? As I also want to play MechWarrior Online on my MBP, which requires Windows and at least the 650m GPU used in our 9,1 version of the MBP, I am interestend in experiences with TRIPLE boot for OSX & Win & Linux from other users too.
IF you are lucky, and have a newer version of this model which had been sold with OS X Lion or newer, you only need to put a new HDD, or even better a SSD, into your MBP model A1286 and connect it to the internet during installation ... see https://support.apple.com/en-us/HT201314 for details. Internet Recovery installs the version of OS X that originally came with your computer. After installation is finished, use the Mac App Store to install related updates or later versions of OS X.
I suggest that you ask for help in the nearest HACKERSPACE ( https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hackerspac... ) As I live in Vienna, and I am a member of 0xFF, I can be found at a hackerspace myself sometimes ( https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Metalab ) Just check https://wiki.hackerspaces.org/List_of_Ha... for a hackerspace in your area and visit them ... the guys there are usually friendly and willing to help you AND hackerspaces usually have a good connection to the internet which they may share with you for little or no cost at all. PS: Unless you are from Nebraska, like Penny ( http://bigbangtheory.wikia.com/wiki/Penn... ) , the next Hackerspace shouldnt be too far away ;P
Check that you havnt been infected by a VIRUS ! RESETING your device to factory defaults should help you to get rid of a VIRUS, but if you dont know where you infected your device you might get infected again :( http://androidforums.com/threads/android-permissions-explained-security-tips-and-avoiding-malware.36936/
I once had a similar problem with a completly worn out phillips screw in a Fujitsu ESPRIMA laptop ... I asked a friend to help me removing this screw. He used a method similar to what you call the "Dremel", although he used a DIY crafted device for drilling the screw. The trick is not to drill into the case below the screw but only into the thicker part of the screw until you reach the slimer thread and the thicker part falls off. Then you can remove the component from the case and use pliers to get the remnant of the thread of the screw out of the case. Before you do that on the "real" worn out screw with a Dremel yourself, I suggest that you TRAIN it with screws of similar size in something which doesnt cost as much as a MBP Upper case ;P
I prefer ENAMEL ( https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Industrial... ) coated iron cookware