Help...I screwed up

I just bought a Compaq presario 2 weeks ago from CompUSA. Being the dumbass novice that I am, I just shorted out my computer trying to upgrade the RAM and now there is no power whatsoever. I did remove the existing RAM board at one point but put it back in the same bank. IMO there is no noticeable evidence that I removed the back cover, but I am wondering if they will know one way or another that I "tampered" with my computer when I take it back either under warranty or the 30 day return policy.

Umm…you're not seriously expecting anyone in this forum to condone your proposed fraud are you? I don't mean to sound harsh but why should the supplier repair or replace the computer that you broke? It's not as if you're saying 'I don't know if it was something I did but my computer doesn't work'. You've admitted that you know you caused the damage. What I'd advise is that you contact the supplier and get a quote for a repair…might be worth hamming it up a bit on the 'I'm a complete novice' front and they might even offer a discounted rate or maybe bung the labour in for free. As to whether they'd know if you'd opened the back. I couldn't say…I guess it would depend on how hard they look at it (and since you won't be the first to try it on, they might look pretty hard)…scratches or slight marks on the screws…slightly misaligned board…short-out marks…and, if they really believe you're committing fraud, there's always fingerprints. I say all that because a pal of mine recently bought a digital camera. After taking just 14 shots the retractable lens stuck halfway out and the troubleshooting fix in the manual didn't work. In all good faith, in his case, he returned it for a replacement. Nope. The supplier said the lens motor had been damaged by the user (now how did they work that out? - there was obviously 'evidence' when they examined the camera). My pal's best guess is that the 'on' button must have been accidentally pressed while the camera was in its case in his pocket…and the strain on the retractable lens of having to push against the cover caused the damage. Either way, they won't replace it and it'll cost one third of the price of the camera to repair it. Cheers….