HP DV6000 won't power on

So, my brother somehow downloaded a bunch of viruses on his laptop. My stepmom is a networking tech, and she told me what to do to fix that. Anyhow, I was downloading antivirus software to the laptop during a Flyers game, and I got up to go to the kitchen. When I came back, the laptop had inexplicably shut off and would not power back on.

Any attempt to power it on caused the power LED to flash 3 times with no further response from the laptop. This is not an LCD issue! An LCD issue would still allow the laptop to power on and begin POST; there is zero response from the laptop after pushing the power button other than the power LED flashing 3 times.

It was connected to AC at the time. Immediate troubleshooting was mostly for battery issues - disconnect from AC, remove/replace the battery and try again, remove battery and connect AC. My stepmom also suggested clearing the power button for 30 sec.

Internet investigation of the problem (by my stepmom) suggested an issue with a faulty power button connection to the motherboard, and that I needed to pop off the plastic panel over the power button in order to fix it. However, I don't want to damage the panel or the laptop, so I want to be sure that this is a legitimate solution and get any suggestions on how to go about it.

Thoughts?