BB Bold 9000 :: After Boots Up / Red Light Comes Up For A Little

i have a bold 9000 given to me from my aunt because of this problem.i don't know what it should look like when it boots up or when it's plugged into the computer because it doesn't do anything when i try to turn it on.When i remove and replace the battery the red led light comes up for a little. The buttons then begin to flash for about 2 seconds then die. It does this repeatedly until only a little bit of the trackball is flashing.When plugged into the computer, it just does the red light thing again and my computer recognizes it and makes the usb noise numerous times periodically (and doesn't stop).

I've google'd around and searched around for solutions and I've tried every single one. Wipe and reinstall OS. That doesn't work because when i try app loader it says it cannot connect to the device in the second stage (sorry don't remember which one). Every single battery swap method. Leaving the battery out for 48 hours. You name it.