Used Laptop Computer Guide

Although there are great deals when buying used laptops, you must keep an eye out for a few things. The "if it is too good to be true..." saying should be kept in mind.

Warranty

When buying from an individual the laptop will probably not have a warranty or a very weak warranty that goes only as far as working condition upon receipt. This is an important consideration because the mobile nature of laptops can really inflict some wear and tear and having to spend $50 or more every time you need repairs done will eat into any savings you may have made in the first place.

Condition

When you buy a used laptop online and all you get to check out are pictures showing a great looking exterior there are a few things to be wary of:

• maybe the battery lasts only 15 minutes because of age. Replacement batteries are not cheap!
• what is the condition of the hard disk, any funny noises, how many bad sectors and has it been increasing?
• does the screen have many dead pixels or any other problems?

Unless you can inspect the laptop yourself I would be very careful about buying used laptops from individuals, especially if they are sold "as is" or do not have a "dead on arrival"(DOA) warranty. Ask as many questions as you can about the condition of a used laptop before purchase.

Software & Drivers

There is the issue of not having drivers available for components specific to the laptop when you need to re-install the operating system. Check to see if you can get these drivers online from the manufacturers web site or if the seller will provide original driver disks or CD.

Make sure the software you plan to use falls within the hardware specs of the used laptop you're looking to buy (check software requirements). Sometimes there may not even be anything installed so you have to install your own operating system and software.

If the used laptop does include operating system and/or several programs be sure to get all serial numbers or registration keys and disks or CD's each program may require for re-installation.

Exercise some caution when buying online and you may find a great used laptop for a fraction of what you would pay normally. If the price difference compared to a similar brand new is only a couple of hundred dollars then consider buying the new one for the warranty, tech support, and software bundle.

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