PC Topics

Laptop Topics

The main limitation you face with running new software on a used PC is the CPU technology. You can upgrade your way around memory or storage limitations quite easily, and you may even be able to justify a new video card, but upgrading the CPU technology requires a new motherboard, which is rarely ever cost effective with a used PC. More...

The first question before you even start worrying about valuation is what software you can run on a used laptop. If the software doesn't run well, you can use the old notebook computer for a door stop, and not worry about battery life. We're going to concentrate of standard office and Internet applications running under Windows. Yes, you can install Linux on a used laptop and run Open Office, but I wouldn't buy one with that as the plan. More...

The short answer is it's worth the software installed on the hard drive, even though transferring the ownership of the software may be legally questionable. The value of the hardware itself is near zero, whatever the previous owner paid for it, unless it's a recent model (less than two years old) PC that was very high-end (more that $2500) when it was purchased. In that case, it may be worth $250. More...

I wish I could tell you that you can save a ton of money buying a second hand laptop, but you can't. You can only save a ton of money if somebody gives you a hand-me-down laptop for free. The main reason is that used laptops command a high price with uneducated shoppers, who keep the market inflated. You can buy a brand new notebook from a name brand manufacturers like Toshiba, Dell or HP for $500 most weeks, just by shopping for a closeout model with rebates. More...

Upgrading a PC is much easier than upgrading a laptop from the standpoint of getting the case open. The parts are much cheaper, easier to install and extremely compatible, unlike notebook parts which are usually brand and model specific. Even Dell, HP and eMachines computers can be upgraded. The main problem with upgrading a used PC is drawing the line between replacing a couple parts and building a new one. More...

There are a few upgrades you can make to a used laptop computer that will really improve the value and your ability to run software and actually use the thing. The good news is that as long as your laptop has USB 1.1 or better connectivity, you can use pretty much the same peripherals as brand new notebooks. The bad news is if your laptop doesn't have any USB ports it's going to be a challenge doing anything new with it. More...

Troubleshooting PC hardware can be quite a challenge for the unitiated, even with the help of books, web resources, etc. Troubleshooting skills tend to come with experience, and if you don't have any, it's tough to know where to start. I'll cover some of the most basic things to check before delving into the case, and then I'll refer you to the troubleshooting flowcharts and illustrated repairs on my other website. More...

In some ways, laptop troubleshooting is easier than PC troubleshooting. The reason is that laptops are so highly integrated that many problems you can fix on a PC require replacing the mainboard of a laptop, which is not cost effective on second hand models. Replacing the battery is often a solution to power related problems (though costly), but repairing the charging circuitry is beyond the average home user. More...

Illustrated Laptop Repairs and Upgrades

One laptop failure that is usually worth repairing is the hard drive. Laptop hard drives have a higher failure rate than desktop hard drives, assumedly because they get bounced around more while operating. Notebook computer hard drives come in two flavors - the ones that are easy to get at, just a single screw or a even a slide in component, and those that require you to crack the laptop open. This Sony VAIO laptop hard drive repair is one of the latter. One of the few upgrades you can actually do on a notebook computer is the memory, and then only if the maximum isn't already installed. Memory upgrades are usually pretty trivial, providing you purchase the correct upgrade component. A 256 MB Toshiba laptop memory upgrade is illustrated. Notebook computer LCD screens rarely suffer from electronic failures, a dim screen or failure to work at all is usually due to the inverter, backlight or video controller. However, sometimes the screen gets cracked, or the LCD develops so many bad pixels that it drives you nuts, so I illustrated replacements for a number of different models, starting here with a Powerbook LCD replacement. When your laptop screen works, but is so dim that you can only read it in a dark room after eating carrots all day, the problem is likely the backlight or the inverter. Replacing a Dell notebook backlight provides a somewhat standard illustration, and I show how to replace a Sony laptop inverter for variety. All the screen related laptop repairs are highly similar, in fact, the components are often made by a single manufacturer, with Sharp being a leading supplier. Of course, you can always go the homemade laptop route:-)