How to make some cash off an old laptop?

I know what you all r thinking, sell it. But read on.

My laptop is a HP Pavilion zd8215us and would like to get rid of it to make way for a new laptop. Selling it might be a problem because my batch of laptop is plague with some problems.

Problem 1: Battery never charges if you fully discharge it (happens 1 yr after purchase). Even if you purchase new batteries, once you fully discharge it, its useless because the laptop refuses to charge it. (tried it and it renders 2 new batteries useless, now I got no batteries)

Problem 2: If I turn off my laptop and turn it back on immediately while the AC adapter is still hot, it juz quit providing power for a few seconds before it resumes outputting. Its a problem when using standby because you hav to restart again.

Problem 3: If you are typing, the right wrist might be resting above the CPU and P4 2.8Ghz is a hot chip. Try using this lappy during warm days.

Problem 4: I would format and wipe the HDD before selling. And I wouldn't be providing the Windows XP disk because I want to use it for my new laptop. (dell only gives vista now)


Would anyone buy such a laptop now? Is there any other alternative way to get rid of this laptop and possibly making some cash out of it?

Craig's list or Ebay - don't make a big deal out of the "bad" parts..

eBay it, it's worth some money. But make sure you mention the actual problems so you don't end up with an angry buyer. Also make it clear it doesn't come with an OS, and remove the XP key sticker from the underside of the machine. You'll need that when it comes to reinstalling it on another computer, or when you have to call MS to reactivate.

Thanks. I am expecting I can't sell it for much on ebay. Would it be wise to put it out as a Bid starting from $0?

ABTOMAT said:

eBay it, it's worth some money. But make sure you mention the actual problems so you don't end up with an angry buyer. Also make it clear it doesn't come with an OS, and remove the XP key sticker from the underside of the machine. You'll need that when it comes to reinstalling it on another computer, or when you have to call MS to reactivate.

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Thanks for reminding me bout the sticker. nearly forgotten all about it

You can get a Dell laptop with XP on it. They offer it if you custom build a computer.

gorn said:

You can get a Dell laptop with XP on it. They offer it if you custom build a computer.

Click to expand...

Really? I was thinking of purchasing it on the internet but there is no Xp options. There used to be, but not anymore

Do yourself a favor and buy only business-class laptops from now on. Consumer-oriented laptops just do not hold up. That has been my experience, I have been through many consumer laptops, and I have bought only one business-class unit. Still holding up.

If you are looking at a Dell laptop, shop through small&medium business, NOT home and home office. I would strongly recommend the Latitude series, which you can get with XP.

Keep in mind that the license for XP does not allow transfer to a new computer, so technically that's piracy. I don't agree with that concept, but it seems the lawyers do.

You might load one of the LINUX distributions on it before you sell it. It only takes half an hour to load if you have already downloaded one of the distributions.

Daniel

I've always had Thinkpads (business class), and they have indeed been very sturdy. I had one a few years ago whose motherboard was fried (by lightning hitting the ground just outside the house---yikes!), and I still managed to sell it for around $300 on ebay (clearly advertised as selling "for parts").

My current TP T30, after long and honorable service, appears to be dying a slow death, so it's likewise probably going the ebay "for parts" route soon.

BTW, Thinkpads are still sold with XP, as well as Vista. Don't know whether or not the quality has held up since Lenovo bought the line from IBM.

Put it up on ebay - take several good pictures - be accurate in describing it both good and bad points. Start it at 99 cents. Stuff like this will not sell for low - laptops always get a lot of bids. I just sold a very old Apple laptop for a good price and it started at 99 cents. Good luck - I used to be a tech and worked on a lot of HP in a big school district - a lot of their laptops were crap. I like Dell better - if you put your old XP on it don't expect it to work 100% as the drivers will be different for Dell hardware. HP uses XP versions made specifically for their HP hardware.

Problems with using business class is that I have poor knowledge of the kind of graphic cards they use. (I am guessing its for graphic designing? so its not good for gaming?) Cuz the laptop I am getting has to be good for gaming. Reliability is also a factor though. Now i am stuck between buying a business class or a consumer class lappy.

someone gave me an advice on selling old computers on ebay.
its generally more valuable to sell your computer in parts rather than the while piece...but it varies between computers

I'd focus on:

• the video card....on an XP based laptop with 128 MB dedicated was hard to come by before the emergence of vista...which required 256 dedicated [?]
• DVD burner:candle:
• 4 USB ports...as most laptop companies are only as generous as giving you 2 [save the HP]
• ...

interesting thing to note despite the increase in manufacturing firms selling Vista based systems....many users still rely on XP and quite a few of my friends deleted vista off their systems and installed XP...turning their "base systems" into "gaming rig" standards