5 steps to buy old laptops

Need to learn about the outside, the screen as well as see the warranty, configuration, status of the connection ports of old laptops when choosing to buy .

A lot of questions arise when users want to buy an old laptop as if the device configuration "standard" such as advertising sellers or connection ports do work well?

Many people think, choosing to buy this "second-hand" laptop needs the help of a hard-core expert, but in reality this is not as difficult as it seems.

Here are 5 very simple steps to successfully choose an old-fashioned laptop as instructed by Cnet technology magazine.

Step 1: Check carefully but damage outside

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Need to check the external status of the laptop. Photo: Cnet .

Users cannot set high requirements for "looks" for used laptops, because they will inevitably be scratched but will need to pay special attention to the following points:

- Loose pins (USB, VGA, .)

- Cracks, cracks in the case reveal parts inside.

- The screws on the bottom of the machine have been lost or leaked.

- The warranty stamp of the machine is removed or torn.

Even if the above conditions were met, there was no guarantee that the laptop was badly damaged and then "rebuilt" as new. So users will need to continue the next checkout.

Step 2: Check the machine warranty status

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See the warranty period for older laptops. Photo: Cnet .

Ideally, if the old laptop has a genuine warranty, and what the user needs to do is ask for a warranty card or first-time purchase invoice. Commitments from vendors such as those registered for online warranty, except for Lenovo ThinkPad business laptops, should not be immediately believed.

If the old laptop does not have any information, the buyer needs to ask the seller for a minimum warranty period of one week to verify the quality of the machine and should have a clear written warranty commitment with full authentication information from the seller. If not, look for another store.

Step 3: Check the machine configuration

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View the configuration of the device is also essential. Photo: Cnet .

If you have studied carefully and have sufficient information about the machine configuration, the buyer should print out a copy to directly check when buying the device.

- Right-click on the "My Computer" icon on the desktop and select "Properties", will display a notice board full of information about the operating system, processor, and RAM of the device.

- Click the left mouse button on "My Computer" and then check the hard drive capacity.

- Click " Control Panel " on the window pane, point to " System ", " Hardware " tab and select " Device Manager ". Or you can access it quickly by right-clicking on " My Computer " and immediately selecting " Device Manager ". In this section you will get detailed information about hardware components including Wi-Fi or Bluetooth cards.

- In the " Accessories " section of the window panel, open the "Command Prompt" program and type the " dxdiag " command to view the machine's graphic information.

Step 4: Check the working status of the charger and communication ports

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See if the communication ports on the device still work. Photo: Cnet .

USB port will be used most often and is also the most easily encountered part. Remember to bring a USB to check if these ports work. Be more careful you should gently shake the USB when plugging in to see if the plug is still secure.

More cautious than customers should bring some extra devices to check the remaining ports. It is also important to plug in the charger to check if this device is working properly.

Also, it is important to know that the battery pack will be "degraded" after a long time of use, so it is not too important to respect the battery's working status unless the seller promises it to be a new battery. In this case, the buyer can use BatteryCare software running on the Windows operating system to check the capacity and charging time of the Battery. For Macs, users can select " Applications > Utilities > Systems Profiler " for details about the device's battery information.

Step 5: Check dead spots on LCD screens (dead pixels)

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Find "dead spots" on the screen. Photo: Cnet .

The common problem with old monitors is dead spots / dead pixels. Dead pixels - "black dead spots" are points that keep the color black in all cases. Stuck pixels - "light dead spots" are light spots that don't go away until they are turned off.

Pixel Tester, a free software that checks and detects "dead pixel" and "pixel stuck" spots on the laptop screen. But there is a simpler and more convenient way, after removing all the icons on the working screen, users just left-click on the middle of the screen and select "Properties", then set the "background" mode to color. black to check "stuck pixels", then turn white to detect "dead pixels". Usually the warranty does not apply to old laptops with faulty displays, buyers must "struggle" to decide whether to live with that condition or not.