FAQ's about purchasing an end of lease laptop

If you limit your search to those end of lease laptops which have been 'reconditioned' or 'refurbished' you can be assured of reliability.

There are any number of reasons that laptops are returned to the manufacturer. Once they're returned, no matter the reason, they can no longer be sold as 'new'. At this time the manufacturer will perform a thorough examination and rigorous testing. If any defects or weaknesses are found to exist they will be repaired and the laptop will be restored to factory spec's. After a laptop has completed the refurbishing process and has been restored to 'like new' condition it will be relabeled, repackaged and distributed to retailers that specialize in refurbished and reconditioned laptops.

Most of the warranties offered for a used, refurbished, laptop are in the 30+ day range. It is possible to extend this to 90 days.

One of the most important things to know before you go shopping for a laptop of any kind is what you'll be demanding of it. There are all kinds and types of laptops being offered in the refurbished market. You'll probably want to set minimum requirements before you shop based on the type of software and operating system you'll utilize. For example; if you find a laptop offered that's loaded with Windows XP you might want a minimum of 256 MB of RAM even though 128 MB is considered adequate.

Keep in mind that you can often upgrade the hard drive and increase the memory.

If the used laptop you purchase is capable of utilizing Windows XP then there should be nothing keeping you from running whatever software application your heart may desire either now or in the future. Keep in mind, though, that if you're exceedingly demanding you may want to look at new, built-to-order, laptops. It's a piece of cake to increase memory so don't let a minimal memory capacity keep you from taking advantage of a great deal, but, if you're a serious gamer or a multi-media author or otherwise in need of a high speed CPU or a graphics accelerator without sharing RAM you may not be able to meet your needs in the refurbished market.

As with other things in life, only death and taxes seem certain but if the used laptop you purchase comes with a 30 day warranty and you get through that period without trouble it seems the chances for problems in the future are minimal. I've gotten more than three years of trouble free service out of a used laptop that's been bounced, in a truck, from one end of the country to the other and it's still going strong. Many refurbished or factory reconditioned laptop computers have already seen a year or so of use and are frequently covered by a service contract during that time. Most of the problems that might occur have probably been dealt with. If you're still unsure, you can upgrade your warranty to 90 days.

I can't speak for each and every manufacturer in each and every instance but my ThinkPad is 7 years old and still fully supported by IBM. I believe that all of the top manufacturers have supported and will continue to fully support their product lines for many, many years to come.

All you need to connect to the internet wirelessly is an open PC card slot, which nearly every laptop ever manufactured has included, or a USB connector into which you can plug a USB network adapter.