Safe way to test used computers before buying?

>>57225425
newegg refurbished is cheap and reliable. depending on what specs you're willing to settle for, you could get one for as little as eighty bucks

If it runs Gentoo it werks

>>57225425
>refurbished technology
anyways
replace its hard drive and flash its BIOS

>>57225425
You sound like a guy I know, his gf is manlier than he is. kek

>>57225425
a smart scan to the hdd, check that the fans spin, check that the power button works.

If all the mechanical pieces work properly it's a good indication that the machine hasn't suffer any drops or hits.

modern RAM, CPUs and GPUs don't break.

>>57225425
-Check keyboard (open notepad and type every key)
-Plug the charger to see if it works
-Ask for battery life
-Take a closer look (Screen,any damaged parts)
-Run dxdiag to see the hardware

>>57225592
>This
also bring an UV light namean?

>>57225425
google "pc diagnostic test software"

Most OEM's provide a diagnostic utility you can boot to from a thumbdrive. Some machines have diags baked into the BIOS. Check if the machine in question does, and take it with. There's bound to be third party diagnostic programs available as well, google some up.

The advice ITT is sound so far though. Good luck anon.

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ANON, FOR THE LOVE OF GOD CHECK TO SEE THAT Computrace/Lojack/Intrel-AT OR ANY SIMILAR ANTI-THEFT SOFTWARE OR FEATURE IS DISABLED.

Avoid them like the plague if they have it enabled... I mean this for realz senpai...

It will lock up at any time.

Also check that nothing is password protected (Bios, ETC).

>>57226258

In b4 give it back Jamal Or Paco Or Juan Or Jose.

some folk will try to scam you by offering you a machine without a hdd, under the false belief that without an hdd it won't boot for you to check it out, so bring a bootable linux with you. but pretty much the rule of thumb is, if they're willing to let you examine and test the machine then you can probably take their word for it about it's condition. if they have the machine running when you get there, reboot to see if there are any boot issues, and if they don't want to let you examine the machine, usually under the pretense that their afraid you'll run off with it and the money, well it's probably best to just go ahead and take a pass on it

Bewar in mind anon that some laptops have a defect you cant detect right away... ALWAYS CHECK REVIEWS OR SEARCH FOR COMMON PROBLEMS THE LAPTOP YOU. ARE TRYING TO BUY MIGHT HAVE

I bought an asus J73gh with a half decent amd card and it would shit its self under a very high load (It was called GSoD or Stripes of death).

Also careful with nVidia graphics, some laptops had a shitty GPU failure do to bad quality soldering (IM LOOKING AT YOU FUCKING DV7/PRESARIO)

>>57226258
>Computrace
>Lojack
>Intrel
>Anti-Theft software
Wouldn't all of this go away with a HDD wipe, and clean install of an OS?

Or are there hardware anti-theft devices?

Also can't BIOS passwords be cleared by removing the battery or shorting two pins?


>>57226272
Nice to know.
I'll be sure to test it under any circumstance.

>>57225592
Well dxdiag will tell me what's in it, like if they removed a stick of ram or something but it won't tell me if it's got faulty components.

>>57225975
Any personal recommendations?
Preferrably portable apps. Stuff I don't have to install.

>>57225450
Newegg has some surprisingly good prices there, not bad. Thanks.

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>>57226644

Computrace is embedded in the bios, you cant get rid of it, now there might be someways to do so like editing the bios, but thats god tier shit right there.

You risk a brick, that means u fuck up its dead.

It think computrace is only windows compatible so if you boot linux you might not get that locking shit (NO GUARANTIES, NEVER TRIED IT MY SELF).

Research how it werks, also READ these threads, they show how much of a bitch it is to get rid of computrace:

http://www.freakyacres.com/remove_computrace_lojack

http://forum.thinkpads.com/viewtopic.php?t=114641

>>57226644
Forgot to mention, just avoid laptops that have computrace active or enabled, it will save you lots of heart ache.

Dont let your guard down, this shit happened to me with 2 chinkpads, one i got off craigslist and the other one was at a pawnshop, some nigger got it for college, never paid for it, pawned it, i bought the damn shit and its locked as soon as i connected to the internet.

>>57225425
>craigslist
Check the anti theft like computrace
access it with f12 on boot up, bios screen

otherwise just make sure it charges and the screen is okay

>>57225425
>craigslist
lol, nigga you have a death wish?

>>57225425
You ask to get into the BIOS to check for still enabled security and locked down bullshit.

Then you boot systemrescuecd as first boot option, run memtest, SMART conveyance and read the general SMART information.

You also check hwinfo/lshw or whatever and a bunch of stuff.

If that all works and seems fine, it's probably okay.

I've learned the hard way that you should always test used things before buying them.

I was buying an old 24" 480i CRT tv with component inputs a few years ago and I was invited into the home of the sweetest, most wholesome family you'd ever meet. They were just so kind and polite that I passed on the offer to test the TV before purchasing it because I could tell this man was trustworthy and he was sincere that it was in good working order.

Well, anyways, I paid for it and got it home and found the TV had a slight geometry offset in one corner. I still feel certain that they didn't notice it and that they believed the TV was in perfect condition, but had I tested it I would've noticed it, pointed it out, and passed on buying it.

I hope you learn from this tale.

>>57225425
A very obvious one here.

>I don't have the charger for this unfortunately
Get the fuck out of there ASAP.

member that guy who got bed bugs?

>>57225486
This.

>>57227417
uh oh. didn't think of that.
Now I'm a little terrified.
Apparently all bedbugs die if they are exposed to 118F heat for 90 minutes.

If I were to put the laptop in an oven at 150 degrees for two hours they'd surely all be dead?
Now what about the laptop. 150 degrees doesn't seem that hot when some internal components can reach well over 180F. Are there any parts in a laptop that would melt or suffer damage at ~150F?

A battery seems like it'd be fine with it.
http://batteryuniversity.com/learn/archive/lithium_ion_safety_concerns

>>57227408
How come?
It's not unheard of for legit people to lose a charger to something while moving.
And chargers aren't that hard to replace thankfully.

>>57227212
>Computrace is embedded in the bios, you can't get rid of it
Spooky.

>>57227318
>systemrescuecd
So I should bring a bootable CD. Makes sense.

>>57227385
>geometry offset in one corner
Sounds like something that you could have fixed by calibrating it. No expert though, especially with CRTs.

But perhaps it was fine and just needed a tune up?
Check this out. They do the geometry correction shit with a grid somewhere in it.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yoBqm4ThJxw

I do agree with your TRUST NO ONE advice though. That's solid.
An honest honest person may "lie" to you if he's simply a dumbass. It's sad but true.
I've seen plenty of people on craigslist list their TVs as 1080p (because that's what they set their cable box to output at, and assumed the TV was 1080p as a result) while the specs from the manufacturer for the model say 720p, and I've also seen people advertise larger TVs as smaller TVs. Like mixing up 42" and 37", etc.

I've sent texts to some. Some people don't list the model numbers, I text them, get it back, inform them that the TV isn't 1080p, and they often fix their listing.
You know you really have to watch out for shit when you can't even trust those who are being honest.