6 Ways to Revitalize an Older Laptop | Notebook Refresh

batteryfast.co.uk
August 4, 2011
6 Ways to Revitalize an Older Laptop |
Notebook Refresh
Save money and bring an old laptop back to restoring Windows for assistance in starting over
life with a few quick software and hardware
from scratch.
upgrades. We show you how.
Unfortunately,
Do you have an aging
reinstalling Win-
laptop that you want to
dows from your
save from the recycling
laptop manufac-
center? With a few
turer's
restore
software and hardware
disc or program
upgrades, you could
will also reinstall
bring that old notebook
any
bloatware
back to life and possibly avoid having to plunk down
that initially came
cash for a new laptop or a secondary device such
with it. A few uti-
as an Apple iPad or an Android tablet.
lities can help you remove those useless programs:
Previously we've mentioned Revo Uninstaller Por-

table, which is free and doesn't need to be installed
on your laptop, as well as Total Uninstall ($30), which
Refresh the Operating System: Three
has more features, handles uninstalls that require
Options
a reboot, and can remove 64-bit programs. If you
want a more automatic tool that finds bloatware
Back up first! Before making any operating system
for you, check out the free PC Decrapifier.
changes, be sure to back up your data to an exter-
nal hard drive (or two), and confirm that you have
2. Upgrade to Windows 7: If you're running Win-
all of your application discs handy so that you can
dows XP or Vista, you may find much better per-
reinstall them. Check our tips on what you should
formance under Windows 7-if your laptop meets
back up, as well as on how to back up manually or
the requirements for upgrading. Download and
through Windows.
install Microsoft's Windows 7 Upgrade Advisor to
determine whether your laptop can run Windows 7.
1. Reinstall Windows: Over time, Windows natu-
rally slows down. A fast way to bring your laptop
At Microsoft's suggested retail price of $120 for the
back to square one is to use your system-restore
OS upgrade, this option isn't cheap. If you intend to
disc (or the restore program installed on the laptop)
use your old laptop as just a secondary computer,
to reformat and reinstall Windows. After a fresh
the investment might not pay off. But if you'll be
install, your system will run much faster, undoing
using the laptop heavily, keep in mind that Windows
print
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7 has been shown to run well on even very old and
fragmentation, and everyday wear and tear. See
underpowered laptops and netbooks, and that it
oureight-step complete guide to reinstalling and
boasts a ton of nice features for connecting to other
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batteryfast.co.uk
August 4, 2011
6 Ways to Revitalize an Older Laptop | Notebook Refresh
computers, finding your documents and other files,
to the Control Panel, and clicking System. In the Ge-
and using your laptop in general.
neral tab, you'll see the amount of RAM.) Memory
is cheap these days-1GB of RAM can cost as little as
$20-so I recommend upgrading to the maximum
amount of memory your laptop can use. As men-
tioned in ourguide to upgrading PC RAM, memory
vendors Crucial and Kingston both offer easy-to-use
tools for finding the right memory for your compu-
ter.
2. Upgrade the hard drive: Replacing your laptop's
hard drive will not only get you more space, but it
can also significantly increase the laptop's perfor-
mance. Older laptop hard drives may have a low,
4200-rpm rotational speed; upgrading to a 5400-
rpm or 7200-rpm drive will produce a noticeable
Advisor Want to upgrade? Check out our instructions
speed difference during boot-up, data transfers, and
for upgrading to Windows 7, including how to per-
general use.
form the custom (that is, clean) install required for
XP users, as well as the upgrade path for Vista.
For about $50, you can buy a 5400-rpm hard drive
with 320GB of storage space, or a 7200-rpm drive
3. Try Linux: For a free, lightweight, and secure
with 320GB of storage. (Compare prices on notebook
operating system upgrade, consider trying Linux,
hard drives.)
specifically Puppy Linux. My PCWorld colleague
Katherine Noyes pointed out several features of
You can upgrade the hard drive yourself in just a
Puppy Linuxthat make it a nice option for older PCs,
few minutes. Before ordering the replacement drive,
including its ability to run off a CD or USB flash drive,
confirm what type of hard drive your laptop cur-
as well as its small footprint. It boots quickly, too.
rently has (look on the drive itself for the interface
type and height, or note the model number and

look up the information on the drive manufacturer's
website). A notebook hard-drive upgrade kit, such
Easy Hardware Upgrades: Three Options
as those from Apricorn starting at $19, can clone
your old drive and make transferring your data to
1. Add memory: The
the new one very easy.
easiest, and often the
most cost-effective, way
3. Upgrade your Wi-Fi
to add a performance
to Wireless-N: If your
boost is to install more
home router uses Wi-
RAM. If your laptop has
reless-N
(aka
the
print
joli
512MB or less of me-
802.11n protocol), you
mory, you can boost its
can get faster network
speed by a third by upgrading to 1GB. (Find out how
connectivity on your
much memory is installed by clickingStart, going
laptop by upgrading the
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batteryfast.co.uk
August 4, 2011
6 Ways to Revitalize an Older Laptop | Notebook Refresh
notebook's wireless card from the older 802.11b or
802.11g standard to the latest protocol. Wireless-N
products have been shown to be as much as seven
times faster than 802.11g. Another benefit: Since
older wireless devices can drag down the rest of a
Wireless-N network, upgrading your laptop can
improve your network overall.
Although it's possible to upgrade the wireless card
inside the laptop, an easier option is to buy an
802.11n adapter that you just plug into the laptop's
USB port. You can find an adapter such as the D-Link
DWA-131 for about $20.

Uses for an Older Laptop
The upgrades above can make your old laptop more
usable. A refreshed old laptop is handy to have
around as a backup in case your main computer
fails. You might use the laptop as a quick informa-
tion-lookup tool in the kitchen, or another area of
the house. Or perhaps your kids, other relatives, or
a charity could make use of it.
If, in the end, you need to recycle the laptop, make
sure to completely erase the hard drive first. To find
a local program where you can donate or recycle the
laptop, consult the U.S. Environmental Protection
Agency's eCycling website.
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