THINGS TO LOOK FOR WHEN BUYING SOMEONE'S USED LAPTOP.

     The main thing to consider when choosing a cheap laptop is what you are going to be using it for, and how often you'll be using it. Think about going for one that's a higher end model, if you're the type that plays any of the online games out in the marketplace today. Most people use laptops for light work, ie, word processing, accounts, surfing the internet, and emails. For these tasks, almost any laptop in existance will work just fine. Just make sure you have a modem hookup at the minimum. Most modern machines easily meet specifications for this sort of use.

When choosing a cheap laptop ensure it has all the features you may require. Including anything special such as Wireless connectivity, although this can be added through the use of a special card on many models (check that the laptop you're purchasing has a PCMCIA port).

The performance of your laptop will depend on many factors. The most important of which are the processor type and the amount of memory (RAM) the laptop has. This is important mostly for gaming.
Laptop memory can be upgraded very easily (in most cases), but processors can be tricky, and are sometimes actually part of the motherboard (the most expensive component in a laptop). For this reason, concentrate on the processor type and speed, rather than the amount of memory the laptop has. Hard drives in laptops can also be quite easily upgraded, although you should really go for a laptop with at least a 20GB hard drive. A 20GB+ hard drive should be adequate for many users. The operating system that comes with your laptop will depend on when the laptop was manufactured. When choosing your laptop, always keep in mind any minimum requirements of any operating system that you may want to install in the future. Try to stay away from Windows ME. This was a flop of an operating system.