Getting an older, used laptop to run well?

[lilrayray69]

My mom recently got a new laptop so I took her previous Dell Inspiron 15R off of her. It's got an i3 2.26ghz, 4GB of RAM, and a 500GB hard drive. I'm thinking it might be good for just basic use in college classes and whatnot.

Of course though it has all the bloatware and whatnot that came along with it and whatever crazy stuff she put on there, too. Not sure if I should just go through uninstalling all of that or actually reformat it.

I've heard these things have decent battery life, but this one seems to be draining quick. She may have somehow messed around with the power settings, or just all these random programs she's running are draining it.

So basically, what do you do to get a laptop running properly again? Reformat?

 

[RossMAN]

1) Reformat hard drive.
2) Clean Windows OS reinstall.
3) Delete all bloatware, AKA decrapify it.
4) Optional, remove hard drive and install SSD, usually around $150 for 256GB model.
5) Immediately after the clean OS reinstall, make an image.

Have you ever visited NBR forums? They have some *excellent* step-by-step guides showing how to reinstall Windows XP, 7, 8, etc.

Join and bookmark me ---> http://forum.notebookreview.com/dell-inspiron-dell-studio/

 

[ringtail]

``

 

[dave_the_nerd]

Everything RossMAN said, except I would add (if the laptop is more than a couple years old):

Take it apart.
Blow out all the dust.
Replace thermal compound on HSF units.
Consider replacing CPU fan while you're in there.

 

[gorcorps]

Everything RossMAN said, except I would add (if the laptop is more than a couple years old):

Take it apart.
Blow out all the dust.
Replace thermal compound on HSF units.
Consider replacing CPU fan while you're in there.

On a laptop?

 

[Polar2002]

Also, I would get another battery. I bought one from eBay for my old Dell laptop. They are cheap and works well.

 

[Virgorising]

perhaps your opportunity has finally arrived to uninstall windows and learn

LINUX

Every lemur I know runs Windows.()

 

[Virgorising]

Also, I would get another battery. I bought one from eBay for my old Dell laptop. They are cheap and works well.

I ditto. Cept for my Alienware Sentia whose batt even on eBay is still very expensive.....but mostly true.

 

[Virgorising]

1) Reformat hard drive.
2) Clean Windows OS reinstall.
3) Delete all bloatware, AKA decrapify it.
4) Optional, remove hard drive and install SSD, usually around $150 for 256GB model.
5) Immediately after the clean OS reinstall, make an image.

Have you ever visited NBR forums? They have some *excellent* step-by-step guides showing how to reinstall Windows XP, 7, 8, etc.

Join and bookmark me ---> http://forum.notebookreview.com/dell-inspiron-dell-studio/

I ditto.....and, would like to add, when U get a Dell Optiplex made for businesses you get no bloatware of the sort you do with other OEM systems made for average users.

 

[JWade]

if you don't have a dell branded windows7 disk, you can get one off ebay pretty cheap. that way you can re-install windows and not have to worry about activation. wont have any bloatware on it.

I would also recommend upgrading to a SSD as well as upgrading the ram to 8gb. it will be plenty fast for just about anything college related.

 

[dave_the_nerd]

On a laptop?

Especially on a laptop.

I didn't say it would be easy. But I've seen more than one laptop give up because of thermal issues.

Maybe I'm nuts, but it seems like they run hotter with age, and overheating can lead to weird behavior - shutdowns, etc.

So anything that will keep them cooler means they'll be running more stably, longer.

 

[s44]

For class use, forget the old machine. Just buy one of the sub-$300 Chromebooks (Samsung, HP, or *new* Acer -- not old) and be done with it. No matter how much you polish this relic, it won't have the lightness or battery life of ARM/Haswell.

 

[Virgorising]

For class use, forget the old machine. Just buy one of the sub-$300 Chromebooks (Samsung, HP, or *new* Acer -- not old) and be done with it. No matter how much you polish this relic, it won't have the lightness or battery life of ARM/Haswell.

I disagree. I think he's being resourceful, creative and pragmatic.....also having fun. Newer, thinner, lighter in lappys or anything else, bears a pricetag. The newer the lappy, the crummier it is made, the more vulnerable it is over time, the shorter its life expectancy.

And "relic" is in the eye of the beholder. Forget, everything is disposable, throw it out, get new and cooler (not to me, tho) mindset leaks into other life arenas.

Forget, his mom's lappy ain that old; given its specs, it will get the jobs he wants to use it for done well. People still buyin i3 lappys; bet it's made better than any Chromebook or other $300 piece of Kleenex with an operating system.

If I had my choice of any Vette ever made, I would ALWAYS choose a real deal '67, big block tri power. Preferably numbers matched.

 

[s44]

Do you also carry a briefcase-sized cell phone?

 

[Virgorising]

Do you also carry a briefcase-sized cell phone?

The obliterating brush you wield is far too broad to render fine lines. It may be good for exterior house painting, but not for much else, sorry.

 

[Virgorising]

Just delved to get a better sense of this puppy:
http://www.notebookreview.com/default.asp?newsID=5956&review=dell+inspiron+15r

Nice puppy. Well built puppy.

Do not let anyone tell you this puppy should be put down.

 

[Hulk]

Definitely put an SSD in it. I put one in my old 2006 Dell 640m and it went from unusable to the point where I'm not really needing a new laptop.

 

[Virgorising]

Definitely put an SSD in it. I put one in my old 2006 Dell 640m and it went from unusable to the point where I'm not really needing a new laptop.

Good idea, but I think he is also trying to be frugal. Remember, he only wants to use this for class, etc.

 

[lilrayray69]

It really didn't have that much bloatware on it. I removed most superfluous things, ran spyware/virus scans, turned off a lot of programs that were starting up, and tweaked settings for some better performance. It runs alright but right now my main problem is battery life

From that review: "In our tests with the screen brightness reduced to 70%, wireless active and refreshing a webpage ever 60 seconds, and Windows set to the Balanced profile, the Inspiron 15R stayed on for 3 hours and 43 minutes."

Mine definitely does not last that long. Even using the power saver profile, bringing the screen down below 50% brightness and without doing much of anything the expected battery life reads ~2-3 hours, and quickly declines once you do anything of note.

I have heard of that 9-cell battery option which I may look into on Ebay or something. I'm still looking around here for the Dell Win7 disk that it came with too.

 

[Virgorising]

It really didn't have that much bloatware on it. I removed most superfluous things, ran spyware/virus scans, turned off a lot of programs that were starting up, and tweaked settings for some better performance. It runs alright but right now my main problem is battery life

From that review: "In our tests with the screen brightness reduced to 70%, wireless active and refreshing a webpage ever 60 seconds, and Windows set to the Balanced profile, the Inspiron 15R stayed on for 3 hours and 43 minutes."

Mine definitely does not last that long. Even using the power saver profile, bringing the screen down below 50% brightness and without doing much of anything the expected battery life reads ~2-3 hours, and quickly declines once you do anything of note.

I have heard of that 9-cell battery option which I may look into on Ebay or something. I'm still looking around here for the Dell Win7 disk that it came with too.

http://www.ebay.com/itm/Battery-for...09215?pt=Laptop_Batteries&hash=item232262175f

FOR OPENERS!!!

 

[lilrayray69]

http://www.ebay.com/itm/9-Cell-Batt...5010D-148-17R-N7010-N7110-W7H3N-/350656561669

i think this is the 9-cell version

 

[Virgorising]

S Office

http://www.ebay.com/itm/9-Cell-Batt...5010D-148-17R-N7010-N7110-W7H3N-/350656561669

i think this is the 9-cell version

All U gotta do is go onto ebay, enter the lappy's identity with the word "battery" in the search bar, and hit search and see how very many options you have. I just did it again, and the options are almost infinite! Including some OEM.

And, unless yr Mum has like MS Office, stuff costing a ton U do not wanna have to buy over which would preclude doling a clean install....good idea to find the restore disk. And, I would uninstall anything you do not want personally (not just from yr start menu), and make sure the puppy is fully patched, U have latest bios version, and updated drivers.

See, I think you are being very resourceful, SMART...and that this is really exciting!!!!

And, while I have not checked, bet they even sell this exact puppy on ebay for decent money still!!! I think I will check on that now.
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Edit: HAH!!!!! http://www.ebay.com/sch/i.html?_trk...nkw=dell+inspiron+15r&_sacat=175672&_from=R40

Yes, some are i5, some i7s, but others, exactly like yours. And, if U take good care of it, bet anything it will outlive some sleazoid, low end, cheap new notebook weighing 7 ounces.

 

[lilrayray69]

Yeah the i5 versions are selling for a good bit higher, but still not bad as these were in the $600 range at their release.

But yeah I don't think I'd buy a laptop otherwise, as I don't particularly NEED one - it would just be a convenience. So this way it can still get some use and I won't be spending much of anything.

I think I will replace the battery, this one seems to be used up beyond what I can do for it. I'll also start a fresh Win7 install with the new battery. I'll consider more RAM once I really start using it and see how it goes, an SSD perhaps but I doubt it unless the price is quite good.

I do wish it wasn't as heavy/bulky, but hey for free I can't really complain. And if/when I do buy a laptop using this will give me an idea of what I do/don't want in one.

 

[Virgorising]

Yeah the i5 versions are selling for a good bit higher, but still not bad as these were in the $600 range at their release.

But yeah I don't think I'd buy a laptop otherwise, as I don't particularly NEED one - it would just be a convenience. So this way it can still get some use and I won't be spending much of anything.

I think I will replace the battery, this one seems to be used up beyond what I can do for it. I'll also start a fresh Win7 install with the new battery. I'll consider more RAM once I really start using it and see how it goes, an SSD perhaps but I doubt it unless the price is quite good.

I do wish it wasn't as heavy/bulky, but hey for free I can't really complain. And if/when I do buy a laptop using this will give me an idea of what I do/don't want in one.

I get all of the above, did right off. Yes, it appears it weighs in at just under 6? Can't remember right now, but I mean it, the thinner, lighter the lappy is, the shorter the lifespan it will have. Open and shut. It's simply about jamming way too much technology in far too small a space.

Again, if U find the restore media, make sure there is nothing expensive in the system U wanna keep and would loose doing a clean install.

So funny, guys wanna bench like over 200 pounds and same ones want their devices to weigh the same as a paper file folder.
I am wondering what a new macbook pro weighs? I will find out.
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Edit:

K, here we go:
MacBook Pro

• Apple provides three models of the MacBook Pro. Each MacBook Pro can be configured with a variety of hard drives or solid-state drives, as well as various central processors, with speeds ranging from 2.0 to 2.3GHz, and two or four cores. The largest model has three USB 2.0 ports, compared with two USB ports on the medium and small models. The smallest model has a 13.3-inch screen and it weighs 4.5 lbs., making it lighter than the MacBook. The medium size model has a 15.4-inch screen and weighs 5.6 lbs. The largest model has a 17-inch screen and weighs 6.6 lbs.
  
  

See the one with the 15" screen like yours? It weighs around the same as yours.

 

[Virgorising]

One more perspective enhancing one:

http://forums.cnet.com/7723-19680_102-589737/google-chromebooks-vs-traditional-laptops/