If you’re in the business of refurbishing computers for resale, your best option is to find the power supply that is supposed to come with the computer when it is new. Many consumers are put at ease by the fact that the refurbished computer is using OEM laptop parts, rather than a hodge-podge of third party accessories. You can often garner a higher price for such peace of mind. The best way to find these power supplies is to simply go to the manufacturer’s website. Many of them allow you to purchase parts directly from them after you’ve identified the model of your laptop. If they don’t allow direct purchase, they will point you in the direction of a reseller who sells the OEM laptop power adapter.
Another option, is to find a third-party power supply maker. Most of these third party adapters are as good as, if not better than the original parts, and oftentimes much cheaper. These can sometimes be as cheap as half the price of the OEM part. This is because an accessory deals with those accessories on a massive scale, and are in the business of selling just those parts. The manufacturer is in the business of selling computers, and might sell the extra pieces incidentally, and of course, at an added premium. One of the options in third-party power supplies is the universal laptop power adapter. These power adapters are similar in form and function to standard power adapters, with the addition of interchangeable ends for the end that plugs into your laptop. This is a convenient choice for those who refurbish and resell laptops, because you can purchase them in quantity for an additional discount. They should meet the needs of all or most of the computers you handle. One thing to keep in mind here though, is that some makers, such as Dell, limit the use of third-party power supplies. The adapters can be used to power the laptop, but are unable to change the battery.
Purchasing laptops to refurbish, or purchasing refurbished laptops for personal use is a great way to get a computer on the cheap. Often the discount for a missing power supply will exceed the cost of a new one, because of the perceived inconvenience. It’s not too difficult to find the power adapter you need though, and doing so can save you even more money.
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]]>The ThinkPad X61, while a great laptop, has had some of these issues as well. It’s probably one of the most complained about things with these laptops, but fortunately it’s not something that can’t be fixed (don’t you love double negatives?). If you take your X61 charger into any reputable and certified IBM repair station there’s a good chance they’ll be able to take care of your charger and either give you a new one, or repair it for a nominal fee. If your X61 is still under warranty, there’s a good chance that they’ll do it for free, and free is always a good thing!
If not, you could always go out a buy a new X61 charger. These are pretty easy to find, actually. Just about every computer store sells these, particularly the ones online. The nice thing about the X61 charger is that it’s not just X61-specific. The same charger works on all sorts of ThinkPad models, from the X60 onward to the higher-end models.
If you get the OEM charger you’ll probably not spend a whole lot of money for it. I’m going to guesstimate that a standard ThinkPad charger is going to run you in the range of about $15. At least that’s probably the case on Amazon (a quick check of Amazon confirms that…check the “shopping” links below this post).
Now if you really want to go fancy, check out a universal laptop power cord (basically a charger). These are a little bit more expensive than OEM chargers, but they can be used on just about any other type of laptop that’s come out on the market in the last 10 years or so. These are great if you just happen to have a lot of laptops of different types, or are planning on going to another brand after the ThinkPad X61.
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]]>If you do an online search, you’ll find that these cords go for anywhere between $10-$30 USD, which really isn’t very much considering the fact that your laptop will simply stop running if you don’t actually use one of these. Why the price disparity? Well, I think that’s simple enough: Some of these cords are designed for the “lower shelf” styles of Toshiba laptops, making the ones that carry more power for the more powerful laptops more expensive. Clear as mud? If you go to Amazon, you’ll see that cords for the Toshiba Satellite 2800 series are hanging right around the $10 range, while those for the higher end laptops are just a bit more. Also, some of the ones near $30 are universal for any Toshiba laptop, which is also something to look into if you plan on staying with that brand for future computer purchases, or if you use different models in your household or workplace.
Now, if you really want to save money and have some really good flexibility on laptop brands, you should really look into a universal laptop power cord.
This is something that’s going to have multiple power ports on it, and will even have the “power box” universally capable of handling voltages and amperage requirements for a multitude of laptops, not just Toshiba. You can also find these on Amazon (see our “Shopping” links below this post) for just a little more than you might pay for one that’s specific to your model. In my mind, that’s going to be the better deal. The thing you should also know is that you can usually find a universal cord made by much better companies than the ones outsourced out to overseas companies that are usually used by these laptop manufacturers. Check them out.
Alright everyone, I hope this has helped you figure out how much you’re going to spend on your Toshiba power cord. Best of luck with your shopping!
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]]>So, where to start? If you’re really interested in the “brick and mortar” stores, you should start out with something like Fry’s Electronics. This really only applies to those who live on the west coast of the United States, unfortunately. Fry’s isn’t yet a nationwide chain, and that’s a big shame. The store has just about as much computer “stuff” as anything you could ever find online. They literally have aisles and aisles full of random electrical equipment that can go on a laptop; why wouldn’t they have your Toshiba laptop power cord? They would, trust me on that.
Should you not be able to find a Fry’s, check out the next best option: Best Buy. This store is found nationwide, so you probably have one within driving distance if you live near a larger city (sorry if you live in Montana! 
).
This store is fairly good; you should be able to find what you’re looking for, but not always. It’s not quite Fry’s when it comes to selection, but it’ll do in a pinch, and a power cord for Toshiba laptops isn’t hard to find either. Prices are usually pretty inflated at Best Buy unfortunately, so buyer beware. If you need a power cord right now it’ll do.
If you have time to shop, then bar none you should go online. I guarantee stores such as Amazon and Tiger Direct have exactly what you’re looking for, and sell it with a minimum of fuss with a nice small price tag. Since these stores aren’t found in any big building (okay, well, they have a couple office buildings and a warehouse!), they can give you some great deals. Check them out if you’re really looking for a Toshiba laptop power cord and couldn’t find it elsewhere!
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]]>First of all, I think you should give up on the notion of finding one of these power cords at a normal store like you’d drive past on your way to work. Trust me, unless it’s something like Fry’s Electronics (great store in the western U.S.), you’re probably not going to find one there. That means Best Buy and any of those other stores are out. Stick with online sources and I promise that you’ll do just great.
So, what are the best online sources for laptop power cords? The usual suspects prevail in this case. First of all, you could check our online store just below this post (:)), or you could visit a store such as Tiger Direct or New Egg. Amazon is also a great source, and offers a great selection at prices that may very well be lower than Tiger as well. Check them out.
What should you realistically be looking for once you find a place to buy your new power cord? Well, in my personal opinion you shouldn’t go for the usual manufacturer’s cord. That includes HP, Toshiba, Dell, etc. While those companies produce good products, there’s probably a reason that the cord shorted out before the useful life of the laptop was done. Most of these are outsourced to other companies that put them together cheaply. Most of the power cords were made in China or somewhere else where quantity is much better than quality. But, I digress. That being said, I definitely recommend picking up a universal laptop power cord instead of the one from the manufacturer. In that way you can use it on any kind of laptop, not just on the kind you have right now. If you have an HP now and want to swap to a Dell or Mac, it’ll work just the same. Something to look into.
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]]>However, after all of that, the battery in my Compaq was fried. It wouldn’t hold a charge, even with the correct drivers installed. Somewhere throughout the process my computer simply “rejected” the battery, and actually made it so it plain didn’t work (I tried it on a separate Compaq Presario that still had Windows Me and it didn’t work). So, off I went to go find a new one, and luckily I found a replacement at a fairly likely source: You can just go Google it!
If you go do a Google search, you can easily find a number of Compaq laptop batteries for sale on a large number of websites. Tiger Direct and Amazon seem to have a good number of them, and all of the ones they sell are pretty reasonably priced as well. You can definitely do a whole lot worse than if you went with either of those two solid stores. Each of these laptop batteries are pretty expensive, however.
You need to be prepared when you see just how much they can run: Many of these run $100+ USD, which catches most people by surprise. But listen everybody, it’s definitely worth it. If you could go out and buy a new battery that’ll actually hold a charge and allow you to bring your laptop on an airplane, wouldn’t you do it? I know I would.
Also, even if your Compaq Presario laptop battery didn’t completely fail (like mine did), you might actually still want to buy a new one. Most of Compaq’s laptops only carry 2-3 hours worth of charge at normal power/CPU load, which won’t get you across the country on a flight. If you go get a replacement, you can find a battery that can easily get you 6 hours or more, which is definitely what you would want out of a solid Compaq laptop battery.
Thanks for reading, everyone. I hope this helped!
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]]>First thing’s first: Is your HP laptop power cord unique to your specific laptop model? Strangely enough certain manufacturers actually differentiate between models when it comes to your laptop power supply and other electrical equipment. Sometimes this is due to the fact that the company wants to make money when it breaks (hey, they’re not all good guys!), but sometimes it can be simply due to the type of hardware running in the machine itself. Certain motherboards may require specific voltage and amperage in order to function properly. The same is true for the RAM; if the power being given to the system is not correct, you’ll have all sorts of errors and other fun things that you’d rather not want to deal with!
That’s why your HP laptop power cord replacement must be exactly and positively matched to your computer. If you have an HP Pavilion, you need to even flip the thing over and check the model number before you make any purchases. Not doing so will possibly mean an annoying return request and will require you to simply wait longer for your laptop to start working again. Another thing you should look for in a power cord is length. Is your replacement the same length, shorter, or longer than the original one that came from the factory? You might want to do some research into this before you buy as well; you don’t want to find that your new cord is too short and won’t let you sit in your normal working space. That’s extraordinarily annoying.
The last thing we should talk about is where to get one of these replacement cords. While I normally can recommend a number of sites that will let you order them, you might be best served by going to the HP website itself and seeing if you can’t buy one straight from them. It’s true that your power cord may cost a bit more than if you were to find it elsewhere, but at least you know that you’re getting the correct one, right?
That’s what matters here. Good luck!
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]]>So, we’re going to clear up any of your confusion right here and right now. Finding a laptop battery should not be hard to do, particularly for brands as popular as Toshiba, et al.
The first thing you should do is look on more reputable websites for the battery you’ll need. That includes Amazon, Tiger Direct, or yes, even the manufacturer’s website itself. Oftentimes the manufacturer’s website won’t actually sell anything; they’ll just have information related to the company’s financial health, etc. You obviously don’t want that. You want to know where you can buy your Toshiba laptop batteries, don’t you?
From my experience, Tiger Direct is probably your best bet when it comes to finding the battery you need. You can use their search tool to very easily and effectively find basically any part you can think up when it comes to your notebook, so you can also expect them to carry a part as simple as a battery. I don’t think they’d let you down. Amazon is also a great utility because they carry, well, just about everything under the sun. Basically any laptop accessory you’d ever want is available at Amazon. You know that you can trust them as well…their track record in the industry is very good.
You could also try going to a real brick-and-mortar store (*gasp*) such as Best Buy. I should note though that many of these stores will not have the exact laptop battery you’ll want on-hand. Sometimes they’ll want you to go ahead and order one through them, but watch out: they’ll usually charge you a little extra for that service. If it were me, I’d just go ahead and order one online through either of the two sites I listed above before I’d go through a store such as Best Buy. That’s just me though.
Alright everyone, I hope that’s answered some of your questions about how to find Toshiba laptop batteries. I should also say that these techniques can be used for just about any other brand as well. Good luck.
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]]>The first thing you need to find out about your computer is the wattage limits on your power supply. Too little wattage and you’ll have problems powering each of the components. In that case, your motherboard won’t be able to distribute power to essential components. Critical components such as your hard drive may be damaged by the inability to spin at the RPM it was designed to. RAM may be corrupted by a lack of power as well.
On the opposite end, a laptop power supply that’s too powerful can fry the internals of your computer! It’d be like hooking up an electric razor straight to the transformer outside your house; it probably wouldn’t work so well!
Laptop power supplies are generally in the lower-wattage range, mostly 70W to 90W. The electronic components found in laptops are generally much smaller and less powerful than what you’d find in desktops (those power supplies can be found in wattages of over 300 watts!). Your user’s manual should have the exact specifications you need as far as wattage is concerned.
Now, if you’re not exactly sure the type of connection your laptop requires, you can get a universal laptop power supply. These generally come with a large array of connectors that can be used to plug into the side of your computer; if one doesn’t work, just try the next one. These are almost always the best buys. Throughout its life span you may own many different brands of computers, and you’ll only have to buy one of these to do the job.
So there you have it: A brief but fairly comprehensive review of many of the ways a laptop power supply can make your computing life easier!
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