Member Avatar for DearPrudence

Feel free to move this if there's a better thread for this.

I'm planning on selling my Toshiba Satellite Laptop that I bought in 2005. It has an old, decrepit Celeron processor, 1.30 GHz, 480 MB of RAM, and Disk C: 55.8 GB. I haven't wiped it clean yet, so I don't know if that's how much it's using or that's how much overall. I found it on the General tab where it has all of the computer information, next to where you put the Computer Name and all that.

It also has some problems. The power jack needs to be soldered so that's causing the laptop to turn off after a while. It also needs a new battery. That's all I know that's wrong with it, it could be more, it could be less.

How much could I sell this thing for?

Also, how do I "restore" it back to how it was when it came from the manufacturer without the disk it came with? I don't want someone finding private stuff off of it.

Edited by happygeek because: closed to prevent more spam
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Brief, practical guidance for based on the thread: the 2005 Toshiba Satellite with a 1.3 GHz Celeron, ~480 MB RAM and a ~56 GB HDD plus a bad DC jack and a dead battery is firmly an XP‑era, parts-or-bargain machine. That combination strongly limits resale to three realistic routes: sell it whole “as‑is” to a buyer who will repair it, fix the jack/battery then sell as a working laptop, or remove the hard drive and sell the chassis and components separately (or recycle the shell). As and noted, the battery and power jack are the main value killers; the presence of a working AC adapter and any original recovery media/COA label can help.

Privacy and restoration notes (complements existing suggestions): check the system for a hidden recovery partition or a manufacturer recovery utility (often visible in the Start menu or system utilities). If a recovery partition exists, use the OEM tool to make recovery discs before wiping. If no recovery option is available, remove the hard drive and either keep it or securely erase it yourself; a clean option is to boot a live Linux USB and overwrite the disk. Example commands (replace the device name carefully; these are destructive):

# list attached disks to identify the internal drive
lsblk

# overwrite the internal disk (replace /dev/sdX with the correct device)
sudo dd if=/dev/zero of=/dev/sdX bs=1M

This permanently destroys data—if unsure, remove the drive and keep it.

Selling tips to maximize return: list exact model number and visible COA/license, include clear photos (bottom, keyboard, screen, AC adapter), disclose the DC jack/battery faults, and offer the machine without the HDD if privacy is a concern. Compare completed listings on local classifieds and auction sites to set an asking price; if repair costs are low, a repaired, tested unit will attract many more buyers than a broken one. Mentions from and others show the market is small for this vintage hardware, so parting out or selling without the HDD are often the fastest ways to get value.

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Member Avatar for Maverick223

I would say if you can get $100.00 US as-is then take it, would make a decent computer for someone that is a light user on a tight budget. For the battery try a batteries-plus store, if you have one local, they MAY be able to rebuild yours with new cells (same battery w/ new inerds), but even so, doubt its worth the cost. Best wishes, Mav.

Member Avatar for caperjack

depends on where you live as to how much people will pay for it ,i can sell p2 333mkz 4 gig hdd,128 ram where i live for $ 125.00, boaters and fishermen buy them to run there maps and charts .

Member Avatar for joytech22

well, i know pc's can be a expensive hobby so i sorta know what you could get for it.

i think in the range of $100-$180 AUD.

its a "ok" price.

Member Avatar for caperjack

the one thing that will cut the price you get for it is, the DEAD battery .because its not portable anymore.

Member Avatar for DearPrudence

Okay, cool.

And how do I restore the thing to the manufacturer way before I give it away? Is it possible without the restore CD?

Member Avatar for caperjack

Okay, cool.

Is it possible without the restore CD?

no, you will need the recovery disk .
but if you are giving it away just format it and let the new owner worry about getting windows but on it .
to format it go to www.bootdisk.com and get a win98 boot disk and run fdisk

Member Avatar for Maverick223

If you have any really sensite info on the puter then I recommend using a free progy called "Dariks Boot and Nuke". It does pretty much what it sounds like, it will clear everthing, and make it unrecoverable, even by govt. agencies and data recovery specialists. But for most people this is unnecessary, a simple reformat will delete everthing, and data recovery (by taking the HDD apart) is reqd to recover the info. Good Luck, Mav.

Member Avatar for <M/>

Well if the condition is good, around $75-125... but judging by the problems you've mentioned, maybe $80-90?

this is my estimate! So don't depend on it

Member Avatar for happygeek

Erm, this thread is FOUR YEARS OLD. I'm guessing he has sold it by now... THREAD CLOSED

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