Get a Free Laptop - Truth or Myth?

Recently CNN interviewed an owner of the free laptop website. They confirmed a website was not another scam but the real deal. Although only available to USA residents, the website does give away laptops for free, or almost.

So how does the whole "Get a Free Laptop" system work? It's actually very simple. Once you're at their website, you have to choose a laptop you want and fill out the e-mail address field. Next you will have an option of filling out a quick short 1 page survey. This step is optional.

Then, you will be offered many different memberships and trials, most of these are free for a week or so, with a possibility of cancellation without a fee, some offers require you to make a purchase costing a dollar or two. In order to get a free laptop you will have to complete 2 silver offers, 2 gold offers and either a) 6 platinum offers or b) Have 20 offers completed by people you refer. Please take note; you will have to do either "a" or "b", not both.

When the required steps are completed, your laptop is on its way. Make sure you provided the correct address, PO boxes are not acceptable.

So where does the actual laptop come from? The owner of the website receives a decent amount of money from the advertiser for each offer you complete. Why does the advertiser pay so much money for it? Well, when you complete an offer, even free trials, you become a potential client for the advertiser. The whole "get a free laptop" system is a win-win-win deal for you, the website owner and the advertiser.

Beware, some of the Free Laptop sites are scams, and will never send you a laptop. If a website doesn't provide you with their contact information - it is scam. The site should also offer a possibility of verifying your gift status. You will need this, to make sure you completed all the offers required and that the laptop was shipped to you.

8 Steps to Evaluating a Used Laptop Computer

If you have considered purchasing a used laptop computer you might first want to review the following step by step evaluation process to ensure that you get a good quality used laptop computer.

Step 1-Find out what external hardware is included with the computer. At a bare minimum, the laptop computer will need a power cord. Other options that might be included are an external mouse, keyboard and floppy disk drive. Additional hardware offerings could include a microphone, speakers, printer, scanner, external wireless card and battery.

Step 2-Find out what internal hardware is included with the computer. The most popular internal hardware component is the internal wireless network card. Other internal hardware components include things such as a video card, DVD drive, CD Rom drive, and a sound card.

Step 3-Before you even consider purchasing a used laptop computer, ask if the computer components are original, repaired or replaced.

Step 4-Ask the seller if the machine is in full working condition. Some questions you might ask include a. does the machine power on and off properly; b. is the monitor clear without scratches or flaws; c. does the battery work properly; d. does the computer work properly without the battery installed and, if so, how long does the battery stay charged.

Step 5-Determine what operating system is installed in the used laptop computer. The newest version of Windows, called Windows Vista, is not always compatible with all softwares. You will need to find out what operating system is running the computer and research if that operating system will run the software that you intend to install.

Step 6-Find out what software is being included with the computer.

Step 7-Thoroughly research competitive prices for the make, model and year of the used laptop computer that you are considering buying. This is easy to determine by reviewing the bids on similar products on Ebay.

Step 8-If the machine is a fairly new machine, it might still be covered under warranty. If so, ask the seller if the warranty is transferrable to you upon purchase.