Is it possible to upgrade an old laptop?

[Marvin Martian]

After building a new PC, then finding out that the old one could be saved (kids are happy we've now got 2) I thought I'd ask if there's any hope for my old laptop. Is it possible to upgrade a laptop? My Dell Inspiron 6000 takes about 15 mins to boot, the battery lasts about 5 mins, the "l" key is missing and well, it's not worth playing games on a laptop, is it?

[GoNz0]

format it, stick windows back on and call it a day.

maybe add more RAM but thats about it.

[Funkstar]

There are only a few things you can upgrade on a laptop. Memory and hard drive are the usual two. More memory will help, so might a faster hard drive. You can't really replace anything else.

As GoNzO said, wipe Windows so there is no junk on it and re-install, it will probably book much faster. Being a Dell, you should be able to find replacement keyboards online.

Whether all this is worth it is another question entirely

[Ben Rogers]

You can upgrade the CPU, depending on socket capability etc such as the top speed the socket / motherboard can support. It isn't that hard to replace a laptop's CPU really but it does involve taking everything out and you need to document the order you take bits out so you can put it together correctly. Although most laptops are similar in design in the way the parts come out older ones can differ from the start, even getting to unscrew the keyboard on old laptops can involve unscrewing screws on the bottom of the laptop and such like. Just make sure you use the correct screws in the correct holes and get the heatsink back in properly and take your time as there is no rush.