- Joined
- May 20, 2008
- Messages
- 44,212
- Reaction score
- 1,423
- Points
- 113
- Location
- U.S.
- Your Mac's Specs
- 2017 15" MBP, 16gig ram, 1TB SSD, OS 10.15
So last week I purchased a used "Late 2009" 21.5" iMac. I was looking for something not too large that I could set on the coffee table while watching TV. Ideally a model that could run Mavericks (it can)...and be upgraded to 8gig of ram (it can do 16gig). I sort of got tired of using the laptop. I usually like to keep the laptop plugged in...since I'm usually gaming...which "eats" the battery up quickly. Plus the laptop sort of restricts how you sit.
So I purchased the iMac from a family (Mom in this case) with three kids. I'm pretty sure that the computer was a Best Buy demo/floor model. I installed a program called 'Disk Drill" which (amoung other things), provides you with the number of "up time" hours. This computer has something like 19,500 hours on it (at least the HD). Doing the math...that works out to be something like 13+ hours/day (everyday) for about 4 years (so a lot of hours).
But hey...did I mention...I only paid $270 dollars for it!
It wasn't issue free.
- First of all...the three children were in the 3-6 years old range...so you can imagine the amount of "finger-cheese" near the power switch, the ports, the display, keyboard, and mouse!!!...yuck!!! I felt like the very first thing I needed to do when I got it home was to pressure wash it & sterilize!
- The seller told me that the optical disk wasn't working because one of the kids inserted a DVD "backwards". Of course this didn't seem logical...since the drive would have ejected the disk right away...or it would have been "ejectable" via the various methods. Well I took the computer apart to get to the drive...and what do I find...TWO DISKS jammed in there...one on top of the other! Unfortunately...even after removing the disks...the drive was still dead!
- While I was inside...I wanted to clean it. With 19,500 hours on it...I thought that it would be pretty dirty. But it really wasn't all that bad/dusty/fuzzy.
- Lastly...the bluetooth keyboard was a mess. All sorts of dirt, food stains on the keys, etc. Plus there must have been some sort of food/beverage spill on it...since the spacebar & about 5 keys were all gunked up (badly enough that the keyboard really wasn't useable).
At this point I normally would have given up on the keyboard...since the conventional wisdom is the aluminum keyboards aren't really repairable/cleanable. They are glued together...and not disassemblable. But I did some You Tube searches...and got some ideas. The "chicklet" keys can be popped off...which gave me access to the parts that may be sticking with syrupy liquid residue. Result...was able to clean all the "offensive" keys (Q-Tips + water)...and the keyboard now works great!
Bottom line. The computer & keyboard are working great (optical drive not working...which isnt too much of a big deal). For $270 bucks...a great deal for what I need it for.
- Nick
So I purchased the iMac from a family (Mom in this case) with three kids. I'm pretty sure that the computer was a Best Buy demo/floor model. I installed a program called 'Disk Drill" which (amoung other things), provides you with the number of "up time" hours. This computer has something like 19,500 hours on it (at least the HD). Doing the math...that works out to be something like 13+ hours/day (everyday) for about 4 years (so a lot of hours).
But hey...did I mention...I only paid $270 dollars for it!
It wasn't issue free.
- First of all...the three children were in the 3-6 years old range...so you can imagine the amount of "finger-cheese" near the power switch, the ports, the display, keyboard, and mouse!!!...yuck!!! I felt like the very first thing I needed to do when I got it home was to pressure wash it & sterilize!
- The seller told me that the optical disk wasn't working because one of the kids inserted a DVD "backwards". Of course this didn't seem logical...since the drive would have ejected the disk right away...or it would have been "ejectable" via the various methods. Well I took the computer apart to get to the drive...and what do I find...TWO DISKS jammed in there
...one on top of the other! Unfortunately...even after removing the disks...the drive was still dead!- While I was inside...I wanted to clean it. With 19,500 hours on it...I thought that it would be pretty dirty. But it really wasn't all that bad/dusty/fuzzy.
- Lastly...the bluetooth keyboard was a mess. All sorts of dirt, food stains on the keys, etc. Plus there must have been some sort of food/beverage spill on it...since the spacebar & about 5 keys were all gunked up (badly enough that the keyboard really wasn't useable).
At this point I normally would have given up on the keyboard...since the conventional wisdom is the aluminum keyboards aren't really repairable/cleanable. They are glued together...and not disassemblable. But I did some You Tube searches...and got some ideas. The "chicklet" keys can be popped off...which gave me access to the parts that may be sticking with syrupy liquid residue. Result...was able to clean all the "offensive" keys (Q-Tips + water)...and the keyboard now works great!
Bottom line. The computer & keyboard are working great (optical drive not working...which isnt too much of a big deal). For $270 bucks...a great deal for what I need it for.
- Nick
