Well, I finally bought a laptop. It is a refurbished HP Elitebook 8540W. Found it on eBay. I paid CDN $326.00 (includes shipping and import charges). I think the price is good and hopefully the end product is equally good. Spent many hours sifting through various reviews and I really zeroed in on this particular model because of it's connectivity options - you can plug just about anything into it short of a toaster. The seller is a "certified refurbisher" with a stellar rep and well over a 1000 sales. Supposedly the battery still holds a charge but like most sellers there's "no guarantee". Windows 7 Pro COA and a 6 month warranty.

How big is the screen?

 

How big is the screen?

15.6"

 

15.6"

Looks like it may still be possible to get the free update to Win10.
https://www.cnet.com/news/microsoft-windows-10-free-upgrade-offer-assistive-features/
Max.

 

15.6"

don't care much about display size, but i do care about display resolution. this model has three display options (1366x768, 1600x900, 1920x1080)

 

HP Elitebook 8540W arrived on Monday. I have been testing it out and so far so good. Battery fully charged but doesn't work when I disconnect from charger. Likely a bad cell. Battery was never guaranteed so it's not a big deal. I found a highly rated replacement on Amazon.ca for $36 CDN (shipping included). No regrets....yet.

 

HP Elitebook 8540W arrived on Monday. I have been testing it out and so far so good. Battery fully charged but doesn't work when I disconnect from charger. Likely a bad cell. Battery was never guaranteed so it's not a big deal. I found a highly rated replacement on Amazon.ca for $36 CDN (shipping included). No regrets....yet.

Battery Plus stores are popping up all over the US. They carry the lithium cells - they crack open the battery case and replace all the cells for about $20 to $50 - depending on the pack. You walk out with your battery in about 20 min.

 

We have a place called "Battery Boys" in Saskatoon (Canada) but I'd have to check if they would provide such a service.