Hi, folks:

I fully realize that this e-mail may be somewhat off topic for this list, so
if someone wants to respond to me privately, please feel free to do so at
my private e-mail:

[log in to unmask]

Anyway, here goes:

I am in the process or resurrecting my son's old laptop computer--a Compact
Presario 1215US.  The computer has sufficient memory in it so that Windows
XP and Jaws 5.0 seem to work fine.  The problems  with the computer lie in
some
nagging issues, which I could use some help with.

1. I am trying to get a pair of stereo headphones to work with the computer
so I can use it in a meeting setting.  When I use the headphones with the
usual stereo plug, I only get sound out of the right-hand side--kind of
anoying.  If I use a stereo-to-mono adapter, I get soft and distorted audio
with lots of background computer noise.  Do I need to make some adjustments
to the audio settings in Windows?  If so, can someone give me some
directions as to how to go about it?

2.  The battery in the laptop is completely dead--won't accept any charge.
The folks at Best Buys say a new battery costs between $150 and $200.  Does
anyone know of a cheaper source?  A re-conditioned battery would be fine.

3.  There are some missing keys to the computer (e.g. the right-hand control
key, and some others.  Does anyone know of a source for missing keys?  Best
Buys says a new key-board for the computer would be at least $150.  Kinda
pricy, if you ask me.

Best 73 from Tom Behler: KB8TYJ, Big Rapids, MI