Need advice with a used Macbook.

[Erko]

So Im about to pull the trigger on a late 2009 Macbook, but before I hand the seller the money Id like to be sure I get a fully working product. In addition to the usual visual inspection Id like to run a hardware stress test and check the battery. Now I read that Macbook install discs come with a hardware stress test, so I think Im going for that one. The problem however is, that I dont know if the seller has the discs or not so Id like to maybe burn my own. Can someone tell me, if I were to download a recovery disc ISO off the web, would I be able to run the test off that or is it more complicated?

Secondly Id like to check the battery with coconutbattery. However Im new to OSX, so I dont know how running software there works. Can I just downlaod the file to a USB stick and run it from there or do I have to install lit somewhere? And what kind of format does my memory stick need to have for it to run on OSX?
Thanks in advance 🙂

 

[Erko]

So I pulled the trigger on it and now Id like some general advice on it.
First of all, can I fix an "easy" key? The spacebar seems to offer less resistance than the others and I was wondering if this is fixable.

Secondly, can I get the original discs or their images from somewhere? The seller threw her's away and now I cant perform a clean install on it, as it has quite a lot of junk in it.

Thirdly, the trackpad seems to be a bit worn and it seems there is some dirt between it and the chassis. Would cleaning it make it better and can I somehow make the trackpad "smoother/slipperier"?

Also, the sharp edges on the chassis have some minor scuffing. Can I use some kind of really smooth sandpaper to smooth it out or is it not recommended?