Any way to check power-on time for a machine?

I'm looking at a notebook that is advertised as brand new, open box, never used. The hard drive keeps track of hours in use. Is there any other way to verify it?

 

If it looks brand new and works like it is brand new, what more do you want?

 

If I'm paying a premium for a new machine, I want it to actually be brand new.

 

sounds like a best buy open box deal or something, no? there's no real way to ascertain total uptime, but it's probably at least a few hours between QA/setup and whoever returned it. i wouldn't pay a premium for anything open box anyway since that's sort of counterintuitive.

Sent from my Windows 8 device using Board Express Pro

 

All the laptops I've had have done a "setting up for first time use" test with a screen stating the same. I don't know if that happens with all laptops. If it does, that would be a way to check if it has indeed never been used.

 

Closest you can get is look at harddrive power on hour.

 

The only laptops that display power-on hours are Panasonics and I'm pretty sure you're not after one of them...

 

huh I remember there was a thread on panny sub forum where a bug show power on hour of million years or something like that.

 

Try CrystalDiskInfo from here Download Center - Crystal Dew World

 

That displays "power on hours". I think that means hours since the computer was turned on, not since it was turned on for the very first time (which would require hardware that kept count of time since first power on even when the computer shut down).

 

It means hours powered on since new. It will usually have some hours on it before being sold since it's normal for the manufacturer to put the drives through some acceptance testing. It only needs to keep track of time when it's powered up via a simple counter. Also available is the power on count for the number of times the drive has been powered up since new..

 

Well it is just the drive, not the computer per say. You can put a new drive in a old computer for w.e reason.

 

I'm sorry but do you have any source for this? AFAIK, there is no way for the drive to keep track of time since first being started up unless it is some special drive that has this functionality.