My Ex husband took the portable CD-rom to my 2000 Dell Laptop computer and uninstalled all software. I have tried to have "experts" load new software by USB connection but that won't work. Apparently they do not have the propper equipment. At this point, what is the best solution with LEAST cost involved. I have about a $500 budget and want to use is wisely whether that be buying a new notebook or purchasing a CD-Rom. How much woould it cost the have a DELL expert install the correct software? Where is the cheapest option for the portable CD-rom I need?How much would the Trade-in value be on this Comp?Would I get a better deal selling it on Ebay?

All you need are drivers for the drive.. You need to clarify your question a little better I had no idea what you were trying to ask.. What software? portable cdrom, referring to external? what wont work with the USB connection?

use network install.

u can do it using usb ... all u need are the proper keys/serials ... put the program installs onto the usb drive and copy them to the machine ... run the installers and use the keys/serials ...i install ALL of my software in that way ... and ive never spent one dime on software ..

you dont need a "dell expert" any knowledgable computer person can install a portable cd-romCheck prices on ebay or at pricewatch.com

Used computers are worth basically nothing. Without knowing what the specs are, I couldn't tell you how much it might be worth, but a guess would be about 10% of what you paid for it.You can get an external CD-RW drive that connects via USB. Those are about $50 and you can get them at best buy or a similar store.You could also try looking for another CD-drive to replace the one that used to be in your laptop. You can probably buy one directly from Dell, but you might find a better deal elsewhere.I'm glad you put "experts" in quotes - clearly they had no idea what they are doing. Once you have a working CD drive, you can install the software yourself.