Originally Posted by
takomania
if your battery is screwed, you don't always have to buy a new one - there are a handful of companies (depending on where you are in the world) that charge a fraction of the price of a new battery to replace the power cells in your existing laptop battery. google around - recellyourbattery.com is a random example, but a number of people offer the service - just pick on that looks good and is in your country (to avoid hefty shipping charges).
btw - the technique is known as 'recelling', so your searches should include the word 'recell' ;)