My HP 42S Find and Some Questions

[Sanjeev Visvanatha]

Being a bit thrifty, I have been on the hunt for a good quality 42S, but not at an outrageous price.

Last week, I found what looked like a good condition 42S with an ASTECH Industries hard case at a very low "Buy it Now" price. The item was just listed a few minutes before.

Needless to say, this was my chance, so I immediately bought it without asking any questions.

Now having the calculator in my hand, I have some questions/observations. Hopefully someone may be to clarify:

1. The ASTECH case - how many rubber feet should it have? This unit has one strip near the bottom of the case when in the open position.

2. The faceplate of the 42S is almost flush to the plastic case on the left side of the LCD. There is no creasing of the faceplate. The faceplate does move to the expected position with very light force. Is that normal, or does it indicate some tinkering?

3. There is a sticker on the back: "International Calc/Comp", which looks like it has been on the unit for a long time. That company appears to be a reseller of HP products. Could this indicate anything unusual or special of the unit's history? The seller did not provide any ownership history.

4. What is the safest way to clean the faceplate?

Thank you.