My suggestion would be to purchase the rechargeable battery package. ($25 -35) I know the initial investment may be steep but it is well work the investment. Batteries are expensive and if your child uses it over the next 4 years you have saved a lot more! Besides, you won't have to hassle with calling leap frog and asking for a replacement part that still will probably cost you money! We got ours at Target and they do periodically go on sale. If you go to www.leapfrog.com and go to the "download leapfrog connect" under the "support" tab, you can download the cd that came with your game system. To hook your leapster to the computer, any USB cable will work. You could temporarily use the one from your printer or other auxillary device. If you want to, you can purchase one relatively inexpensively from a Staples, Office Depot or Best Buy. Now you should be ready to go! Hope this helps.