Alternate Power Supply for HP zv5000 Laptop

New to the site… I’ve been reading up on other’s posts about their power supply issues with their HP laptop. I’ve got ’em too! I cannot relocate the post where someone suggested buying a media cord (or was it cable) as an alternate to replacing/repairing the DC jack (estimated at $250-400 from a few different, local repair shops). A few questions I’m hoping that someone can help me with…

How does the media cord work?
Where does it plug into my laptop (my ac jack is dead) and how does it get power?
Also, will this method charge my battery?
Are the cords/cables generic or product/model specific?
Where can I find one? (Best Buy, Circuit City-type?)
And is there such a thing as an 8-12 hour battery? If so, where can I buy one? (I’ve only found 2-4 hr batteries online @ $150)

Great site- Great info!
Thanks in advance-