Community weekly poll: What did you do with your last old computer?
- 11/21/06 11:44 AM
It depends...
by owilde - 11/22/06 6:04 PM In reply to: What did you do with your last old computer? by Marc Bennett
Sometimes if I am upgrading, I may try and sell the item(s) for a fairly cheap price, but to get a bit of cash to help with the cost of the new machine. If there aren't any takers, I may use it for parts possibly saving pieces like the graphics card and hard drive (to use with an enclosure = an new external hard drive), or if the whole machine is in working (or mostly working) condition but just not worth alot of money or time spent trying to sell it, then I will go ahead and give it away to an organization that needs one, a friend that likes to built new computers from parts, that kid of a co-worker that could use a basic computer even just for school work... And with those parts that are just trashed and you think you can't do anything but throw them away, there are always plenty of artists around that like using weird objects as art pieces (recycling them in this fashion gives them a second chance before the landfill).
And of course, you can always turn things into usable art as well, like the person that made a bag out of old 3.5 inch floppy diskettes... Very unbelievable and usefull, as well as a great conversation starter.
Now if only we could think of something to make out of VHS tapes.... I have a few (New) blank ones left laying around from a few years ago before my roommate got his first (and later) second Tivo's... The first was a Series 2 and great, but we still used the VCR to record TV series to tape. The second and current one, is another Series 2, but a Humax DRT-800 which is the 80hr with DVD player/burner built in and hence the reason for the leftover, unused tapes... Who needs a VCR when you can burn your tv shows straight to DVD from your Tivo??? And speaking of VCRs, I think we still have that gathering dust on some shelf somewhere... Maybe we should keep it so we can take some stuff from all those shelves of tapes and put it on a hard drive instead...
Anonymous Gifting
by CamInDfbFL - 11/22/06 6:09 PM In reply to: What did you do with your last old computer? by Marc Bennett
I put it, the mouse, and the keyboard into two Macy's shopping bags and left them in the elevator of the highrise I was living in. They were gone very quickly. That also worked with an old vcr on another occasion.
Donating computers
by leon1948 - 11/22/06 6:21 PM In reply to: What did you do with your last old computer? by Marc Bennett
It is almost impossible to find anyone in the USA who will accept an obsolete PC, even if you offer to deliver it. Once delivered, Americans actually expect a warranty on these old computers. In most of the world, our idea of an obsolete PC is still very useful and valuable. For some odd reason, our own government keeps putting charities out of business that try to put these computers into the hands of people who are very excited to have them. If it is obsolete in the USA, the Cold War restrictions should be throw out! The foundation I used to use is out of business, but new ones are created all of the time. Try to find one by searching the Internet for "donate computer."
Keep the best, sell the good
by sweetchinmusic - 11/22/06 7:04 PM In reply to: Donating computers by leon1948When I got my new laptop, I still kept some parts of my old PC. For instance, I've kept the monitor (and the computer table) and occasionally hook it up as a second display - useful in some areas of work, or if you just want to expand your desktop. I've also kept my old hard disc (even though I've taken the important data out of it). I had some pretty new parts (like an NVIDIA display card) on my desktop, which I sold off. And as for the other parts, I just gave them away to friends who needed them (like the SD-RAM).
Gave it away
by NLANGCRasta - 11/22/06 6:43 PM In reply to: What did you do with your last old computer? by Marc Bennett
I gave my old computer to a friend that wanted one but didnt have one.
What I did with my last old computer
by pappy45 - 11/22/06 6:49 PM In reply to: What did you do with your last old computer? by Marc Bennett
Me? I have at least 6 old computers. And out of the six, I make at least one out of them. Guess you could call it recycling. I fix & repair computers. When someone doesn't want their old one anymore, they give it to me. So, that is what I do with old computers.
old systems
by beyondtoday - 11/22/06 7:23 PM In reply to: What did you do with your last old computer? by Marc Bennett
I turned them in to testing systems so that I can check the programs I download before using them on my everyday system. this is ideal because if the system crashes well it don't take long to drop on a new os where as if I have to do it to the everyday system then you have all the extra prgrams to reload.
Ken
Similar to off-site storage.
by lexdee - 11/22/06 8:26 PM In reply to: What did you do with your last old computer? by Marc Bennett
What I did was clean it up inside and out, formatted the HD, and set the machine up as an off-site storage system for all our digital images and other important data. This is an older E Machine computer that's totally dependable and since we don't use it that much will most likely be fine for the forseeable future.
Donation always feels good
by mbfan465 - 11/22/06 8:38 PM In reply to: What did you do with your last old computer? by Marc Bennett
I donated it to the local high school. I plan to donate this one too when I finally get a new one.
Donating always feels great ~I recommend it to everyone.
What I did with my old computers
by Warzjohn - 11/22/06 8:49 PM In reply to: What did you do with your last old computer? by Marc Bennett
Recycled the old computers at www.freegeek.org in Portland, Oregon. They try to re-use the better parts and install Linux on them, then return the usable computers to charities, nonprofits, and those who cannot afford them. Many are shipped to schools in less developed nations by various groups that contact FreeGeek for help. On any day 200-250 volenteers are busy recycling old computers at freegeek. And there are several new freegeeks starting in other cities.
John Warzynski
Stripping For Education
by CustardTheCat - 11/23/06 12:16 AM In reply to: What did you do with your last old computer? by Marc Bennett
When my computers are out of date I strip them down and use the componants within my work. I am a lecturer of Computer Science and ICT. I teach Visually Impaired people how to use a computer as a communication tool and use some of the parts for this group of people to feel so they have an sence of what the theory side of it is all about. Within my teachings of Computer Science I use the parts to enable the students to build new machines - some have the moeny to buy all new parts when building machines others have little or no monies so this method of using my old parts (and those of some of my collegues) allow these students to participate in this experience and gain a technical insight in to computers.
In the past I did donate my old machines to childrens organisations such as Brownies (Guiding & Scout movemnt) or St John Ambulance.
yeah in the closet
by MrMe003 - 11/23/06 2:08 AM In reply to: What did you do with your last old computer? by Marc Bennett
There are some pics. http://www.flickr.com/photos/blogi/301854550/in/set-1457089/
What I did with my old computer
by shoilee - 11/23/06 3:05 AM In reply to: What did you do with your last old computer? by Marc Bennett
Our school system has a Vo-tech and one of the courses they offer is computer repair...what better place to recycle an old computer, they can practice a myriad of repair projects with a used computer. They also got my used printer and monitor and several keyboards. The instructor was extremely pleased and stated they could use any and all donations. My hard drive was dead, so I removed that prior to donating it.
What to do with old computer?
by divemister - 11/23/06 5:43 AM In reply to: What I did with my old computer by shoileeI started out with the intention of upgrading my computer. As it turned out through many iterations I could only save the power cord and the video card.The rest was replaced by the able computer tech squad at the high school where I worked. The left-overs from the original were converted to a server that handled a bunch of printers. When I went to a flat screen monitor I found a friend who happily adopted my 17", 3 ton monitor.It seems I deal with pieces and not whole packages, never sticking more than a toe in the water at any one time.
Bernie
What did I do with my last old computer?
by Dezso42 - 11/23/06 9:33 AM In reply to: What did you do with your last old computer? by Marc Bennett
I dropped it in a trash can while vacated our storage closet during an anti-garbage campaign in springtime this year. It was very obsolete, over 10 years old and to tell the truth I don't know for what reason I stored it for a long time.
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