Disposing of dead bodies

[Ludwig]

A common problem no doubt, but I have just replaced a dozen or so PC's in my office and so have lots of PC's screens, keyboards, mice etc just sitting around. It seems a shame to just drive out to the nearest beauty spot and chuck um in the edge.

Does anyone have any sensible ideas about who might usefully use them. They all work, it's just that thePC's are not man enough for the task any more.

In the absence of any other ideas, I might stick them on ebay the worlds largest carboot sale!

[gas path]

Try a local school, I'll bet that they would be most grateful!

[fobotcso]

Here's a Good Read (http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/technology/3541623.stm)

[goates]

If you do decide to donate to a school, make sure you talk to them first to see if the computers will actually be used. I have seen many cases where a compnay donates their old computers to a school, and the school just takes them out to the dumpster because they don't need them or can't use them. If the computers aren't too old, they also make great second computers for families so the kids can type up their reports etc.

Other options include using them for things like firewalls (look for CD based Linux firewalls), or a file/music server at home. You could see if your friends could use them for one of the above reasons. The firewall one will require a second network card, but those are cheap and it would give you a good firewall for less than a router.

goates

[Timothy]

We give ours to a local children's charity who distribute them to LA homes, hostels and hospices who in turn are pathetically grateful.

[Naples Air Center, Inc.]

Ludwig,

If the computers are too old to donate, I know people that use a baseball bat and hit it once for every time it had a BSOD in its lifetime. ;)

Take Care,

Richard

[Bre901]

hit it once for every time it had a BSOD in its lifetime.
Is that achievable in a man's life ? :confused:

[seacue]

Goates has reason. Computers for schools have to be able to run current software or they can't be used for teaching.

His other suggestions are also on the mark.

And if you want to toss them out - bring them to me and I'll put them on our county's computer recycling pile. It is generally a large mound (maybe a hundred cubic feet) of better machines than I'm using right now. But there is a big "NO SCAVENGING" sign and eagle-eyed attendants.

[under_exposed]

Ludwig, you have to be careful what you do with them, a company I used to work for used to auction them to the staff until the discovered they would be liable if anyone buying them then stuck their fingers into the power supply. They then started dealing with a third party company who took on this responsibility.
Just out of curiosity, what spec are they?

[amanoffewwords]

The problem with giving them to schools is that they would need to have them tested at least from an electrical point of view to satisfy the requirements of the Health and Safety Act (in the UK at least). And that costs money, which they usually haven't got.

Charles

[ck4707]

As a former Head of IT in secondary schools I have to agree with the above. Also many schools lease their computers and have maintanence contracts limiting them to particular makes, the lack of cash means having a mixture of makes etc impractical.

The other issue is of licensing, will the machines be provided with a license for the OS? again lack of cash will stop schools buying them.

All in all I would go along with the ideas stated by Goates and Under-Exposed.

[AerBabe]

This might give you some ideas. (http://www.pprune.org/forums/showthread.php?s=&threadid=79405) :E

[Mac the Knife]

Well, M$ won't let you legally give 'em away with any M$ OS on the drives (the OS is not transferable and is considered to be irretrievably "linked" to the first PC it was installed on). MegaScrooge have prosecuted a number of would-be do-gooders who collected old PCs and donated them to schools, orphanages etc.

Suggestion to use them as Linux based routers (you don't even need a hard drive) or as file servers is good.

"Computers for schools have to be able to run current software or they can't be used for teaching." True for the official "curriculum" (which essentially teaches kids how to use Microsoft Office) but actually complete rubbish. There is a vast amount of excellent DOS based free teaching software out there for the picking - it may not have a groovy GUI but hey, you might actually have to think rather than click on the green fairy rather than the blue bunny. My kid is currently learning how to program on a DR-DOS based XT (he can crash it and stuff up the OS as much as he likes - it only takes 5 minutes to reinstall the lot. Another reason for dumping M$'s resource intensive piece of insecure bloatware.

VectorLinux is a small, fast, Slackware based distro that is optimised for older machines [P133 and above + 64MB memory] - http://www.vertorlinux.com - worth checking out.

"VECTORLINUX 1.8 STANDARD EDITION.........$11.97usd (+s&h)
Released late 2000 Features the ultra stable 2.2.18 kernel This is an excellent choice for that dusty old 486 sitting in the closet. Has the XFree-3.3.6 gui and full development package. Recommend 16 megs of ram and 175 megs HD space for installation."

[ratsarrse]

You could try taking a look at: http://www.computeraid.org/home.htm

From their FAQ:




Are the hard drives wiped, and if yes, to what standard?
Yes. All data and programs are completely removed. All hard disks are reformatted as standard and at no cost to you. A full unrecoverable multiple disk wipe to Ministry of Defence standards is also available.

Does Computer Aid International collect donated computers?
Yes, Computer Aid has a limited collection facility. Please call for details.

Does Computer Aid International accept full legal liabilities?
Yes. We accept full legal liabily for any donated equipment from the time it is received by us: i.e. covering any subsequent damage or injury arising from the malfunctioning of the covered technical assets.

Who will benefit from computer donations?
Schools and community organisations in some of the poorest countries in the world.

What type of computers does Computer Aid International accept?
We accept IBM compatible computers of Pentium specification (and equivalents).

Does Computer Aid International accept peripheral equipment?
Yes. We take printers, colour monitors, modems, cables, and any other peripheral devices.

Are Computer Aid International willing to publicise our donation?
Yes. We will be happy to work with you on joint press and other media publicity.

What are the costs for us?
We may ask for a small contribution towards collection costs. Please call us for details.


They seem to have all the bases covered legally.

[mini]

Aerbabe,

Bad Girl...

:E

[seacue]

M_the_Knife,

I program in C for DOS all the time, so know something of its attractions. And I produce graphical output.

My DOS programs do run on Windoze machines, including XP machines.

I suppose we both agree that the average air-head non-technical student would be challenged enough by the mainsteam M$ Office software. And that is what they'll need on most jobs.

As a paradox, it would be the more advanced students who could be most capable of making best use of lesser machines.

SC

[goates]

This might give you some ideas.

Looks like someone escaped from JB again... ;)

goates