Where To Get Rid Of Old Computers
Where To Get Rid Of Old Computers – If someone were to inspect your computer, what would they find? We assume a lot of pictures, some music and a lot of deleted passwords, addresses and financial and medical statements. Didn’t you know that most of these things are still connected to your computer even if you delete them? Well, they are; and therefore it is important to dispose of old computers correctly.
Before doing this, save any files you want to keep on a USB drive, external hard drive, or new computer. There are many programs on the Internet and in stores that can clean your hard drive, but consider using those that wipe it repeatedly so that you cannot retrieve information. If you use your computer for business purposes, make sure you follow laws that mandate appropriate data security requirements when handling certain customer information. (See step 3 for best practices).
Where To Get Rid Of Old Computers
There are many ways to dispose of your computer after wiping your hard drive. You can recycle it at the manufacturer’s website or at the EPA’s electronic product recycling programs. You can donate a computer to a charity of your choice; or you can sell it to a person or organization and get some money back on your investment. If you’re still worried about other people having access to your information, see step 3 and call a shredding service.
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The most comforting way to know that no one can or will have personal information on your computer is to have it shredded before your eyes. Complete Shredding Solutions offers media shredding services for hard drives, microfilm and more. We can give you peace of mind knowing that your information is safe from the wrong hands.
Complete Shredding Solutions is not just a shredding service, we are equipped to shred a variety of commercial and consumer products, including non-paper goods. We can chop almost anything! That is why we are real experts in “information elimination”. For more information about destroying your old computer and hard drive, call us at 516-442-1642. Editors select and review products independently. If you purchase through affiliate links, we may earn a commission to support our testing.
Demand for computers skyrocketed during the pandemic as people shifted to working from home, leaving many older computers stranded and unused.
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You may be tempted to just throw out your old computer. But if the laptop or desktop computer was made in the last decade, you’d be surprised how much useful life you (or others) can get out of it.
You may need to make some light improvements; adding more RAM and a big new storage drive could benefit some (okay, probably all) of these projects. In many cases, a computer requires Internet access and/or the ability to access software written on a USB flash drive to install on this old junk. Here are just some of the possibilities.
Do you like trying new things? There is nothing newer than a freshly installed operating system on your old computer – even a completely old computer will feel young again.
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Most alternative operating systems (translation: neither Windows nor macOS) are based on Linux, which comes in various options called “distros”. Popular examples include Ubuntu, Mint (opens in a new window), elementary OS (opens in a new window), and Manjaro (opens in a new window). You’ll find Windows-like interfaces and bundled with software packages like LibreOffice (the free, open-source equivalent of Microsoft Office). Most work well on computers with 4GB of RAM or more, but check the required specifications.
You can also try building your own version of Chromebook. This is usually a laptop running Google Chrome OS; makes Chrome and Google cloud services and storage the center of the operating system. You can download and install Chrome OS Flex (opens in a new window) on old PCs or even old Macs (opens in a new window); it even runs from a portable flash drive.
Even if you’re a streaming addict, you probably have hours of music, podcasts and videos stored locally. And you want to have access to everything on computers, game consoles, tablets and phones. You need a media server for this.
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“Theater software” like Kodi makes this possible. Install the server software on any Linux, Windows or macOS device; jailbreak iOS devices; rooted Android devices; and even Raspberry Pi; there are “remote control” apps for iOS or Android users who don’t want to go bankrupt (n).
Plek (above) has most of the same features. Server software can be installed on computers running Windows, macOS, Linux, FreeBSD and even NAS devices. Playback software is available for almost any device you can imagine. Plek even offers some live TV options.
For best performance, put the server software on your old computer with a clean install of the operating system and dedicate the system to media playback – nothing else.
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A network storage device is a server for your home or small business network that is used to store files that you share with all computers on your network (or remotely over the Internet). Prices vary from pennies to hundreds. But if you have an old computer with lots of storage space, you don’t need to buy a NAS: you can build one. Free, open source software that does just that is readily available. TrueNAS Core (opens in a new window), Rockstor (opens in a new window), FileCloud (opens in a new window), XigmaNAS (opens in a new window) and others can put your old computer in its version of the cloud.
Everyone is concerned about privacy – as we should be. Many tools can turn your work computer into a more anonymous web-browsing workstation. But if you have a long-standing PC that needs a new lease of life, turn it into a dedicated private PC with the Amnesic Incognito Live System (opens in a new window) (TAILS).
Based on a Linux distribution called Debian, TAILS can run on a USB flash drive, SD card or DVD, so you can take it with you. It routes your internet traffic and requests through the Tor network. All integrated applications are pre-configured for security, including the office suite, the IM client, the email software and of course the browser. Other Linux distributions with a focus on privacy and anonymity include Vhonik (opens in a new window) and Kubes OS (opens in a new window).
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There is nothing worse than limited access to your wireless network. So turn that old computer into a Wi-Fi hotspot to share your internet connection. Of course, you need a computer with Wi-Fi.
To be honest, this job is better left to the router. This is why routers exist. However, the possibility to connect via an old computer exists thanks to Connectifi Hotspot (opens in a new window). If you already have a Wi-Fi router, run Ethernet on the laptop and use Connectifi to create a secondary network using the same Internet backhaul connection. Connectifi Hotspot Pro currently costs (opens in new window) $14.99 for lifetime use on one Windows PC; the company offers a 30-day money-back guarantee.
With Windows, you can also turn your computer into an access point that shares your home Internet without additional software.
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Everyone has a family member who just can’t handle technology. Even worse, they ask you for help. Below. You may not even live in the same state or country! Troubleshooting over the phone is a headache, so what to do?
Take your old laptop, load the disc and reinstall Windows. Then lock it down so the person you give it to can’t install any software without your permission. Go to Settings > Accounts > Family & other users and click Add someone else to this PC. The goal is to create an account for you
Which cannot handle settings (much). Configure User Account Control for the account (type UAC in the start menu to run it). If UAC is turned off, a standard user can act as an administrator. Increase that too, but far and all the warnings can be annoying. You have to find the right balance.
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To truly limit your family member’s activity, you must literally treat them like a child. Under Family and other users, click Add a family member and Add a child will appear. (Even the child’s account needs an email invite for some reason, but you can create a quick Outlook.com invite for them.) Include your phone number to back up the password in case the user (child or not) forgets that. Turn off advertising and promotions and you’re almost done.
Visit account.microsoft.com/family(opens in new window) to see what everyone in your Microsoft account has been up to. Here you can block websites, select games and apps, and much more.
Are you sure you want to lock it? Set up a feature in your account called Assigned Access (opens in a new window), which puts Windows in public terminal mode—like when you come across a computer in a public place that only has access to one thing. Set e.g. a user account to access the browser only. It’s pretty limiting, but it’s better than answering endless tech support questions.
How To Safely Get Rid Of Old Computers
Before sending this computer to live with a loved one, install the remote control
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