Old Computers - Do NOT throw them Away!**

[mjonesjr]

I am starting to collect older desktop and laptop PC's to refurbish and donate to the people and families in my community who can't afford a computer.

Technology is something everyone takes for granted. However, there are a lot of families who can't afford a computer for one reason or another. This limits this person or family on what they can do since they have no access to the internet or simple word processing.

My goal for this year is to help 5 families get a computer in their house this year. If I can help more than that, that would be great!


If anyone has an older computer that they don't want or need anymore, I would be willing to pay you a little for the computer and to cover the cost of shipping it to me, but would prefer the computer to be donated. I will still cover the cost of shipping if the computer is donated.

All computers received will be completely cleaned of any data on the hard drive and a new copy of the operating system installed. If the sender wishes to keep their hard drive, that is fine as well.


PM me with what you have.

 

[Ranger Sport Honduras]

great plan. i got one in almost ok condition, shame im this far.

 

[daniel3507]

Well crap I just took two old computers to be recycled earlier this week

 

[shane96ranger]

About everyone I know give me their old computers because I recycle parts into other computers to do exactly what you are. Good on you!

 

[disciplerocks]

I have a lot of desktop parts laying around. And I don't use a desktop anymore. I'll be digging it all out when I move at the end of the month. I'll let you know what I find. I know I have a few hard drives, random PCI cards, and 2 cases I think. May have a motherboard in one of the cases still.

 

[mjonesjr]

I have a lot of desktop parts laying around. And I don't use a desktop anymore. I'll be digging it all out when I move at the end of the month. I'll let you know what I find. I know I have a few hard drives, random PCI cards, and 2 cases I think. May have a motherboard in one of the cases still.

Sweet, let me know when you dig it all out. I can sure use the parts.

 

[AllanD]

I don't actually assemble computers for the needy, but I ship a bunch of stuff to a guy in Wisconsin who does.

Mostly stuff most of us would consider junk... Late Pentium3 (anything new enough to be "Socket" rather than "Slot") and early P4's anytrhing earlier than that still goes to scrap.

I actually shipped him a medium flat rate box completely filled with PC100 & PC133 memory 12-ish lbs of it...

But I wish someone would send me some DDR2


All I can say is thank the almighty that I'm down to my last, my VERY last computer that used DDR memory and all the ones that take earlier memory are already parted out...

What parts would you find useful, I have a bunch of Power supplies that are too early to have the 4pin P4 connector on them...

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[mjonesjr]

Any parts I can get that someone don't want I will take. I just picked up an old HP tonight from a neighbor that when I powered it on was running Windows NT, so that should tell ya that I'll take anything.

As long as I can put an ethernet or modem in it so someone can have access to the net or that it will run Office I will be pleased with it.

 

[AllanD]

Oh.... My ... Gawd.... NT?

Hey recently a friend offered me an old Dell "netbook"

Well sorta, it was small... didn't have an optical drive... but it was a P-II
CPU and the "optional" (larger) HDD was 12.8Gb....

And the batteies for it were both dead.

I passed on it.


BTW, I cracked that Acer HDD.
The secret was that ther was no "Secret" I was looking for something that wasn't there.

The familiar folder "documents and settings" from every Windows OS up to XP
isn't really there in Vista or 7, the data I was looking for to recover it was
in another folder...



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[mjonesjr]

Oh.... My ... Gawd.... NT?

Hey recently a friend offered me an old Dell "netbook"

Well sorta, it was small... didn't have an optical drive... but it was a P-II
CPU and the "optional" (larger) HDD was 12.8Gb....

And the batteies for it were both dead.

I passed on it.


BTW, I cracked that Acer HDD.
The secret was that ther was no "Secret" I was looking for something that wasn't there.

The familiar folder "documents and settings" from every Windows OS up to XP
isn't really there in Vista or 7, the data I was looking for to recover it was
in another folder...



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Yea, I haven't opened the case, but I think it is a PII or PIII. If it is a PIII, it has to be an early PIII for it to have NT on it I think. The darn thing runs good though; takes forever to boot up though. I just have to get a mouse for it that goes into the green plug and not USB as it will not recognize the USB mouse.

Glad you got the hard drive figured out. I do know that Microsoft changed a bunch of file directories when they did Vista and even more when they released 7. That is why you can't do a direct upgrade from XP to 7 as there was too many file directory changes.

 

[shane96ranger]

I still have my old IBM Aptiva with an AMD K6-2 500mhz (only running at 450mhz though) in it. When I bought it, the motherboard was one of the first I'd seen with a 100mhz FSB. It had 98 on it, but it's got 2000 on it now.

I will dig through my stuff and see if I have anything you'd want. Lots of it I don't think I'll ever use, like video cards. Do you have any use for modems?

 

[mjonesjr]

I will dig through my stuff and see if I have anything you'd want. Lots of it I don't think I'll ever use, like video cards. Do you have any use for modems?

Anything you got I would appreciate.

I don't think I will have any use for modems, but I will take them as long as I can still get drivers for them.

 

[dhinch279]

My work has just bought new computers. I am not sure if they will want to get rid of the old ones, but I can ask. I know they like to keep some of them for awhile just in case we ever need any information off of them. Here is the inventory that we have so far:

Dell:

Qty:
2 - Dimension 4300
1 - Dimension 3000
1 - Dimension 4600
2 - Optiplex GX260
1 - Precision 450
(I believe all of the Dell's have Windows XP)

IBM:
2 - Aptiva Model E2U (Windows 95)
2 - Aptiva Model E26 (Windows 98)

I know for a fact they would get rid of the IBM computers. It's the Dells that I am not sure of and would have to ask. Most of the Dell PC's work great, 2 for sure have crashed, and either way we would probably keep the hard drives in them. They all have DVD or DVD/RW drives. The IBM PC's were replaced by the Dells about 6 or 7 years ago and don't know their condition except they turn on. If you are interested let me know, if you paid the shipping you could probably just have them, but again, I would have to ask the boss.

 

[AllanD]

Of that list I'd say the pick of the litter if you can get them is the Dell 4600. it's actually
a halfway descent machine if you put the best CPU it'll accept in it...

the 4600 actually has two SATA jacks on the MoBo

Yea, I haven't opened the case, but I think it is a PII or PIII. If it is a PIII, it has to be an early PIII for it to have NT on it I think. The darn thing runs good though; takes forever to boot up though. I just have to get a mouse for it that goes into the green plug and not USB as it will not recognize the USB mouse.

Glad you got the hard drive figured out. I do know that Microsoft changed a bunch of file directories when they did Vista and even more when they released 7. That is why you can't do a direct upgrade from XP to 7 as there was too many file directory changes.

I open every old computer and atleast "look" because my current 8month old Antec power supply
came out of a gateway so ancient it didn't even have PS2 ports for hte mouse and keyboard
(the green and purple plugs)

As for the directories? Vista/7 emulates certain older behavior and if you "peek" inside the
directory structure with older management tools you'll see what appears to be what you
are after but what there actually is is an empty "pseudo directory"


the difference with Win7 is they changed the underlaying structure to
eliminate the need for those simulations of the older OS's structure.

In that way you can sorta consider Vista to be a Win7 simulation that runs in XP

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[Black'03LevelII]

I have a Dell Inspirion B130 laptop, not sure if I have the power supply for it though. I will look for it. I'm not sure what size HD or ram it has, but it does have Ethernet plug as well as phone modem plug, also had DVD drive and 3 USB ports. It was running windows XP home before it got a virus and crashed.

Would you still want it without the power supply? Let me know, I would be happy to send it to you.

I think this is a very cool thing you are trying to do, and I am happy to help anyway I can.