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Getting rid of old computers - The Turing Trust?

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 Blue Straggler 10 May 2020

Hi, I am having a clearout and have dug up a couple of old PCs that I "inherited" from my old workplace, which have been sitting taking up space in my house and not paying rent for years. One had not been powered up for ten years by the looks of it (powered up now and working, aside from persistently putting up a pop-up saying F-Secure Automa.exe has generated errors). I am in the process of taking old data off it. The other is a bit more modern, a Shuttle PC. 
A friend suggested The Turing Trust, which puts them to a second use in rural sub-Saharan Africa to improve education. 
I will fill in their online form which includes a section to describe the machines; they may say that the older of mine is not worth the transportation (I'd have to get it to their HQ in Edinburgh somehow) but I am still keen to not send these straight to landfill. Are there services that strip and recycle the electronics if they are not wanted for use as computers?

Thanks!
 

In reply to Blue Straggler:

Oh I am not sure that the ShuttleX is more modern! It is running XP!

edit - having now taken the time to fill in the submission form on the Turing Trust website, NOW they auto-reply to say they are closed and not taking donations...

Any other suggestions please?

Post edited at 13:48
 Andrew Lodge 10 May 2020
In reply to Blue Straggler:

Our local independent computer shop (Huddersfield) take old machines, make sure they are working and pass them to a scheme that supplies them FOC to people unable to afford a computer. 

The concept is they are not cutting edge but fine for email and web browsing.

In reply to Andrew Lodge:

Thanks, I'll look into this; there is at least one in my town, hopefully they are open! I have Googled a few schemes (well, WEEE in Warrington anyway) and they are closed so it might be a case of local independent not particularly wanting to store this stuff while waiting for somewhere to pass onto. I can hold onto it if needs be, I was just looking forward to getting shot of it ASAP as it's been lingering pointlessly for years and I've been on a nice cathartic clearout and cleanup since the start of lockdown, and these were on the list for this week!

They are working and I am just now clearing personal and old professional stuff off the hard drives although I daresay the shops and schemes will do factory resets. There is nothing sensitive enough that I need to remove and drill out the hard drives

 philipivan 10 May 2020
In reply to Blue Straggler:

You're in Nottingham aren't you? Have you considered this place in Leicester, I've been meaning to check it out for some time

http://www.retrocomputermuseum.co.uk

 oldie 10 May 2020
In reply to Blue Straggler:

I removed the hard drives and left two old (one 15 years) computers outside our house and they were quickly picked up by a scrap metal merchant who frequently patrols our area (in London). I also know at least one similar who gave me his telephone number and said he'd pick metal etc up if rung. Maybe you have something like that where you live. Also don't know if collections are still occurring under lockdown, but 2m separation is probably not a problem

Post edited at 16:09
 Doug 10 May 2020
In reply to Blue Straggler:

locally we have a recycling group that advertise for old PCs, telephones, etc that they restore for further use. Thats in France but maybe there are similar local groups ?

But I've yet to see if they would be interested in my 1991 laptop, most recent upgrade was to Windows 3.1, but it does have Word 2 & Excel 4 (I think). Still worked last time I tried although battery life is non-existent.

In reply to philipivan:

Close enough but they are closed plus I don’t think there is retro charm in these machines, they are probably almost literally ten a penny! 

 Sam W 11 May 2020
In reply to Blue Straggler:

Sounds like you know a bit about computers, so how about sticking a lightweight Linux distro on them so they're useable and advertising them as free-to-a-good home on local Facebook groups?  Loads of people needing extra computers at the moment, working from home, kids working from home, online shopping etc. 

 dread-i 11 May 2020
In reply to Blue Straggler:

>which puts them to a second use in rural sub-Saharan Africa to improve education. 

There used to be a lot of this, but it was abused as a way to dump crap kit in the third world. People don't want old, slow machines, that don't run a modern OS and eat power. What tended to happen was that kit sent to the third world, with the best intentions, was scrapped, in an environmentally horrible way. Circuit boards have more copper per ton, that copper ore.

As for your problem, I'd stick linux on them, if they'll run it. Putting them on freecycle / freegle, is probably the best you can do.


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