What to do with an old pc...

[eddien12345]

Hi all, just last week I was surfing the net and stumbled upon a gemstone:
Freecycle. I promise you will like it and can offload all of your old stuff on the site instead of chucking it. The address is: http://www.freecycle.org

The key rule is that: you can only take 2 things per month and when the quota is reached, to get another thing, you have to balance it by offering another thing.

[towy71]

great topic and a great answer too, I have given 3 older systems away, via freecycle, all with Linux installed naturally and still being used by people who want to surf the web, send emails and type the occasional letter

[godofthedevil]

i would strip for parts that i can use in other machines, the other parts i sell on ebay..

[pootman]

I hang on to bits until i've got enough for a whole machine, then give it away.

Normally with Linux, but thanks to FUD, and because obviously even a cracked copy of windows is more secure than any other OS, once with a free-as-in-yo-ho-ho-and-a-bottle-of-rum copy of windows.

[M0PHP]

I've kept all the computers I've bought over the years (except the very first one). One for my brother, one for the living room, others servers and for testing things out.

[Pobega]

When I have an old PC I generally turn it into a server; Put Debian or whatever you're familiar with on it, and configure it with an SSH daemon and some other stuff. If you don't have a static IP look into http://dyndns.org and the ddclient updater software.

[wyliecoyoteuk]

I am a freecycle fan too

[spottedcat]

I don't know how old the donated computers were, but this librarian knew exactly what to do with them.

Warms the cockles of your heart, doesn't it?

[towy71]

good spot sc, now which way to the library

[jezebelus]

Well if it could be used in the future, of course I will not throw it in garbage or give it to charity, but if it couldn't (like old ddr modul which can't be used with newer motherboards) I used to trade it for new component in local store, of course with sur charge.