What do you do with old computers?

[MrGongGong]

I think even some companies which we may think are helpful and useful to us are doing some dodgy things. .

No sh*t Sherlock
Facebook IS skynet
It's a classic business model to make something "useful" and free then make it so that the only way for it to continue to be useful is to pay for "enhanced" services.

People like the idea of everything being seamlessly integrated, when you buy a mac computer all you have to do is type in your wireless and email password and hey presto all of your email is there for you. It's very seductive and useful BUT , as with Stalkerbook, you are also agreeing to have your data mined by business.

The same thinking has been applied to software. A brilliant audio editor like Cooledit is , now that it's been "acquired" by Adobe, becoming rapidly less and less useful with every "upgrade" as they add MIDI, Video etc etc. It is indicative of a way of thinking about tools, people like "meta-tools" (ones that can become many things) but when i've seen real craftsmanship (or even craftswomanship) in the form of a violin restorer I know, he doesn't use a Swiss Army knife to shape a scroll ! but probably does to cut cheese on a picnic...........

[Anna]

We were talking about these WEEE regulatons chez JFLL last night. What if you've bought a computer at a small retailer in Cornwall and move to the north of Scotland? Or bought it at Comet, who seem to be on the way out? Or bought it online? (Can you return it to Amazon?) Not to mention the stipulation 'of a similar type and [with] the same function as the old equipment'. Returning an item to the retailer at which you bought it often isn't a viable option, I'd have thought.

As I understood it, from the website of the retailer I bought my new printer from, you can just send your old one back to the retailer you've bought your new one from (via the van driver?) Unfortunately I didn't see the WEEE section on their page until I'd had delivery of the new printer ... and hence the old one is sitting here. I'll investigate further.

[Eine Alpensinfonie]

The rate of technological change is such that some of us buy new computers every few years - say 3-4 years, and this includes laptops. There are usually sound reasons for buying the new ones, but the old ones often still function, allbeit usually rather more slowly.

My 1995 Acorn RISC PC still runs faster than a new PC for most (but not all) purposes, even though the clock speed is a mere 45 MHz. My more recent Acorn computer with a faster clock speed of only 233 MHz boots up, with DTP software loaded and ready to print in under 20 seconds. So why are Windows computers so short-lived?

[gradus]

Donated old PC and ancillary gear to a local computers for the third world project a couple of years back. Still have a couple of ancient laptops and a prehistoric Atari that the kids used donkeys years ago.

[Resurrection Man]

I've just replaced my Apple Time Machine backup device after about five years of use. Since it contains the entire contents of my iMac I'm reluctant just to throw it away, but the problem is that it's built like a tank and there are no screws or bolts holding it together. If I want to destroy the hard disc I'll have to put it into the Workmate and take a hammer and chisel to it.

Did it die? Is that the reason for the replacement? Otherwise you can reformat it or use it as a music library.

[Frances_iom]

.. So why are Windows computers so short-lived?

for cheaper machines but now of about 5-7 years old one cause of end of life failure was Chinese Capacitors - a certin chinese company stole the supposed formula in higher priced Japanese + Korean capacitors but didn't get one key ingredient correct - unfortuneately that was essential to allow higher operational temps otherwise the can swelled with age - most cheap board manufacturers switched to the cheaper parts and failed with the white gunk oozing out of burst cans!.
Hard drives also have a limited life especially if allowed to run hot (most consumer machines have poor cooling). For some machines (eg Windows games consoles) bad thermal design allowed the bond between processor and motherboard to break after a number of thermal cycles - certain Apple machine also have this fault but luckily for Apple most Macs are sold in the main on a 2 year fashion cycle) - all consumer articles are built with the lowest price components - usually they fail outside of limited US warrenty periods but the EU forcing a 2yr lifetime hase forced some improvement - my own experience is that companies like PC World do their best to avoid meeting the EU directives for warrenties and I suspect many are put off from actually getting their legal dues or buy into a 'rip off' extended warrenty scheme.
For laptops the battery has a limited number of recharge cycles (you probably have noted that they hold less charge as they age) - such cells are quite expensive to replace and cheaper + less energy consuming computers make the use of older machines less attractive - also displays have dropped considerably in price.
Windows (like most other O/S inc I'm sorry to say several Linux distributions) tend to throw more + more processor cycles at 'eye-candy' which looks attractive in the shop but like all sugary concoctions provides little or no help in the real world.

[MrGongGong]

a prehistoric Atari that the kids used donkeys years ago.

Ahhhh the ST 1040 ?
the best computer I have had
and would still work if I could get a monitor for it !

[Russ_H]

I am very rigorous with my debit card however - it's on a very low limit which I increase online just before a purchase and then reduce just after, not entirely foolproof, but it helps. Same with my credit card which I use more like a debit card anyway.

A good suggestion. Thank you.

[johnb]

Slightly off topic - I was checking on iPads and iPad Minis the other day and was surprised to learn that to replace the battery you had to return the device to Apple and, if the battery is below a certain standard, they will send you a brand new iPad and charge £85 plus pp.

Perhaps I'm naive but this sounds absolutely crazy. But then Apple are probably backing on people throwing their iPads away after a couple of years.