Like many readers, I have several old PCs in my attic, all of which were set aside for one reason or another: old age, insufficient specs, malfunctioning software or hardware, etc. It seems a pity not to hand them on to someone who cannot afford a PC of their own, or recycle them.
In the past, before disposing of an old PC, I’ve been advised to destroy the hard drive with a sledgehammer to prevent confidential data being passed on to some third party. Well, yes, but it then becomes a bunch of spare parts. I’d be grateful for some guidance, as I’d rather not take them to the council tip. Leslie
There are several issues here, so try to come to a clear decision about your preference for each PC. Is re-use the priority, or recycling? Are you happy to let an organisation decide for you? What most options have in common is the need to protect your identity and privacy without destroying the hard drive, so let’s start with that.
Deleting personal data
First, back up and delete your personal data including documents and spreadsheets, photos and movies, email and messages and so on. Some of it may be hidden in application directories.
If your old PC is connected to the internet, uninstall and de-register any programs that keep a count of the PCs on which they are installed. This may include versions of Microsoft Office and Office 365, Apple iTunes and so on. After that, create a new administrator account and use it to delete all the other accounts to remove any remaining personal data.
One problem with computers is that deleting files doesn’t actually delete the files, it just removes them from the file system’s table of contents. The data is still on the hard drive and, until it is over-written, can be retrieved using an unerase program. To deal with this, download a free disk eraser such as Eraser from Heidi Computers, Disk Wipe, or Darik’s Boot and Nuke. You can run the eraser from a USB thumb drive or whatever.
Next, take your PC back to its factory condition by using the system restore function. To do this, interrupt the boot process by pressing, for example, F8, selecting Repair Your Computer, and then “Yes, reformat hard drive and restore system software to factory condition”. I’m quoting my Dell desktop: the keys and wording may vary on other systems. Alternatively, if you have Windows on DVD, you can boot and re-install Windows from the disc.
Finally, use the disk eraser to overwrite all the “empty” drive space, so that deleted files can’t be undeleted.
Of course, if a PC is going to be scrapped, you can just remove the hard drive and dispose of the non-working machine. You can mount the drive in an external enclosure and use it as a USB drive with your new PC. Note that you may need to “take ownership” to access the files. If so, Winaero’s free TakeOwnershipEx utility is a simple way to do this.
Re-homing or recycling PCs locally
It’s not easy to re-home an old PC, unless you know someone who needs one. If not, search for the exact model on eBay.co.uk to find out roughly how much it’s worth. If it has any value, you can either sell it or offer it via a free classified service (eg Gumtree), or Freegle, the ReUseIt Network (RIN), or similar Freecycle-style group.
If a PC isn’t worth very much, then it won’t be worth transporting it very far. This is less true of laptop PCs than of desktops, but much more true of traditional CRT-based monitors and TV sets. These contain hazardous chemicals as well as copper and rare metals, and should be taken to an approved recycling centre. You can find the nearest by entering your postcode in the bank locator at Recycle-more.co.uk, or by checking your local authority’s website.
Not all recycling centres are equipped to handle all types of waste. Look for one that takes “display equipment, general WEEE” as specified by the European Commission’s waste electrical and electronic equipment regulations. This covers household appliances and medical equipment, as well as consumer electronics goods from pocket calculators to giant TV sets. The Health and Safety Executvie (HSE) has a guide.
Local councils are not obliged to accept your old PCs, and they may charge if you want them collected. However, under the UK’s WEEE regulations, retailers are obliged to take back old equipment if they sell you replacements (pdf). Check first as they may not accept old equipment at the store.
National services
Dell helped pioneer PC recycling a decade ago, and it’s still doing it for consumers. If you buy a new PC from Dell, it will take back whatever it replaces, regardless of brand. It will also take back Dell PCs at any time. Dell covers the cost.
Apple follows the WEEE regulations so if you buy a new Mac, it will take backyour old computer and monitor – any make – at “any Apple retail store or Apple premium reseller”. These stores will also let you trade in some Apple products when buying new ones.
Apple also promotes a recycling scheme run by Dataserv, which will buy your unwanted equipment. However, it won’t take perfectly functional laptops in excellent condition – such as my PowerBook G4 – if they have no resale value. It only offered me £90 for a mint, unlocked iPhone 5, so if devices do have resale value, you’d be better off selling them privately.
Commercial recyclers generally get most of their PCs from businesses, but they also work with schools, local councils and other organisations able to amass enough PCs to be worth collecting. The carriage costs make it uneconomic to collect PCs from individuals.
UK IT Recycling Ltd, which I mentioned back in 2007, refurbishes consumer laptops for “NHS trusts and self support groups throughout the UK”. It accepts donations from consumers at its recycling centre in Condover, Shrewsbury. Further, if want to donate a reasonably good, working laptop, it will refund your postage costs. (Check first!)
Otherwise, there’s Computer Aid International, a charity that “aims to reduce poverty through practical ICT solutions”. It refurbishes equipment for use in hospitals, universities, schools and not-for-profit organisations in more than 100 countries. Again, it only wants PCs with usable specs, and if you’re a consumer, you pay for shipping, unless you can drop them off at its head office in London N11.
Both organizations promise to erase your personal data.
Museum pieces?
If you have something a bit unusual, or live close to a computer museum, that may offer another potential outlet. The National Museum of Computing at Bletchley Park has a donations page, but it’s not accepting donations at the moment: it has run out of storage space. But the new Centre for Computing History in Cambridge is still accepting donations of a “a very wide range of electronic items” except TVs and CRTs – even things that don’t work.
The CCH’s founder, Jason Fitzpatrick, says non-working PCs can be used for spares, and also for educational purposes. “Give kids a bunch of screwdrivers and they can take them apart and see how they work. I’m hoping to hook them into a life of tech. Things like iPads are sealed and so unapproachable now … .” I agree.
If there’s a moral in all this, it is: Don’t put PCs in your attic. The quicker you dispose of them, the more likely they are to be useful to somebody else.
No comments:
Post a Comment