Reply With QuoteWait for the PMs to come flooding in?
I have just bitten the bullet and ordered a new laptop, largely because my old one runs Windows Vista Home Premium and the faffing about to get Windows 10 on it was just not worth it.
So what do I do with my old one?
It's HP Compaq Presario 1.3ghz, 2gb ram, not sure of hd size, has DVD tray, nothing wrong with it cosmetically or useage. 4 years old I think. Might be 5.
Surely I don't just bin it because of the os?
Wait for the PMs to come flooding in?
Install Linux Mint before giving it to your wife, mistress, housemaid or anyone else who resides there and become a two laptop family.
Why don't you try to sell it?Maybe i would be interested.:D
I would be delighted to sell it, but I wouldn't know its worth; and of course there is the transport.
Give it to a local charity?
I'm sure that there must be plenty of organisations who would appreciate an extra computer.
Thought of that, but with the ancient o/s would it not be a poisoned chalice? Apparently Vista won't be supported for much longer.
You'd think so but with health and safety gone mad most charities won't take electrical items. British Heart Foundation may do, they've taken items from me in the past.Originally Posted by Bravo73
Other options, Gumtree or Shpock? Local so no postage costs? Or finally take the hard drive and memory out and try CEX etc, or even the whole thing, they seem to take most things but you won't get much back sadly.
Unfortunately most computer items now seem to be single use only.
I just take out the hard drive and drop the rest in to the council electronics recycling point.
eBay mate, a few decent photos and an honest description will get you more than you think.
I googled Linux
My head hurts
I am a simple man, and I play a simple tune.
SC, eBay, Freecycle/Freegle, give it to me. ;-)
It might make a reasonable Freeview decoder using Tvheadend.
Last edited by markrlondon; 3rd March 2016 at 00:18.
+1 for mint with cinammon or mate
Last edited by Brian; 3rd March 2016 at 11:40.
You can do what you want with the old one if there is nowt wrong with it.
I still use Vista on the desktop.
And Windows 10 on a 1.6ghz laptop with 2gb ram.
With new W10 laptops retailing at £200-£300, you may be able to get between £50 to £100 for the old one (e.g. from a student)
I would keep it as a spare, and fire it up every 2-weeks to keep the battery fresh.
The Dual boot option works well to keep windows and Linux on the same system until you are happy with the change over.
I would be using a mint laptop for presentation work - but there were issues with Open Office font compatability, and the DVD player was a pay for option.
For home use it should work well, once you find your way around the Linux format
If the OP feels installing a later version of Windows is too much of a faff, I doubt Linux is going to float his boat. Maybe one of those "sell your phone/laptop/gadget" websites is an option?
Although I would admit to being a faff-free zone wherever possible, it didn't stack up financially. Purchasing a new laptop was within £50 of obtaining a legit W10.. If I could get £50 back I would be delighted.
My backup PC is a desktop in the "office"; the laptop is here so that I can gaze adoringly at my wife whilst working some evenings. Or of course surreptitiously gaze adoringly at other peoples wives.
Last edited by unclealec; 3rd March 2016 at 00:28.
So are you saying you want to sell it?
I was enquiring of my more techno-aware TZUK friends what my options were. So far I take from this thread that I may indeed be able to recoup some of my outlay by listing the old one on eBay, so yes I am after selling it.
If anyone wants to bag it for £50 please PM me, but I don't want to turn this into a stealth SC thread. If the assembled might thinks I could get £50 on SC please say and I will post on there.
Last edited by unclealec; 3rd March 2016 at 09:58.
Whatever you do with it wipe the hard disk with a tool that over writes the data on the disk.
Not sure what tool to use as I'm a Mac guy, but a quick Google should advise you.
Don’t be scared of trying Linux Mint. The Mate edition may be a better choice for older hardware, but I’m running Cinnamon quite happily on an old XP netbook.
If you want to give it a go, you only need to download the .iso file from the Mint website. This can be burned to a DVD for installation, or onto a USB stick by using the widget on the PenDriveLinux site. Installation is very simple.
Vista was replaced by 7 in 2009, so it’s possible that your machine is older than you think.
I didn't mean 'give it to a charity for them to sell'. I meant 'donate it to a charity for them to use'.
http://www.computersforcharities.org
When they say 'wipe' Alec they don't mean with a oily rag.
Fords understands my level of competence
Last edited by unclealec; 3rd March 2016 at 17:21.
Turn it into a Chromebook. It's really not too difficult, much simpler than a Linux build.
An (unverified) how-to:
http://www.cnet.com/uk/how-to/turn-a...-a-chromebook/
Resolution has been achieved. A Forum member is purchasing the old laptop. Not quite what the intention of the thread was, but a result nevertheless.
All input gratefully received. I don't have need for additional IT devices so disposal was the best course.
Thanks to all who replied.
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