What to do with an old laptop?

Chomeur

I've got a Toshiba Satellite 1110 laptop dating from about 2001. It works OK but I have no use for it and it takes up space. Can I try and sell it (I don't live too far from Tottenham Court Road in London)? Or just throw it away?

pappa_golf

is it a long way to the science museum?

Chomeur

pappa_golf wrote: »

is it a long way to the science museum?

a little further

droopsnoot

You can do either, but make sure you've done something about any personal data that might be on it before you let it go.


Sometimes you'll drop on someone who either collects old stuff (though I'm not sure it's old enough for those people) or has a pressing need for a specific model of laptop. For example (and I think I've read that it's no longer the case) there was a story that McLaren (the F1 / Car company, not the pram one) were scouring eBay for specific old Compaq laptops because it's the only model they can use to run the software to diagnose / fix the F1 road car. So there may be a similar thing that needs your model, too. Isn't an eBay listing free these days?

Chomeur

droopsnoot wrote: »

You can do either, but make sure you've done something about any personal data that might be on it before you let it go.


Sometimes you'll drop on someone who either collects old stuff (though I'm not sure it's old enough for those people) or has a pressing need for a specific model of laptop. For example (and I think I've read that it's no longer the case) there was a story that McLaren (the F1 / Car company, not the pram one) were scouring eBay for specific old Compaq laptops because it's the only model they can use to run the software to diagnose / fix the F1 road car. So there may be a similar thing that needs your model, too. Isn't an eBay listing free these days?

Thanks, I'm pretty sure all the personal data is off it. Hadn't realised eBay was now free so I'm giving that a shot.

AndyPix

It is neither use nor ornament.


Dispose of any personal content and take it to the tip for recycling

droopsnoot

Chomeur wrote: »

Thanks, I'm pretty sure all the personal data is off it. Hadn't realised eBay was now free so I'm giving that a shot.

I think it's free to list, the charges only come if you sell the item. But nothing to lose by trying, I think.

John_Gray

Though I hesitate to say it, if you think you would otherwise have a lifetime of boredom ahead of you you could try putting on a light-weight Linux distro, just to see how much fun it is?

Have a look at DistroWatch (see the column at the right).

SouthUKMan

I don't like to see anything trashed when it is still working but let's be honest, a laptop dating form 2001 has no real world use anymore. It certainly wouldn't cope with running windows 10 or even 8.1. It might possibly - just possibly - run Windows 7 but I imagine that would be a slow and painful experience. Windows Vista, XP and 2000 - which it probably could run - are no longer supported and if you tried to use them you would be opening yourself up to all sorts of security vulnerabilities. So that rules out any Windows usage. Yes, you could try running a very light installation of Linux...but... yawn.

The best thing to do is to take it to your local recycling centre.

G_M

Chomeur wrote: »

Thanks, I'm pretty sure all the personal data is off it..

Meaning what?

You've deleted it all into the waste basket, and then emptied the bin?

That does not remove it. It can be easily recovered by anyone who knows how. You need to run a proper deletion programme.....

Or physically destroy the hard drive.