WARNING
You Need a Backup Solution!

All mechanical & electronic devices eventually fail.
You should have a backup plan that includes writing
data to a non-mechanical device such as a CD or DVD

Fix it or pitch it?

 

 

 

 

 

Let's discuss what constitutes a computer that is ok to repair or one that is “UTR” Uneconomical To Repair.

 

I’ve been faced in recent years with people trying to decide whether to repair or replace their non-functional computers. And I usually ask a few questions right away.

1. What is the age of the computer?
2. What is the value of the computer?
3. Would your money be better spent applying it towards the purchase of a new PC?
4. Are you ready for Vista?

 

Technology is moving quickly. To break it down in layman’s terms, computer years are like double-dog years. If a dog-year is seven then a PC year is fourteen. When your computer reaches three years old, you really should begin to think about your replacement options or at least make sure you have been religiously backing up important documents & irreplaceable data. If you have a 5 year old PC, you can expect to be replacing it very soon or at least you’ll be replacing major components.

 

At any rate, win-lose or draw, make sure you are burning CDs or DVD backups of important data. Important data would be documents you have created, irreplaceable photos, videos or any work you have completed on your PC.

 

That brings us to the next point. What is the value of the non-functional computer? An associate once jokingly commented that a good boat anchor was hard to come by and that old typewriters made great anchors! (Please don’t throw your PC in a lake)

 

This could be the case with a broken PC in need of, oh… let’s say a motherboard. An economy motherboard if you are able to find one could be upwards of $75-$100. You might say,”That’s not too bad, I can handle that”. The problem is that once you change a major piece of hardware, MS Windows will see the new hardware and assume that software piracy is in progress. You then must install a fresh copy of Windows and all the accompanying supporting software. Ouch, you will have either just spent four to six hours or you paid another $100 to have the PC reformatted & loaded. If you have data to be saved from the old hard drive, you could expect $40-$80 for that service depending on the volume of information you need to keep. It is pretty expensive but data recovery can be quite exhausting and time consuming.

 

We also have no guarantee that any other hardware in the machine hasn’t been compromised. In this scenario we have a new motherboard that features old technology and the other components could fail at any time. You could imagine your disappointment after parting with your hard earned cash for a new part only to have another compromised component fail a few months later.

 

 

 

It could leave you wishing you would have applied that hard cash on a new PC with a warranty. The $200 you may have spent on repairs would make a great discount coupon on a PC with that new electronic smell right? Grrrrrr

 

 

 

That would bring us to the next point. Would your money be better spent towards the purchase of a new machine?

 

 

 

We have already spent upwards of $200 for the repair and reload of our old PC. We’ve spent more if we had important data to recover. So then we must weigh the benefits of each choice. There are usually no warranties on new parts placed in old machines. Given the delicate nature of electronics, you’d be lucky to have a repair shop go past 30 days on such a repair.

 

 

 

Many people think of computers in terms of a used car. Unlike used cars, pre-owned computers hold little if any value at all. But much like a new car, PCs lose value as soon as you drive them off the lot.

 

 

 

The last point to consider is the fact that if you are accustomed to Microsoft Windows products, the only choice on the retail shelf would be their latest operating system, Windows VISTA. Some users are quite happy with the new looking interface while others have problems finding their files and are slowed initially by the “Permit/Deny” features. I myself am waiting for the first service pack or maybe the second service pack to become available before I use it in a working environment.

 

 

 

A service pack is a bundle of fixes for operation issues that might arise after a new version of Windows is released. No service packs have been released for VISTA at the writing of this article.

 

 

 

To sum it up quickly, if you are using a Pentium 3 processor or an AMD 1000 GHz or less and your PC breaks, recycle it if the bill exceeds $50. Do yourself a favor and buy a new machine if you can afford it.

 

 

 

 If you are using a PC with a Pentium 4 processor or an AMD processor greater than 2000 and your repair bill would exceed $175, think hard about repairing it using the facts above.

 

 

 

If you are not sure about what is under the hood, ask the neighborhood “Power User” or better yet, your local repairman. They should be able to advise you quickly on which direction to take.

What do I do with my old PC when I replace it?

 

 

 

 

Public awareness of health and environmental threats posed by E-waste is nearly non-existent. Awareness to recycling opportunities for this type of waste is limited as well. With the high demand for flat panel LCD computer monitors on the rise, we are seeing increasing amounts of the CRT monitors line the curb for trash collectors.

Although manufacturers and retailers of computers and televisions that utilize CRTs (cathode ray tube) have been aware of the public health and environmental threat posed by their products for some time, they have been slow to offer a means of disposing of these devices after they have outlived their usefulness.

Some states are now banning computer CRT monitors in landfills. Most of the environmental concerns with computers lie with the CRT monitor. Each color monitor contains, on average, four to five pounds of lead, considered hazardous waste when disposed of, according to EPA standards.

 

 

 

 

A few creative businesses have jumped in with alternatives. Some of them are profitable and some lend a hand to those less fortunate.

Hewlett-Packard, IBM and Gateway will take back used computers for a fee. Working equipment is donated to charitable organizations. The rest are gleaned for parts or recyclable material. Some of the parts in your new pc may be recertified. It does help major PC retailers cut corners for consumer prices but that is not the direction we’ll take with this article.

 

 

 

 

A good place to start when considering what to do with your old PC is your local serviceman or custom builder. They should be able to offer some direction as to the safe disposal of your old unit.

 

 

 

 

If there is any useful life left in the machine, you might consider donating it to one of many of the charities like Goodwill. Your PC & monitor could help a child get their homework done as computers are an integral part of education in the new millennium.

 

 

 

 

Donating your PC could pose a personal problem for you however. Specifically, your sensitive information could be at risk. Even if you delete old files and “clean off” the hard drive, your information could still be compromised. Nothing short of a complete reformat renders your old information unreadable.

 

 

 

 

Let’s say for instance that your old PC ends up in the hands of unsavory or a less than honest user. There are numerous software utilities available for data recovery. Even though you have deleted your important private data and transferred it to another machine, these utilities would allow a malicious or curious individual to view your data.

 

 

 

 

No matter what means you use to dispose of your old PC, if you have sensitive data, be sure to either remove the hard drive from the unit, reformat the drive, or have a professional do the chore.

 

 

 

 

After that, you are faced with whether to donate, recycle or discard. The transfer station in Sidney will accept your e-waste. If you don’t mind driving to Chickasaw, the Ohio Recycling center will see that your PC is recycled.

 

 

 

 

So in a nutshell, what are my choices?

 

 

 

 

1.     Call your local serviceman.

 

 

2.     Call your retailer where you bought the machine. (Good luck)

 

 

3.     Call the manufacturer. (Good luck)

 

 

4.     Call your trash collector to learn about their policy on collection.

 

 

5.     Remove the hard drive from inside the tower.

 

 

6.     Reformat the hard drive.

 

 

7.     Drill a hole through the hard drive after removing it from the tower.

 

 

 

 

Above all, it is very important to do the right thing environmentally. Protecting your sensitive information while helping those less fortunate isn’t a bad idea either.