What a waste :(

[theshoeshineman]

My brother-in-law works at a school about 2 hours drive away from me. He phoned me up and said that the school was throwing out all their old computers and getting new ones. They had phoned up the computer recyclers but they wanted money to pick them all up so the school was just going to dump them in the bin.

He asked me if I wanted one and I told him to get as many as he could. Apparently he's gotten me 4 cases because there were so many.

I'm not sure what they are yet or how complete they are but he said he got ones that looked the most complete as some people had started pulling bits off them. Aparently ones a tower case the other 3 are desktop ones.

I wish I could have gotten down there! I would have filled my car right up heh! Not sure where I'll put them but I'm sure I'll find uses for them.

[Omega]

I don't know what the funding situation for schools looks like where you are, but it's gotten so bad here in CA that we're actually asking local musicians to perform a concert so we can raise some dosh. We have stacks and stacks of old computers waiting in case current ones break, because we can't afford new ones. :down:

Either way, that's pretty wasteful. They could have donated the computers to local charities or something if they were hell bent on getting rid of them.

[luciusad2004]

I agree it would have been better to give them to charity, but at least they are letting you have a couple. I hate when business', schools, organizations, etc. throw stuff out but refuse to let you take it off their hands for free. If they're just gonna toss it, no reason to make someone pay for it.

[d_stilgar]

Local businesses also donate money to schools, and if the school decides to just give computers away instead of letting the businesses sell computers, that's bad for the school too. Also, it could just be that it isn't worth the time or effort to try and give them away. It usually gets down to who you know when it comes to cool stuff like this. Finally, we don't even know what they are. They could be PIIs and PIIIs that have been in storage for a long time.

[theshoeshineman]

d_stilgar pretty much summed it up. I'm still not sure what the computers are but apparently they did ring around to a few places and nobody seemed to want them.

After the fifth or six call it's usually a case of "I've wasted enough time".

I'm not too concerned about the processing power but if I can use the case or steal some of the cables and connectors then i'm happy.

[XcOM]

i got my first UPS from my school for free, BLODDY heavy, had to carry it all the way home.

I rem putting 6 indutural UPS backup systems in the boot of my dad's volvo (With stiffened rear suspension) and it bottomed out!!


My old school used to give there old machines to students that couldn't afford them, the mum/dad would have to apply for one and the reason why, and then they would give them to the most deserving. any left over got offered to students, any after that they got given to the community (Church, community centers, charity ect)

[FuzzyPlushroom]

I adopted 25 or so partial systems from my old school when they switched over to thin clients. Most of 'em fit right into Mum's New Beetle, though I had to walk home 'cos the front seat was taken up, too...

[Datech]

Here's a nation wide business idea, or a nation wide NPO: Buy and sell used PC's from schools (or government organizations). Obviously plenty of school districts are getting rid of boxes, and obviously plenty of school districts still need machines. You could take and sell as is; take em, inventory the parts, build hybrids from the parts and sell em; or install some Linux distro on them all and preach the joys of linux applications in government environments.

Either way you'll probably make a lot of money or do a lot of good for some school districts.

[luciusad2004]

Here's a nation wide business idea, or a nation wide NPO: Buy and sell used PC's from schools (or government organizations). Obviously plenty of school districts are getting rid of boxes, and obviously plenty of school districts still need machines. You could take and sell as is; take em, inventory the parts, build hybrids from the parts and sell em; or install some Linux distro on them all and preach the joys of linux applications in government environments.

Either way you'll probably make a lot of money or do a lot of good for some school districts.

I had a similar idea years ago were i thought it would be cool to start a non profit and collect donated computers and give them to needy families either for free or at minimal charge. I never did anything with it though. Not that i'm old enough to understand the complexities of running a business anyway.

[Datech]

I had a similar idea years ago were i thought it would be cool to start a non profit and collect donated computers and give them to needy families either for free or at minimal charge. I never did anything with it though. Not that i'm old enough to understand the complexities of running a business anyway.

Here's an idea for a nationwide business or nation wide NPO: Create an organization that collects business and NPO ideas from people who don't have the means or ability to start the business themselves. If you want the money, you can make it like eBay and people bid on starting the business with your proposed business model, and you can sell them the domain name too. If you want an NPO, make it like Craigslist. Call it Idealist! We'll start the bidding at $100 + 20% share of company profit.

[theshoeshineman]

Well I picked up the computers today

2 x IBM Think Pads
1 x IBM Netvista
1 x Generic MicroATX form factor PC

I managed to boot up 1 of the thinkpads and they are 1.6ghz P4 with 384mb RAM. The other thinkpad just beeped 3 times at me when I tried to start it, so I opend it up and put the RAM in their CORRECT slots and it booted up fine. The BIOS tried to log onto some network when I turned it on so I just reset the BIOS and it seems to boot fine now.

The thinkpads arn't very pretty but I might paint the cases and increase the ram to atleast 512mb and then donate them or something to a club.

The Netvista pc is pretty small. I'm pretty sure it's a celeron 664mhx ITX board or something inside of it. I turned on the PC and theirs some weird BIOS installed and I need a password to get into the BIOS. I'm not sure if theres any jumper setting to do a manual bios reset.

Infact there is a weird BIOS installed on all of them. I think it must be specifically for the school setup.

The other tower PC is pretty crap and has windows 98 installed on it. The case got a little scratched on the front when I transported it but it's a fairly nice design. One that I'd be happy to mod.

[nevermind1534]

I'm not sure if theres any jumper setting to do a manual bios reset.

Should be. If there's not, just remove the battery for at least 30 seconds.

[DaveW]

Should be. If there's not, just remove the battery for at least 30 seconds.

Careful doing this on older motherboards, kids. Don't know why but on some older boards doing this can screw them up.


I'm not sure if theres any jumper setting to do a manual bios reset.

There's almost always a jumper for this. It's likely to be very close to the battery. With time, you'll be able to find them on a new motherboard without reading the instructions...you'll just notice the patterns. :) I'm sure everyone here will agree!

-Dave

[nevermind1534]

There's almost always a jumper for this. It's likely to be very close to the battery. With time, you'll be able to find them on a new motherboard without reading the instructions...you'll just notice the patterns. :) I'm sure everyone here will agree!

-Dave

I've become pretty good at that.

[FuzzyPlushroom]

Holy crap, they were getting rid of <10-year-old ThinkPads?!

Score, mate!

[nevermind1534]

I just got an IBM desktop with a P2 from my favorite guy who throws away computers! Or from his trash, at least.

[theshoeshineman]

Yeah I'm really pleased with these computers.

I formatted one this evening and shoved 512mb ram and it's running great!

Just wish I could get down there to pick up the others they dumped in the bin!

[Twigsoffury]

My brother-in-law works at a school about 2 hours drive away from me. He phoned me up and said that the school was throwing out all their old computers and getting new ones. They had phoned up the computer recyclers but they wanted money to pick them all up so the school was just going to dump them in the bin.

He asked me if I wanted one and I told him to get as many as he could. Apparently he's gotten me 4 cases because there were so many.

I'm not sure what they are yet or how complete they are but he said he got ones that looked the most complete as some people had started pulling bits off them. Aparently ones a tower case the other 3 are desktop ones.

I wish I could have gotten down there! I would have filled my car right up heh! Not sure where I'll put them but I'm sure I'll find uses for them.

hell yea

throwing electronics in the normal waste containers is rediculously illegal. Should note that your bro-in-law could be fined upwards of 7,000$ per pound of electronic waste not properly disposed of.

Bam!!!1 thats not even in California those Beoyatches want to take your first born child for that sort of thing.


Just hope the trash guy doesnt pay attention to all the electronics breaking and falling out of the bin when he tips the container over the truck or you all are totally Farked he'll report that so fast there won't even be time to smoke a jay.

Laters

-chris-

[nevermind1534]

throwing electronics in the normal waste containers is rediculously illegal. Should note that your bro-in-law could be fined upwards of 7,000$ per pound of electronic waste not properly disposed of.

He wouldn't be fined, the school would be. I didn't think it was illegal everywhere yet.