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Questions tagged [recycling]

Questions about recycling computer hardware

15 questions
16
votes
3 answers

Dispose or Recycle Hard Drive

I have 3 old 3.5" internal hard drives sitting gathering dust at the moment. 2 are SATA, and one IDE. I want to either start putting them to use, or dispose of them to clear up some space. What is the best approach towards disposing of the drives in…
GaryJL
  • 914
11
votes
12 answers

What could I do with a spare computer?

My friend gave me his spare computer and has been collecting dust in my room ever since. Though it's not better than the computer I am currently using, it is a decent computer as it is Pentium 4 computer. I want to tinker and/or see what I can do…
CuriousUser
11
votes
3 answers

How much gold is in a CPU?

A couple years ago I recall reading that back in the early 2000's there was enough gold in the central processing unit (CPU) and math-coprocessors to make it worth while to recover it computer recycling firms to smelt the chips to recover the gold…
user916
5
votes
2 answers

What can I do with a spare computer with no hope of salvage?

Possible Duplicate: What to do with old (example: 7+ years) PCs? I have seen the what to do with a spare computer question. I want to know what to do with a spare computer that does not work any longer. It's too old and parts are too expensive…
P.Brian.Mackey
  • 2,280
3
votes
7 answers

Getting rid of an old computer

What are the recommended steps to take before getting rid of a computer by either giving it away or throwing it away? Is using Darik's Boot and Nuke (DBAN) enough?
TeeOh
  • 353
3
votes
2 answers

is there any data that supports SSDs as more environmentally friendly?

I'm trying to come up with a case for replacing our laptop HDDs with SSDs in our IT dept. Besides saving a lot of developer time, is there any data out there to support my argument that they are more environmentally friendly? Esp. with regard to…
jcollum
  • 5,402
2
votes
1 answer

Windows 7 - get location of Recycling Bin on Desktop

Is there any way to get the location (x,y coordinates or similar) of the icon for the Recycling Bin on the Desktop? Thanks
user2370460
  • 137
1
vote
3 answers

Can I refill monochrome laser printer cartridge with color powder?

I print a lot of documents with only cyan color (or Magenta). If I use a color laser printer, it gets very expensive. So now I'm wondering if I can refill my black/white printer's cartridge with cyan powder and print my documents? Or is there a…
Ngô Hữu Nam
  • 111
1
vote
1 answer

How to destroy a hard drive?

Possible Duplicate: Dispose or Recycle Hard Drive I have some old hard drives that I want dispose. I don't have access to compatible hardware to erase the contents. What is a simple, safe and effective way to ensure that the data can no longer be…
Super Chicken
  • 587
1
vote
1 answer

Can I remove and use laptop's wifi card and internal antenna on desktop build w/Asus Gene V mPCIe Combo Card?

I'm not sure if this is the right place to ask, but let's give it a shot. My friend recently bought a used desktop build with Asus Gene V motherboard(link below) that comes with a mPCIe Combo Card that can be used as an adapter for mPCIe wifi cards,…
vitaenigma
  • 13
1
vote
2 answers

uses for old graphics cards?

I have a bunch of old graphics cards laying around. They are all 10 to 15 years old and have no purpose except taking up space. How do i harness their computing power without connecting it to a pc. Can i power up a gpu with a raspberry pi using a…
user888708
0
votes
4 answers

Getting rid of old PCs

My company is looking to get rid of a number of old desktop PCs. Im just looking at possible options in which to do so. Trash - Not the best idea, bad for the environment Recycle - Companies like Best Buy supposedly will take old PCs for recycling…
Keltari
  • 75,447
0
votes
1 answer

What parts of a Compaq Presario v6000 laptop are reusable?

I have a Compaq Presario v6000 that fails to work anymore, the casing and hard drive are shot. I want to know if any parts from it are "standard" enough to work in a budget system. Also, I realize I can find this out by opening it up... ~_~
MiffTheFox
  • 3,520
0
votes
1 answer

Old PC/laptop dismantling

My husband and I have been dismantling old PCs and laptops for recycling. Inside most is some type of whitish silver powdery putty that holds processor chips securely and other things. It's almost like the graphite stuff for pinewood derby cars but…
Mel
  • 1
0
votes
2 answers

Laptop Refurb Idea - Opinions Wanted

Let me know if this is the right place for this. If it is not, I apologize. I wanted to refurb/repurpose my old gaming laptop (~7 years old). I don't need it for gaming anymore but it'd be nice to have something lightweight and easy to watch…
Nukesub
  • 181