What to do with an old laptop?

[gletob]

Ok so I have a old (not really old just 3 years) and it has power issues where it turns off if you put the battery in it. And i was wondering what I should do with it since it's not really portable. Any ideas or suggestions are welcome.

P.S. It ran gutsy very well (A realitive has been borowing for a little while)

[jenkinbr]

Give it (or sell) to someone who wants a desktop, but would rather not have the mass of a desktop.

What are the specs?

[mips]

Fix it! It is probably as simple as replacing the battery.

What are the specs?

I have a 4yr old Celeron which still works fine for me.

[chamber]

Fix it! It is probably as simple as replacing the battery.

What are the specs?

I have a 4yr old Celeron which still works fine for me.

+1 for fixing it. I'm currently in the process of fixing my girlfriends old laptop as she got given a brand spankin' new macbook.

It's fun and satisfying when it runs better again.

[jimi_hendrix]

give it to me as a temporary replacement so i can stop posting on a computer thats 7 years old

[jenkinbr]

No, don't listen to Jimi, give it to me! :P

I do like the fix it idea, if it is soley the battery that doesn't hold a charge.

[icecruncher]

be nice and give it away. as a christmas present maybe.

[handy]

Use it as an rtorrent slave:

http://kmandla.wordpress.com/2008/08/04/case-in-point-an-rtorrent-slave-setup/

If you have a PCMCIA slot, you can add another NIC; a cheap 10Mbit is more than enough for the internet; then you could create an IPCop (http://www.ipcop.org/) / Copfilter (http://www.copfilter.org/) firewall/multi-proxy/Anti-Virus standalone. Which amongst other things allows you to use Privoxy (http://www.privoxy.org/) totally transparently & not loose any of your internet speed. :-) The whole thing is incredibly easy to set up even if you know very little about networking, as I have proven. Here is a link that covers my installation & should help anyone who new nothing about how-to before they started:

http://ubuntuforums.org/showthread.php?t=998490

Make a fast NAS / Media Center using OpenFiler (http://www.openfiler.com/learn/how-to/graphical-installation) or FreeNAS (http://www.freenas.org/).

[K.Mandla]

Use it as an rtorrent slave:

http://kmandla.wordpress.com/2008/08/04/case-in-point-an-rtorrent-slave-setup/
:D

Some more ideas:

http://kmandla.wordpress.com/2007/03/16/ten-things-you-can-do-keep-an-old-computer-useful/
http://kmandla.wordpress.com/2007/09/14/things-to-do-with-an-old-computer/
http://kmandla.wordpress.com/2008/10/28/ten-reasons-not-to-buy-a-new-computer/

[handy]

@K.Mandla: I hadn't seen this one:

http://kmandla.wordpress.com/2008/10/28/ten-reasons-not-to-buy-a-new-computer/

Thanks for the link to The Story of Stuff (http://www.storyofstuff.com/). A most excellent presentation that simply & clearly explains the mess we collectively let ourselves be put in, or had imposed upon us, & how we can get out of it.

[Icehuck]

If it turns off when you put the battery in the laptop, then it's more then likely the system board is bad. Your mileage will vary on attempting to fix it.

Though I say detach the screen, hide the base, and use it like a LCD picture frame.

[sofasurfer]

This thread makes me ask...
Thrift shops and garage sale, etc, are full of old pcs. Why have I never seen a old laptop. Where do they go to die. I would like to find one for next to nothing, working or not, to puter with and if possible make it work again. Never had a laptop and I would feel lucky to find one that needs life support.
Any ideas where to look?

[Noah Schoem]

This thread makes me ask...
Thrift shops and garage sale, etc, are full of old pcs. Why have I never seen a old laptop. Where do they go to die. I would like to find one for next to nothing, working or not, to puter with and if possible make it work again. Never had a laptop and I would feel lucky to find one that needs life support.
Any ideas where to look?


The junkyard. Seriously, I know someone who spends his time findind old computer parts in junkyards and bringing them back to life. There have to be some laptops there crying to be reanimated.
Ebay?

[tylerspaska]

http://lifehacker.com/398343/turn-your-broken-laptop-into-an-arcade-cocktail-cabinet

[Sneaky07]

http://lifehacker.com/398343/turn-your-broken-laptop-into-an-arcade-cocktail-cabinet

Haha nice! Thanks for all the links though K.Mandla and Handy those are some very interesting articles. This post is a good topic too :guitar:

EDIT: Btw Computer Aquariums are pretty cool too... might be hard with a laptop though :biggrin:

[handy]

Mostly the answers in this thread suit notebooks or desktops computers.

Desktops are far more flexible & versatile by their nature, & so much easier to fix; get parts for & upgrade from other trashed boxes.

Stock up on P2's & P3's (they are great servers & economical to run), before they become rare as they go the way of earlier models & become landfill or become additions to the piles of junk that have already been exported back to China because the (so called) developed world doesn't want the mess in their own backyard.

[billgoldberg]

Ok so I have a old (not really old just 3 years) and it has power issues where it turns off if you put the battery in it. And i was wondering what I should do with it since it's not really portable. Any ideas or suggestions are welcome.

P.S. It ran gutsy very well (A realitive has been borowing for a little while)

I have exactly the same issue with my old laptop.

I haven't touched it in months.

I'm throwing it out next week.

[Kernel Sanders]

I'd use it as a server myself. Geeks ftw! :P

[K.Mandla]

This thread makes me ask...
Thrift shops and garage sale, etc, are full of old pcs. Why have I never seen a old laptop. Where do they go to die.
They're all in my house. ;)

Just kidding. The thing about laptops is that they hold their value longer than desktops, both in whole and when disassembled for parts. And that is because laptops generally have custom-fitting parts that can't be exchanged out except with the same model.

I've had the best luck finding laptops just by asking around. Usually someone has an old one in a closet somewhere, and doesn't use it. Don't ask technically inclined people though. Check with relatives who don't really follow computers, or friends who only use them from time to time.

@K.Mandla: I hadn't seen this one:

http://kmandla.wordpress.com/2008/10/28/ten-reasons-not-to-buy-a-new-computer/

Thanks for the link to The Story of Stuff (http://www.storyofstuff.com/).
You're welcome. I forget who told me about that site. And yes, it's a shame more people don't think about that sort of thing.

[handy]

And yes, it's a shame more people don't think about that sort of thing.

That could turn out to be one of the greatest understatements of all time.

[I-75]

This thread makes me ask...
Why have I never seen a old laptop. Any ideas where to look?

E-Bay


Also a number of retailers have laptops for under $400 on sale this week. Best Buy, Staples and Office Depot.

[upapilot]

Give it (or sell) to someone who wants a desktop, but would rather not have the mass of a desktop.

What are the specs?
Yes that would be the best thing to do.:P