Where do I find old computers?

[gymophett]

I'm just looking for an ancient computer. I don't live in a large place by any means so there are hardly an resources. I'm very impatient, so I kinda want it first thing tomorrow. Even though, I may have to just bite the bullet and stop being so.. whatever.
Anyway.. I have no clue where the first place to look would be. I've looked in the classifieds and checked the local computer shop, but they don't have any. I only looked at the classifieds online, maybe I should try the newspaper. But where can I look?

[jrusso2]

Check craiglist, goodwill, salvation army, trash pickup days.

[gymophett]

Check craiglist, goodwill, salvation army, trash pickup days.

I think I may just go dumpster hunting tomorrow. :D

[lisati]

Second hand shops might be a place to check out. One place situated near my local rubbish dump comes to mind, they specialize in taking in stuff that would normally be trashed, selling what they can, and providing jobs for some of the locals who might otherwise find it tough finding jobs. It has been a few years since I've been up there, but the last time they had some computer bits and pieces.

[lykwydchykyn]

Government surplus auctions. I work for a local government here, we have auctions 3-4 times a year and we're always putting old computers out there.

Of course, they do sometimes get sold by the pallet...

[gymophett]

Hmm. Nothing in the classifieds. I don't know if I'm even willing to leave town for one of these. And my town is tiny, no goodwill, not even a wal-mart.
The nearest town with a goodwill and stuff is only about 25 minutes from here though.

[pookiebear]

freecycle.org

most towns have their own subgroup. You get emails with stuff available, and can post a wanted ad. Make sure you follow the rules. I got a p4 computer the other day from there.

[MaxIBoy]

I got one for free by offering to recover files from it. (Windows 95, so virus ridden Explorer.exe wouldn't run. I used a Puppylinux CD.)

[jflaker]

College or school campus IT departments
Your employer
Companies in town
FreeCycle.org (post a "wanted")

companies and schools likely have a small cache of non-working systems. They usually have to pay to get rid of them and hang on to them in storage. Inquire with them and if they have systems that are old or "not working"....A LiveCD will tell you if the original OS is just borked or if there is a problem.....If it boots, it is likely a good system.

[Twitch6000]

Check craiglist, goodwill, salvation army, trash pickup days.

+1 to this. I found a nice laptop with specs good enough to run xp.

So I fixed it up and sold it for a quick 50 .

[Bachstelze]

Also ebay. ;)

[ramblinche81]

I'm just looking for an ancient computer. I don't live in a large place by any means so there are hardly an resources. I'm very impatient, so I kinda want it first thing tomorrow. Even though, I may have to just bite the bullet and stop being so.. whatever.
Anyway.. I have no clue where the first place to look would be. I've looked in the classifieds and checked the local computer shop, but they don't have any. I only looked at the classifieds online, maybe I should try the newspaper. But where can I look?

How ancient ?

I have 486dx66 machine you can have, it still has Win3.1 on a 400KB drive. Monochrome monitor goes with it, but it will be expensive to ship monitor.
You might have your work cut out for you getting drivers etc updated.
You pay for shipping and it is yours.

I have a compaq 5441 with P4 and Win95/98 disks, (not sure which) ,no hard drive, How much you want to give for it plus shipping ?

I also have a ECS motherboard with manual;AMD K6 duron 1.6Mhz...all you need is power supply, HD, CD/DVD, case and you are in business.

[thatguruguy]

Also ebay. ;)

++

This seems like the easiest solution.

[urukrama]

FreeCycle.org (post a "wanted")

Please don't. Freecycle is wonderful, but often ruined by all the people that continually post their "wanted" on it.

[gymophett]

How ancient ?

I have 486dx66 machine you can have, it still has Win3.1 on a 400KB drive. Monochrome monitor goes with it, but it will be expensive to ship monitor.
You might have your work cut out for you getting drivers etc updated.
You pay for shipping and it is yours.

I have a compaq 5441 with P4 and Win95/98 disks, (not sure which) ,no hard drive, How much you want to give for it plus shipping ?

I also have a ECS motherboard with manual;AMD K6 duron 1.6Mhz...all you need is power supply, HD, CD/DVD, case and you are in business.

Thank you for your generous offer. I can pass on the one with the 400KB drive. xD
I don't think I can however. My parents are stupid, and I'm young.
So they'd be like, "you don't even know this person". Sorry.
But that Compaq 5441 would be perfect.
Too bad. ):

[Sporkman]

++

This seems like the easiest solution.

I've found old computers on ebay to be overpriced, especially when you factor in the shipping cost. Plus they tend to be stripped of parts. At least, this was the conclusion I came to when shopping for used laptops there a year or two ago.

[handy]

I've picked up about half dozen or more from the rubbish dump.

$5- each.

A couple have been broken, most have been incompatible with the Linux or BSD system I want to run on them. Still I get far more than $5- worth of components out of them. & dump the rest.

[Megrimn]

lol, I was just posting about the cpq presario 1200 laptop we found on the side of the road 1.5 years ago ... only thing that doesn't work is the optical drive.

[Old_Grey_Wolf]

I'm one of the people that gives away my old computers. I do not advertise them, nor try to sell them. I also, do not look for wanted ads. I usually hear about a family member, someone at work, someone at the place of Worship, or someone in other social groups I belong to that needs a computer.

Think about what groups you belong to, and how you can let them know you need a computer.

[thatguruguy]

I've found old computers on ebay to be overpriced, especially when you factor in the shipping cost. Plus they tend to be stripped of parts. At least, this was the conclusion I came to when shopping for used laptops there a year or two ago.

I've bought an old Dell desktop off ebay for my kids, and have been happy with it. It didn't have an OS (it had been a corporate computer, and they actually complied with their license and removed windows), but that really wasn't a problem.

However, I am loathe to ever buy a used laptop. I can deal pretty easily with problems in a desktop, but problems in a laptop are another matter.

[2hot6ft2]

Pawn shops, yard sales, swap meets, flea markets.
Ask friends and family you may be surprised.

[ubudog]

Amazon, Craigslist, E-Bay, a lot of stuff.

[importControl.Mind]

Dumpsters and people's trash.
Don't judge me!:oops:
For real, I found three computers today and I was just walking around.
Both of my servers I found after people toss them out.
I just needed to bring them home and fix them.

[Mahngiel]

Pawn shops, yard sales, swap meets, flea markets.


I went to a swap meet the other day, I was surprised that were trying to sell early 1990's computers. But ya, they do.

+1 for the subconscious reminder.

[gymophett]

Dumpsters and people's trash.
Don't judge me!:oops:
For real, I found three computers today and I was just walking around.
Both of my servers I found after people toss them out.
I just needed to bring them home and fix them.

Are they really that easy to find?
I think I may just leave right now and bring a spotlight.
Forgetting the fact I would get police called on me for spotting.

[ciborium]

Go to your local political party headquarters. I scored about 20 from my state RINO party office. Unfortunately (for you), they've all been put to good use (most given to some local home-schoolers). They were all wiped from Win98 or Win2k. Spun my own light version of Ubuntu and they work like a dream.

[importControl.Mind]

Are they really that easy to find?
I think I may just leave right now and bring a spotlight.
Forgetting the fact I would get police called on me for spotting.

Well, today was a lucky day.
Also, cops don't care; just don't break into things.

[malspa]

Like others here, I've picked up used computers from friends who didn't want them anymore. I've found some that were sitting outside of apartment complex dumpsters. I've gotten some from second-hand stores. I've gotten two machines now from my ex-wife, who just wants to get a new computer if anything goes wrong with the old one.

It's probably a lot easier if you're living in a city, though. Had a lot of luck living in Phoenix, AZ.

Related article: "The Disposable PC." (http://blog.hydrasystemsllc.com/2010/02/16/the-disposable-pc/)

[HappyFeet]

Just post on craigslist in the items wanted section. I do that and have been given well over $3000 worth of computers.

[The Real Dave]

Do a couple of jobs for people, repairing computers. Encourage them to let their friends know about your abilities. Become known as "The Guy who fixes computers cheaper than the store". Watch as donated computers pile up at door :)


Worked for me at least :)

[NoaHall]

Do a couple of jobs for people, repairing computers. Encourage them to let their friends know about your abilities. Become known as "The Guy who fixes computers cheaper than the store". Watch as donated computers pile up at door :)


Worked for me at least :)

Yeah, this. Out of the 7 in my room, 3 of them are down to people giving them to me after I build a new one.

[anaconda]

the army is still using computers with 8086-chips, and Punch cards... (well actually the punch cards are ADVANCED.. now they are long (and narrow) strips of paper with holes in them.)

Maybe they could sell some of those... No Just kidding. they wont sell those, because they are (still) important and do the job they are supposed to do. And they are even protected from magnetic pulses?.. the things that happen, when nuclear bombs are detonated in air...

How old computers are you looking for?

[coldraven]

In the UK a friend has scored two laptops with all the bits at the local recycling yard, for free!

Or what about here http://www.kijiji.com/

[anaconda]

Oh.. and even I have a few useless old computers..

two desktops with 2,8GHz intel pentium 4:s and 512 MB of RAM,
one old laptop, with 266MHz pentium 3? and 196MB of RAM
and one netboot with 1,6Ghz atom, and 8GB ssd-disk

The old displays I havn't saved, because they take too much room...

[The Real Dave]

Oh.. and even I have a few useless old computers..

two desktops with 2,8GHz intel pentium 4:s and 512 MB of RAM,
one old laptop, with 266MHz pentium 3? and 196MB of RAM
and one netboot with 1,6Ghz atom, and 8GB ssd-disk

The old displays I havn't saved, because they take too much room...

If you think those laptops are useless, I will gladly take them off your hands :D :D

[t0p]

Some time ago, before virtualisation on PCs became commonplace, a friend of mine wanted to set up a network at home to learn system administration. He phoned round a few local businesses, and in a short while had accumulated all the hardware he needed. Businesses (here in the UK anyway) have to pay to get their old electronic items collected and disposed of. So they are often happy if someone will take the "junk" away for free.

A friend's father is caretaker in an office building, and he will often grab computer equipment that's being thrown out and give it to me. In fact just last week I scored a set of installation disks for Windows 2000 Server. Yes, I know it's old (it's on floppy disks!) but I think it might be interesting to play with. I wouldn't pay for it, but free is great. And anyway, I've noticed that my local sainsburys (supermarket) has Windows 2000 running on its computers, so it isn't totally irrelevant.

[The Real Dave]

Some time ago, before virtualisation on PCs became commonplace, a friend of mine wanted to set up a network at home to learn system administration. He phoned round a few local businesses, and in a short while had accumulated all the hardware he needed. Businesses (here in the UK anyway) have to pay to get their old electronic items collected and disposed of. So they are often happy if someone will take the "junk" away for free.

A friend's father is caretaker in an office building, and he will often grab computer equipment that's being thrown out and give it to me. In fact just last week I scored a set of installation disks for Windows 2000 Server. Yes, I know it's old (it's on floppy disks!) but I think it might be interesting to play with. I wouldn't pay for it, but free is great. And anyway, I've noticed that my local sainsburys (supermarket) has Windows 2000 running on its computers, so it isn't totally irrelevant.

Sweet :) I just acquired a CD with Windows 2000 Pro, Server and Advanced Server :)

[anaconda]

If you think those laptops are useless, I will gladly take them off your hands :D :D

the slower one is 266MHz, so it IS too slow for a lot of things (eg watching videos) But it does have a 40GB hd.. It has only one USB1 and the bios cant boot from it. And yes it really is useless for me.
The model is siemens scenic mobile. Case is made of magnesium, keyboard can be removed from it and used from a distance (it uses ir) When new it must have been really really expensive.

And the netbook.. well. it works, but the ssd-disk is really slow. I have used it from external hd, and then it is pretty fast, but the external hd kind of ruins the advantages of a small netbook.
And I have decided to buy a new one.. they are quite cheap. (even compared to the prices of new hds for the old one)

But I would guess you dont live anywhere near me, so....

hmm.. might be an interesting project to take both of them to parts, and assemble a new one.. basically it would be the netbook inside the big magnesium case and with the 40GB hd... and 14" display.....

[ramblinche81]

gymophett...as the father of three daughters, I can appreciate your parents concerns.

To protect privacy, ..I can send it to your dad's business in John Doe's name or anyone's name for that matter. Or a school teacher, or a church employee, or the sheriff's office if that reduces the anxiety.

PayPal is anonymous based on email addresses and I can issue an invoice with PayPal to the email address. Create a temporary email address just for this transaction and identity is quite anonymous.

Otherwise, good luck.

[gymophett]

Well, today was a lucky day.
Also, cops don't care; just don't break into things.

I know cops don't care if you take things from peoples trash.
Just going out and night and using a spotlight is what they would care about. :P

[gymophett]

None at the Salvation Army, or any other thrift shops around here. ):

[Maheriano]

I have 8 from people using me as a computer dumping ground.

1 - I bought my dad a new computer so he gave me his old one.
2 - My work was cleaning out old stock so I saved 1 from the dump. Let 2 others go.
3/4 - Work was cleaning out old stock again so they brought 2 by my desk assuming I'd want them.
5 - My girlfriend's dad's computer was slow so I took it and replaced it with one of the other 4 that were given to me that are faster.

If people find out you're willing to take old computer parts, you should have no shortage in 2 weeks. I could supply a school with Linux computers with the amount of machines I'm offered regularly.

[gymophett]

I have 8 from people using me as a computer dumping ground.

1 - I bought my dad a new computer so he gave me his old one.
2 - My work was cleaning out old stock so I saved 1 from the dump. Let 2 others go.
3/4 - Work was cleaning out old stock again so they brought 2 by my desk assuming I'd want them.
5 - My girlfriend's dad's computer was slow so I took it and replaced it with one of the other 4 that were given to me that are faster.

If people find out you're willing to take old computer parts, you should have no shortage in 2 weeks. I could supply a school with Linux computers with the amount of machines I'm offered regularly.

I've made it pretty clear over the internet via social networking that I'm looking for old computers. No-one has said anything, payed attention, or wants to give one away. I know there has to be tons out there.
And the trash men came around town today. ):
NOOO. There goes that idea.

[Maheriano]

Nobody's going to go through the effort of sending you one. You'll likely have to go get it and even then they probably won't want to be bothered with telling you to come get it and making sure they're home. Quicker to just throw it away. So you have to get them at a time that's very convenient for them or get it from someone you know that's willing to help you out.

My aunt's boyfriend had someone give him a broken machine and it had a Hauppauge Win-TV-HVR 1800 tuner card in it which he gave to me. People are always upgrading and throwing away what they think is an old part. Make sure you let them know you want these parts.