Free Working Laptop (Broken Hinges)

[neu5eeCh]

Item: Acer Aspire One (http://www.amazon.com/Acer-AO722-0473-11-6-Inch-Processor-Espresso/dp/B005J2E2US).

No HD. I removed the original HD with my own replacement SSD -- and am keeping the SSD.

What's wrong with it: Broken hinges, though they might be repairable with super glue or some clever screws.

Other than that, it's small and somewhat underpowered. 4 Gig Memory. I used to run KDE & Ubuntu on it. If you think you can use it, let me know and if the postage is reasonable, I'll send it. Otherwise, it will probably end up in a Chinese landfill where it will be picked over for rare earth metals, poisoning their kids, etc...

[Dragonbite]

What's the CPU speed? And is that 4GB or RAM? I thought most netbooks maxed out at 2.

[WinEunuchs2Unix]

Because he had an SSD which is newer (after year 2000 when they had 4 GB hard disks) I would assume 4 gb ram and 500gb hard drive could be installed as per this 2011 review by PC Magazine: http://www.pcmag.com/article2/0,2817,2396173,00.asp

Just a guess but guessing can be fun. Wait for his `real`answer.

[wildmanne39]

Hi VTPoet, if shipping is not to high I will be happy to take it and see if I can fix it and use it.
Thanks

[neu5eeCh]

Hi VTPoet, if shipping is not to high I will be happy to take it and see if I can fix it and use it.
Thanks

Wow. Sorry I didn't respond sooner. Out and up till 4 AM. The shipping will include a $300 handling charge --- just kidding. PM me where you're at, if you prefer, and I'll find out the price from the post office (and not a cent more).

In answer to questions: It came with 4G of Ram and a 320 Gig HD. I replaced the HD with an SSD (huge improvement); but the SSD was worth more (and cost more) than the laptop (yeah, I know, ridiculous) but I always knew I could re-use the SSD.

[Dragonbite]

The only reason I wondered about the 4 GB is because I have an old Gateway Netbook and it's maxed at 2GB. I find the CPU getting pegged at 100% more than the RAM all getting used up.

Just for the record, I put Ubuntu-mate on it and it works pretty well. Can't open a lot of things at once, and need a little patience when first opening a program but otherwise it works pretty good.

Was tempted, but my wife would kill me ;) ... although would give me a reason to travel north!

[neu5eeCh]

I boxed it up but didn't have time to make it to the post office. I'll get a price tomorrow, then you can decide.

[neu5eeCh]

Was tempted, but my wife would kill me ;) ... although would give me a reason to travel north!

Yeah, I keep bringing in stray computers like stray dogs. My wife barely tolerates my "computer kennel". As for 2 Gig systems -- you might also consider openbox-based Chromixium (http://chromixium.org/) very lightweight.

[sypher2]

if he decides he doesnt want it, let me know :) ill pay the shipping if needed.

[wildmanne39]

@VTPoet, okay thanks a lot, just let me know what you find out.

[SantaFe]

As Agent Smart would say, "Missed it by THAT much"! ;)

If I wanted to be an Smart A.., I'd say it'd be cheaper to ship it to Missouri......... but I won't! :D

[Dragonbite]

Yeah, I keep bringing in stray computers like stray dogs. My wife barely tolerates my "computer kennel". As for 2 Gig systems -- you might also consider openbox-based Chromixium (http://chromixium.org/) very lightweight.

On the plus side, and I point this out to her, I haven't purchased a new computer since 2000! (except for her computer, but it was never one for anybody else to use so I don't count it... it was more like I "consulted" for her.. ;) )!

If you think of purchasing a new computer every 3-4 or 4-5 years that means I've skipped 3 purchasing "cycles" and at $800 (the cost of what she got a few years ago) that means I've saved over $2,000 by taking in these "toss-away" comptuers!

Plus I am able to set up multiple servers as well as desktop machines!

I'll check out the Chromixim but I find the 1.2 GHz AMD chip has a bigger impact than the RAM. I can't complain... my laptops had all died (broke screens) and my brother was moving so he sent it to me.

[neu5eeCh]

Okay, shipping price is a combination of size and distance (so they tell me):

$16.75 Priority
$12.23 Standard

Will get you a broken-hinged Acer Aspire. I would keep it myself but the kennel is full and my wife would shoot me (or it).

[wildmanne39]

Hi VTPoet, sounds good, let me know the best way to get you the money for shipping, and I will do it today.
Thank You!

[neu5eeCh]

Which do you want: Priority or Standard? And when you get the laptop, send me a check. :-)

[wildmanne39]

I would like it priority, and that sounds good, I will send you a money order if that is okay as soon as I get it.
Thanks:)

[Dragonbite]

And this proves just how AWESOME Linux users are! :D

[neu5eeCh]

And this proves just how AWESOME Linux users are! :D

I think you have to love "computers", to a certain degree, to be a linux user (though maybe that will change). And loving computers means knowing that no system is really dead until it's really dead. I've got another laptop I'm willing to offer for free, but I think it's really dead -- thinking the power supply is shot. If anyone is nevertheless tempted, I can provide more info. I'm sure the screen could be rescued. But wouldn't recommend it for anyone other than hardcore resuscitation specialists. I've also got a very old non-PAE Sony laptop with a gorgeous screen and one of the best laptop keyboards I've ever used. When I ran it, it could barely handle #!. The Sony acts like a bad mother-board. I'm willing to send that out too, but it's only worth the screen -- and a gorgeous little screen it is. They're headed for China.

[wildmanne39]

And this proves just how AWESOME Linux users are!It sure does!:D

[sypher2]

im interested in this! more info pls? at the very least, i get to learn from it

[Bucky Ball]

im interested in this! more info pls?

Sorry. Sold to the wild one with the red facial hair! Bidding's closed. ;)

[Dragonbite]

Sorry. Sold to the wild one with the red facial hair! Bidding's closed. ;)

Unless he's asking for the Sony?

[neu5eeCh]

Okay. If you're a glutton for punishment (or just want a gorgeous screen) here's a link to a photo of the Sony VAIO (non-PAE):

https://poemshape.files.wordpress.com/2015/05/20150514_095722.jpg

On the Sony: It's possible that the only thing wrong with it was the HD. I'm trying to jog my memory. I disassembled the Sony to replace the HD and noticed that the HD was of the older 44 pin connector type (?). Given the age of the laptop, I couldn't be bothered to search for an older hard drive or invest in an adapter.

And here are pics of the <str>Toshiba</str> Compaq:

https://poemshape.files.wordpress.com/2015/05/20150514_095815.jpg

https://poemshape.files.wordpress.com/2015/05/20150514_095827.jpg

This was given to me by a friend. I tried to boot it up via a live USB. The power lights come on, but it never boots into the BIOS (as far as I can tell). Both systems can be yours for postage.

[sypher2]

This seems like a great opportunity for me to learn from! I actually have a couple old hard drives I might be able to work into this. I would love to take both of these off your hands :)

[neu5eeCh]

This seems like a great opportunity for me to learn from! I actually have a couple old hard drives I might be able to work into this. I would love to take both of these off your hands :)

Okay, I'll reassemble the SONY and get you a shipping price on both of them.

[sypher2]

Sounds good! I know I'm new to this site (and a new Linux user. Only been using it for 2 weeks now) and I don't have a reputation yet, so I'm more than fine with sending you the payment before you ship!

[Bucky Ball]

Ah, the Sony! Disregard me, I missed it. How generous. :)

[neu5eeCh]

PM me with your zip code, then I can get a price. I reassembled the SONY and tried booting it. Reported that no OS was available. This confirms my thought that the HD is the problem. The first thing you're going to want to do is replace the hard drive. There are some ribbon connectors (for the keyboard) that you'll want to pay attention to when you lift off the keyboard. Be careful when removing the keyboard. These are tricky to reconnect and I'm not sure I reconnected them adequately; but it's neither here nor there since you'll have to disconnect them anyway to replace the HD.

[neu5eeCh]

And jeez, if you guys are interested in old systems like these I'm gonna' pay more attention the next time there's electronic recycling. Put in your requests. :-) Usually, I test the systems to see if the BIOS boots. If I get that far, I take the systems home. That's usually the minimum. But if that doesn't stop you, then the sky's the limit.

[Dragonbite]

Something to keep in mind with the Sony, being non-PAE means you'll have to go through extra hoops to install Ubuntu (post - 12.04) on it, though alternate distributions (such as Fedora and openSUSE) will work on it probably fine.

I know because I have 2 laptops (IBM T-40 & Dell D400) that are non-PAE and 32bit. One I moved to Fedora 32bit and it works just fine. The other is running Xubuntu 12.04 (can't upgrade much beyond that).

Good luck!

[Dragonbite]

And jeez, if you guys are interested in old systems like these I'm gonna' pay more attention the next time there's electronic recycling. Put in your requests. :-) Usually, I test the systems to see if the BIOS boots. If I get that far, I take the systems home. That's usually the minimum. But if that doesn't stop you, then the sky's the limit.

Hey, that's an idea.. an Ubuntu classifieds section where you can post information and pictures on old systems and people can look through and request the ones they are interested in! Add paypal or something to streamline paying for shipping costs or something.

[sypher2]

that sounds like a great idea!

[neu5eeCh]

Something to keep in mind with the Sony, being non-PAE means you'll have to go through extra hoops to install Ubuntu (post - 12.04) on it, though alternate distributions (such as Fedora and openSUSE) will work on it probably fine.

Puppy Linux, I think, makes a 14.04 non-pae version (you sort of have to *look* for it though). Also, unless something has changed, Bodhi also makes a 14.04 non-pae version (or, as I say, they have in the past).

[Mike_Walsh]

Something to keep in mind with the Sony, being non-PAE means you'll have to go through extra hoops to install Ubuntu (post - 12.04) on it, though alternate distributions (such as Fedora and openSUSE) will work on it probably fine.

In fact, if you want a non-PAE distro that's VERY easy to set up, DO give Puppy Linux 'Tahrpup' a try. (This is the 14.04 'lookalike' that VTPoet's referring to; it's based on 14.04, and uses the 'Trusty' repositories). I've been using it myself ever since its release late last October...it's breathed new life into my very elderly 2002 Dell Inspiron 1100 laptop (though it does have PAE; started out with an old Intel Celeron, now running an equally old P4..!)

Puppies run entirely in RAM: as long as you have around 512 MB, you shouldn't get into 'swap' usage. This also means they run pretty quick; and they have the advantage that you can install them to, and run entirely from, a flash drive, so; if the HDD is giving problems (and as long as you have a USB 2.0 port).....

Here's a link to the downloads page:-

http://distro.ibiblio.org/puppylinux/puppy-tahr/iso/tahrpup%20-6.0-CE/

You'll want the second entry from the bottom; that's the non-PAE version of the newest upgrade to Tahrpup. Burn to disc, and try out as a LiveCD in the usual way.

Have fun!


Regards,

Mike.

[wildmanne39]

Hi VTPoet, I received it today, all is good! I am getting you a money order to cover shipping and putting it in the mail in a few minutes.
I am on the way out of town so it will be a few days before I can work on it.
Thanks!:D

[sudodus]

Several old non-pae processors are Celeron M and Pentium M - and most of them have PAE capability but lack PAE flag. With at least 1 GB RAM it is possible to run one of the current light Ubuntu flavours with the boot option forcepae (https://wiki.ubuntu.com/Lubuntu/AdvancedMethods#Pentium_M_and_Celeron_M), (Lubuntu, Ubuntu Mate, Xubuntu). Lubuntu works fairly well down to 512 MB RAM. TahrPup, as described by Mike_Walsh, and for even older computers Wary Puppy are good alternatives. Try them live and use what suits best for your way to use the computer.

See also this thread by mörgæs about old hardware: Old hardware brought back to life (http://ubuntuforums.org/showthread.php?t=2130640)

[neu5eeCh]

Hi VTPoet, I received it today, all is good! I am getting you a money order to cover shipping and putting it in the mail in a few minutes.
I am on the way out of town so it will be a few days before I can work on it.
Thanks!:D

Hey! Glad to hear that. Can't wait to hear what you do with it. :guitar:

[wildmanne39]

VTPoet, just wanted you to know that the money order did go into the mail several hours ago, so it is on its way.
Thanks