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Fixing old computers with Linux

Wed, 08/31/2011 - 02:45 — John Eddie Kerr
Many computers end up at the curb on garbage day and there has been only one thing wrong with them, they were running Windows. Often it is a case of the computer getting slower and slower over time. I think it is the Windows Registry to blame for that. The best darn computer I have had for years is a computer that I found in a snowbank on the way to church. Well the good Lord helps those who helps themselves and I said "praise the Lord" and took the computer home. Whoever put it there was obviously having problems with a boot sector virus, as it would not boot, even with the Windows disk in it, but installing Linux fixed that.

Now this snowbank computer that I am using to write this has 512 megs of RAM, 128 meg video card, and a 300 Gig SATA hard disk, and two DVD drives. It is a Dell Dimension XPS just barely 5 years old when I found it (I would never have spent this much money on a computer when it was purchased new). Recent rejects that I have had all have SATA drives and at least one gig of memory. Again these computers were running too slow so the owner bought a new one. These poor souls just can't convert to Linux and so they keep on paying. I get their rejects. My mom is running Linux on one of them.

But I have realized that computers with IDE drives are well, getting older and fewer. As much those of us in the Linux camp take pride and joy in getting these old computers to run quickly again I have to ask is it really worth it? Perhaps I am asking this: has the law of diminishing returns caught up to computers that are older than 2004? Or any computer that was purchased with less than a gig of RAM?

The biggest problem I have now with the older computers is noise. I have a ten year old net vista with 512 megs of ram and it runs fine, except for the disk and or fan noise. Replacing parts within the computer is not cheap and when it comes to noise I do not know for sure where it is coming from. Besides, spending $50.00 on this old battle axe is not cost effective. But the waste still bugs me.

Well my mom called tonight and told me that there is a computer in the garbage down the road and do I want it? I replied "Sure, It might be a gem like my snowbank computer, but to be honest, don't worry if you do not get it because I have two computers here that just may go to the recycling / reuse centre".

My great grandmother was the fastest person on the street to pick up the manure from the horse drawn delivery wagons (she used the manure on her vegetable garden, later we called this organic gardening). I use to be pretty quick to snatch a computer from the curbside too. Sometimes the sum of the parts is worth more than the whole, if the computer was later outfitted with after-market video cards and RAM.

But since people are buying more laptops and are also aware of data theft, I just can't go out on garbage day and pick up the computer parts I need anymore. Things are tough all over.

Tags: 
old computers
Linux rescue

Comments

Links 31/8/2011... (not verified) - Thu, 09/01/2011 - 00:43.
[...] Fixing old computers with Linux Now this snowbank computer that I am using to write this has 512 megs of RAM, 128 meg video card, and a 300 Gig SATA hard disk, and two DVD drives. It is a Dell Dimension XPS just barely 5 years old when I found it (I would never have spent this much money on a computer when it was purchased new). Recent rejects that I have had all have SATA drives and at least one gig of memory. Again these computers were running too slow so the owner bought a new one. These poor souls just can’t convert to Linux and so they keep on paying. I get their rejects. My mom is running Linux on one of them. [...]

Scott Fulford (not verified) - Fri, 10/14/2011 - 12:23.
Having a electronic waste recycling program in our city helps when it comes to disposing of old PCs and Mac. Also there are programs like "Computers for Kids" which take donated computers and rebuild them for children that do not have access to computers at home. Unfortunately, some donated computers are computers that are running Windows 98 with only 128MB of RAM. Which even for Linux is really not enough to run GNOME or KDE. We can only hope that we can keep the waste out of the landfills and to reduce, reuse and recycle our "battle axe" computers responsibly.


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