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Should you Toss that old PC, Recycle it or Give it away?

Like most you have followed the unwritten code of industry in upgrading your computer every year or two. What this has left you with are three or four computers, useless parts, and several monitors lying around your house. You keep meaning to do something about them, but figuring out just what to do with them can be a source of stress.

Why Would you Pay?

If you’ve done any research on the subject, you’ll find that most computer recycling companies charge money. It’s even worse if any of those old computers work. You can’t bring yourself to throw out something which still works.

No Thank you Ma’am

Getting the trash collectors to pick up the old cases can be even trickier. Most won’t take anything which isn’t bagged, and you have to triple-bag cases because their sharp corners will cut the bags. They also don’t take old monitors. You can’t just bag them up because they could cause an explosion when they’re crushed. Many states also have laws against putting monitors in the trash.

So, what do you do with all these old things?

There are several options available to you. You can haul them to the dump yourself, pay to recycle them, donate the working parts to charity, or just leave them where they are. All have their advantages and disadvantages, but the decision is completely up to you.

Donating: Should the computers or monitors still work, your best option is to donate them to charity. Your local Salvation Army thrift store would more than likely love to have them. There are plenty of people out there who don’t own a computer, or can’t afford to buy one. Even with the relatively low prices of modern PC’s, some people just can’t justify the expense of a new computer in their budget.

Here are a few things to remember when donating a computer. Go through the hard drive. Delete, uninstall and remove everything but the operating system. Most people remove everything by formatting the hard drive, but this presents a problem for the organization. How does this private charity show a prospective buyer that the system or monitor actually works? They don’t usually have a few dozen copies of an operating system lying around.

It’s also a good idea to include the CD’s, manuals, and cable which came with the computer. Most of the people buying or receiving these old computers have little to no knowledge or experience with them. They wouldn’t know how to download a device driver, and how would they find out if this is their first and only computer?

If you won’t donate out of a sense of giving, then do it for greed aspect. You can use the donation as a tax write-off. Just be sure to get a receipt from the organization you donate the items to.

Selling: Trying to sell that old computer or monitor is usually simple, but many people make a huge mistake when trying to do so. They price the items too high. Just because the computer was bought for 600.00 four years ago doesn’t mean it’ll get that much now, or even two thirds of that price.

First, during those four years, several more generations of the computer may have some out. Second, prices of computers and monitors have come down. You can buy a brand new computer with an operating system for 399.00, and that’s with a monitor included. Third, you have to consider depreciation. Just like your car depreciates several thousand dollars the second you drive it off the lot, a two to four year old computer just isn’t worth what it was when you bought it.

Set a realistic goal when selling. A Pentium 3 with a 1GHz processor, 512MB RAM, a 20GB hard drive, Windows 98, and a 17 inch SVGA monitor might net you 100.00 on a good day.

Throwing Out: When choosing this option, keep in mind that you’ll have to take those old monitors to the dump yourself. Older analog monitors present an environmental danger when crushed or broken. Most state laws put them in the same category as old lead paint canisters, and asbestos insulation. There will almost certainly be a separate bin or drop-off point for them. Still, it’s better to donate them if they still work.

My Favourite Dust Collectors are my old Intellivision and My just as old Commodore 64

Regardless of what you decide, anything is better than leaving them sitting around in your home collecting dust.

There is one more option available to you however. You don’t need any specialized knowledge to repair those old computers to get them working again. Most computers need nothing more than a new hard drive, a new processor, or some other peripheral to make them work. It will basically be a “learn-as-you-go” scenario, but that knowledge will help you in the future. Almost everything on the computer is plug and play.

Installing Computer Speakers

You should install your speakers with the computer turned off, so start with the power off. Depending on the speakers you have, follow these directions as closely as you can. Make sure that all of the wires and cables are plugged in securely.

1. Plug the power supply for the speakers into the speaker that has the input for it.
2. Plug the second speaker into the one with the power input.
3. Depending on the type of computer you have, the small jack where you plug the speaker into your computer should be labeled in some way. Look for a tiny icon of a speaker or headphones. If you do not have an icon, look for text such as audio out or sound out.
4. Plug the power cord into the outlet. Use a surge protector if you have one.
5. Turn the speakers on.
6. Restart the computer.

Check the Statue of the Speakers in the Device Manager

If the above set of directions has not resolved the problem, it is time to check the status of your speakers in the device manager. Follow this new set of directions to do so:

1. Click Start.
2. Click My Computer.
3. Click Manage or System Information.
4. Click hardware.
5. Click Device Manager.
6. Click Sound, video, and game controllers.
7. Click on the text that is describing your speakers. You might have to double click to open up the Properties dialog box for the speakers
8. Click on the “General” tab.
9. In the middle of the dialog box, you should see the status for the speakers. It should state that the device is working properly or it isn’t. Click Troubleshoot.
10. Follow the prompts as they appear.

Check the Status of the Drivers for the Speakers in the Device Manager

If the above set of directions has not resolved the problem, it is time to check the drivers for your speakers in the Device Manager. Follow this new set of directions to do so:

1. Click Start.
2. Click My Computer.
3. Click Manage or System Information.
4. Click Hardware.
5. Click Device Manager.
6. Click Sound, video, and game controllers.
7. Click on the text that is describing your speakers. You might have to double click to open up the properties dialog box for the speakers
8. Click on the “Drivers” tab.
9. In the middle of the dialog box, you should see the status for the speaker drivers. It should state that they are working properly or they aren’t working properly. Click Troubleshoot.
10. Follow the prompts as they appear.

Hopefully, one of the strategies here helped you out with this problem. Write back if you need more help.

If you’re missing sound on the computer and the CD drive isn’t working, then you need to do some troubleshooting. There isn’t any single application that can fix this problem without knowing exactly where the problem is stemming from.

The “No Audio Device” Message

What exactly does it mean when the computer generates a “no audio device” message? Typically, this message appears when the computer cannot detect an audio device that is functioning properly. As a result, you will not get any sound from the computer.

Disconnect and Reconnect Your Sound Device

Sometimes all it takes is a simple removal of the sound device and a reinstallation. It is possible that the files associated with your device have become corrupt and need to be reset.

Check the Drivers

You can learn more about your audio device by following these steps:

1)      Click Start.

2)      Click Control Panel.

3)      Click Sound, Speech, and Audio Devices.

4)      Click Sound and Audio Devices.

5)      Click Hardware and look through the information provided.

It is possible that the drivers for your audio device have become outdated or corrupted. In either case, you need to update the drivers in order to fix this particular problem. Visit the website for the manufacturer of the sound device that you are using. If you discovered that your drivers for your sound device are faulty, uninstall them before obtaining fresh drivers.

Troubleshooting Faulty Sound Drivers

Some troubleshooting options are located within the “Sound, Speech and Audio Devices” section. To access this, click on the “? sound” at the left hand side of the area underneath the title “Troubleshooters.”  A new dialog box opens. Click in front of the selection that describes the current problem. Click “Next.” A list of options appears for solving the sound problem or investigating it further. Read through all of the options before making your choice so that you get the closest scenario. Hopefully, this helps in solving the problem.

Check the Sound Card

Since it is possible for the sound card to have come loose from its position, you might want to check to see that the sound card is securely in place.

Check the CD Drive

Use the Device Manager to check out your CD drive and follow the troubleshooting tips while you are at it. Perhaps this is something that can be fixed easily.

Are you running Windows Vista, or have you done a recent update of XP or Vista? Losing audio with high def devices after installing Vista or doing an update is a common problem and is easily fixed.

Default Device Setting

You’ve done some good troubleshooting to start with. From your information, we can eliminate the speakers or connections as the problem because you can hear the start up sound. The easiest thing to try first is to check the default device setting. Go to Start and then Control Panel and click on Sound and Audio Devices. Click on the Audio tab and see if you can use the arrow to choose another default setting.

Update Drivers

I’m guessing that the solution is going to be to update the audio drivers. Microsoft prefers that you use their Update Wizard that is already on your computer. Go to Start then Control Panel and choose System. Click on the Hardware tab. Expand the Sound, Video and Game Controllers option. Double click on the sound card and click on drivers. Choose Update Driver. From here, you will follow the Wizard’s instructions to update your drivers.

Chipset Driver

If updating your audio driver still doesn’t get you the sound you need, you may need to reinstall the motherboard chipset driver first. From your description, your driver is a Via.

Computerhope.com has a page of chipset drivers for download including the Via for your system. Reinstall this driver and then follow the directions above to reinstall the audio driver.

Once you’ve updated your drivers, your high def audio should work fine. If you’re still having problems let us know, along with some specific system information and any error messages and we should be able to help you further.

Unfortunately, you might need to do a bit of troubleshooting to find the right solution to your problem. Since the computer was unexpectedly exposed to a possible power surge or shock to its system, let’s start by trying to get it to boot up in safe mode.

Booting Up into Safe Mode

One of the first steps to take when the computer isn’t functioning properly is to see if you can get it to start up in safe mode. This mode uses the least number of programs and resources, making it easier to get into when problems occur. Depending on your computer’s manufacturer and system, you should be able to get into safe mode by turning the power on and then pressing the “F2,” “F8,” or “F12″ key on the keyboard. If you can get into safe mode, use the directions provided below to use “System Restore.”

How to Use System Restore

1)      Click Start.

2)      Click All Programs.

3)      Click Accessories.

4)      Click System Tools.

5)      Click System Restore.

6)      Select “Restore my computer to an earlier time,” and click on next.

7)      Follow the prompts.

If this strategy works, then you can stop here. If not, check out a few of these other options.

Use a Boot Up or Installation Disk to Restart the Laptop

If you can find your boot up or installation disk for your laptop, you can use it to start up your laptop. Read through these directions before starting so you don’t miss anything. Turn the power button on and insert the disk. Immediately press the ESC key on the keyboard and press the F1 key as soon as the words “check system” appear. This will allow you to change the option for booting up from hard drive to CD drive. Next, use the system restore option so you don’t have to go through this again.

Replace the Power Cord

On the off chance that the power cord was damaged, you need to replace it. In fact, the transformer or bulky part of the power cord might have been damaged when the power went off and then back on. The transformer is only designed to deal with so much voltage. Consider plugging the laptop into a surge protector from now on. For now, buy a new power cord and see if that solves the problem.

I am going to offer a couple of quick questions to get you thinking about this problem. Are you using the same power outlet each time? Is the computer on for roughly the same amount of time while experiencing overheating as it is when it doesn’t experience overheating? Is the battery very old? What is the computer resting on? Is hot air coming out of the computer?

Tips to Prevent Overheating

• Keep the area clear around the computer. The air needs to circulate in order to keep the computer cool.
• When using a laptop, never sit it on soft, fluffy surfaces such as upholstered furniture or bedding. This will cause the laptop to overheat and create problems for you.
• Remove dust and loose dirt from the computer. It’s important to use a can of compressed air to do so.

Too Much Voltage

If you are using different electrical outlets to supply power to the computer at different times, that could account for the fact that the overheating only occurs some of the time. If the voltage is too high, the power lead will heat up to the point where it might melt the plastic. This is something that you want to avoid at all costs. The outlet might be supplying too much voltage. For example, you might be getting 240 volts instead of the 120 volts that the computer is probably designed to use. The transformer or the bulky part of the power cord should indicate the voltage that it has been designed to use.

In order to check out the voltage coming from the outlet, you can get a licensed electrician to check it out. I had to have an electrician rewire one of my outlets that was acting hot and cold. I wasn’t using it for my computer, but the scenario is similar. Sometimes the electrical item that I had plugged into it worked fine and sometimes it didn’t. The electrician discovered that the wires had loosened themselves behind the outlet and they would occasionally spark. I had that fixed quickly. You can also check into getting a voltage regulator for the outlet that you will be using with the computer.

Faulty Fan

Every computer comes with an internal fan to help maintain the computer’s temperature at an optimal level. The fan typically comes with the power supply. It should be operating in a way that releases the hot air out of the computer’s case. Check to see if you can feel hot air being released. If not and you can’t hear the fan, then you might have a faulty fan and need to replace it in order to bring back proper ventilation.

Faulty Power Supply

If none of the above seem to be at issue here, you might just have a faulty power supply. If you think this is the case, get a replacement and try it out.

Faulty Computer

I also want to suggest that you google your specific model of computer or visit the manufacturer’s websites. In the last 3 or 4 years, at least two major brands (Toshiba and Dell) have had issues with some of their computers. In some cases, these problems involved power or battery issues. Even if your warranty is no longer any good, you might be able to discover what is causing the problem with your particular computer.