Dos-Boot Computer Services Blog

Just a quick announcement: Dos-Boot will be closed November 27th – November 29th.  We’ll be re-opening Monday, December 1st.   Have a great Thanksgiving!

Since the holidays are fast approaching, I thought that it’d be a good idea to give a few tips about what to do with an old computer after it’s been replaced.

My personal preference for old equipment is to pass it on to someone who will use it.  Your older computer may have outlived its usefulness to you, but if it still runs it probably functions fine as a word processor or an e-mail and internet terminal.  Non-profits, such as Freegeek accept working and non-working systems for various uses.

If your computer doesn’t work or is too old to donate, you probably still want to get rid of it, instead of keeping it in the garage forever.   There are several companies that will recycle your old electronics for free or a minimal charge.  If you’re in the Columbus, Ohio area, we’ll even help you recycle your computer.

Once you’ve decided what you’re doing with your old system, one final consideration is your data and privacy.  If you’re passing the system along to someone outside of the family, make sure to completely erase any private data.  This could include anything from internet cookies, quickbooks/money data, bills, documents.   The most secure way to ensure the data is safe is to erase the drive or remove the drive and keep it.