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What's the goal?
What's the goal?
You'd be surprised by what your tired old PC can do. Technology is being churned out fast, but it still doesn't take much to bring an old laptop back to a state where it can do research for a school project, type up a resume, keep in touch with family, inspire something, create something...and to think all that opportunity might be just sitting idle on a shelf!
The goal of this project is to take unused PC's, refurbish them, and deliver them to those who can benefit the most. Donate your old unwanted PC and if it's still got potential it'll be cleaned up, refreshed, and given a new home where it can get back to work. In the worst case scenario of your computer being unsalvageable, I can help you get any data you might want from it and see that it's recycled responsibly.
No matter where you are in CT, I'm happy to come pick up a donation.
You can also donate to the Winsted-based operation Gr8fullyfeclub, from which this project is spun off.
How does it work?
How does it work?
This works because computers haven't really changed much in the last decade or so, yet they keep cranking out new models. This makes older models both easy and cheap to upgrade to modern standards. 64-bit multi-core processors, motherboards capable of supporting 4GB+ of RAM, SSD-capable interfaces, modern wi-fi bands, and on and on have all been around for years.
Perhaps more importantly, most computer components don't wear out. If the key components are still working, they're probably not going to stop working for a very long time. Parts that do wear out are usually old enough that they can be replaced for very little cost.
Unsure about the viability of your old machine? Here are some examples of machines that were brought back from obsolescence:
2014 Toshiba Satellite
2014 Toshiba Satellite
A fresh install of Windows 10 and it's good as new! PC's slow down as we load more and more junk on them, so sometimes all it takes is a good reset. Swapping a solid state drive for a slow hard disk drive doesn't hurt either.
2010 Lenovo Thinkpad
2010 Lenovo Thinkpad
These things are built to last! Shockingly fast for its age and runs Windows 10. Thinkpads are super easy to work on so I'm glad to take these in. 8GB of DDR3 RAM and an i5 processor is plenty of power for office software, internet browsing, most everyday programs.
2006 Dell Inspiron
2006 Dell Inspiron
This one I did just to see how far back I could go. This was actually my own first computer. Now running on a lightweight Linux operating system, 2GB of RAM, and a few globs of epoxy, I can't believe this thing still works! Even the battery still lasts a couple hours! I won't be saddling anyone else with this one, though. It was just for fun and to see just how old and weak a computer can be and still work today.
Know of a family or organization who could benefit from having their own PC? Let me know!
Thanks for reading!
Thanks for reading!
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