Posted on 01/02/2005 9:12:01 PM PST by crushelits
If getting rid of clutter happens to be one of your New Year's resolutions, nothing will clear up a few cubic feet of space like getting an old computer, monitor or printer out the door.
In most cases, selling that antique hardware to a friend, co-worker or eBay user won't be an option computers lose their value faster than almost any other manufactured product in history. Just tossing them in the trash isn't a good idea either: Most computing gear contains such toxic components as lead, mercury and cadmium.
Instead, your options probably fall into the same two categories as a lot of other household junk: recycling or disposal.
The simplest choice is one of the computer-recycling programs that many PC vendors run. Gateway (www.gateway.tradeups.com), Hewlett-Packard (www.hp.com/recycle) and Dell (www.dell.com/recycle) all accept defunct computers regardless of brand. Just fill out an online form, pay a processing fee (usually $15 to $35) and pack up the old equipment. A shipper will show up at your door a few days later to whisk it away. In some cases, you can get a rebate toward the purchase of a new machine.
Equipment taken in through such recycling programs will be shipped to facilities built for breaking computers back down to their basic elements. Plastic, glass, steel, aluminum, copper, gold and silver -- all found inside desktops and laptops -- can be recovered and reused; the toxic leftovers will be safely disposed of.
(Excerpt) Read more at washingtonpost.com ...
Use Norton Utilities.
There are programs that will remove .....however to be totally safe, you need some of the equipment found in Gov Secure facility that will degauss the drive by using a very concentrated magnetic field...
I hate sites that grab my browser and won't let go.
Freecycle is one way to go. Another site that's really good is www.abcfree.com. You don't get bogged down with hundreds of emails with ABC Free because they have more targeted alerts. Also, local schools get first shot at whatever you offer, so a local kid might end up using your computer.
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