What Do You Do With Your Old Computer?
When you get a new computer a common question is, “what do you do with your old computer”. You have all of your data, your programs, pictures, shortcuts and favorites. But how do you get all of that transferred from your old computer to your new one.
Relax, this information will give you several options to help you through this process.
If the computer is still working
If your computer is still functioning, there is always a family member or friend that can use a computer. That said here are a few things to do to prepare for the ‘hand off’.
Your Data
You may not want to leave your data on the computer unless you really dont have that much stored on there. If you do and that is a concern, here are a couple of options.
Pull your Drive
The simplest thing to do if you have personal data on the main drive is to just pull the main drive and keep it. The recipient can either buy a new hard drive and install an operating system on it, or use the Restore drive below if applicable.
Utilizing the Factory Restore Drive
- If you have one of our QuadStation systems (depending on the age) you may have a Factory Restore Drive in the system which is fully bootable. It will take the system back to factory state like the day you got it on day one. We started including these Restore Drives around 2008.
- Two things here: First if your original system came with Windows XP or Vista , your Restore Drive would also, since it is a CLONE of the main drive. That would be no good for the recipient, they need to be in Windows 7 at the very least or Windows 10 if your system supports it (re drivers etc).
- If your computer did come with Windows XP or Vista, although restoring the system is not the way to go, they can still use the physical hard drive and load a fresh copy of Windows 7 (or Windows 10 if there are drivers for your hardware)
- If your original system came with Windows 7 and you have never used your Restore Drive, that is easy. Simply unplug the main drive and keep it, and plug in the Restore Drive. Instructions on how to do that are here. The system should boot to a plain vanilla copy of Windows 7 with nothing on it but the operating system. The system is ready to hand off at that point
Simplify the System
If you have once of our QuadStations your system has multiple displays. They may not need multiple monitors, if that is the case simplify the system. If you have more than 2 screens on your system, the you may have 2 video cards installed. You can pull the second one (bottom) out if you like.
On an older computer the video cards are usually the first thing to go so by pulling one you minimize the possibility of things that could fail on them in the future.
Old System is Not Working
If your old system is not functioning for whatever reason, follow the same advice regarding your data above then:
- Donate to a charitable organization like the Boys and Girls Club, or a local school. We have done that for years in our town here. They always have a computer lab for the kids, they can use it for learning purposes in the lab.
- Dispose of the computer properly, contact your local disposal service for a location near you. Remember computer have batteries and other components the need to be disposed of properly.
- If you do not want to do either of those things, ship it to us if you like, we may be able to salvage some parts for internal lab machines. If not we will donate it to a local organization for you.
If you have any questions about this topic feel free to contact us. We will be happy to guide you in the right direction.
For the highest quality computer systems available worldwide, see NTI’s QuadStation multiple screen computers. If you appreciate quality, there is nothing better. If you have any questions found in this article feel free to call us at 239.254.9206.
ALSO SEE: When to Replace an Old Computer | Custom Built or Off the Shelf | Setting Up Multiple Monitors | Buying a New Computer | Transition to a new PC
