Giving away old computer (RAM, hard drive, Linux, Ubuntu)
Please register to participate in our discussions with 2 million other members - it's free and quick! Some forums can only be seen by registered members. After you create your account, you'll be able to customize options and access all our 15,000 new posts/day with fewer ads.
I'm getting rid of old XP boxes, they range from 500 to 2 GB ram all single core. I'm thinking about wiping the hard drives and either giving them away with a LiveCD or some version of a freeOS. I'm think just for web browsing, webmail, job search website like Craigslist. Is there any current OS that would run on 6+ year old hardware in a usable way? Being able to use install a printer would be a plus. TIA
As long as the sticker with the activation key is on there you should be able to reinstall XP as long as you can find an install disk. It doesn't have to be the one that came with the computer.
You can also donate old computers to a charity and get a write off. I had donated my XP computers to Philippine Basic Needs, a charity which is in my area of Florida, they ship and brings items to the Philippines to help those in need. There are many people in poor countries that have nothing, thus why I picked that one but I am sure there are other charities in your area to donate to.
We give our to local Charity that employs handicapped in rebuilding and selling computers at their store. We reformat and reload to original condition first tho. They say older people buy them all the time for their usage and the demand has only grown in recent years.
The troubles with XPs is no more support. There are OSes like Ubuntu and Zorin for example. They're up to date and free. Zorin acts and looks like Windows so that's a plus.
The troubles with XPs is no more support. There are OSes like Ubuntu and Zorin for example. They're up to date and free. Zorin acts and looks like Windows so that's a plus.
The problem with something like Ubuntu is that it's not very user friendly since it's not Windows based. I've used it and it has a lot of quirks. You have to assume that whoever you're donating the computer to is probably not going to be a computer expert and may have trouble using it. But I guess it's still better than nothing if there is no alternative OS.
The troubles with XPs is no more support. There are OSes like Ubuntu and Zorin for example. They're up to date and free. Zorin acts and looks like Windows so that's a plus.
I've been doing this for years - refurbishing old computers with Ubuntu/Linux Mint and giving them to kids/charities/volunteer groups around my area. Mostly for occupational therapy for me . It's satisfying and I've also met friends and clients this way. Several of the kids that learned Linux from the machines I gave them have gone on to being programmers and hackers (not crackers, though I can't say for sure). They're showing me more tricks that I hadn't heard or read about.
In the last year or so, I've found Ubuntu/Linux Mint to have grown more resource intensive, though. Not to mention that, several years ago, the Leader of the Linux Mint cult, Clem, specifically told us early adoptors in his blog that "if you support Israel, then please stop using Linux Mint" ...... Not that I support Israel per se, ... just don't like politics being thrown into the mix. Ironically, that little fiasco created more media exposure for Linux Mint and probably started it's upward trend.
But I digress ... Anyway, I started using PCLinuxOS instead. The latest version seems faster and more refined that Ubuntu. Though, I like Kubuntu as well.
Lately, my favorite Linux distros are PCLinuxOS, Kubuntu and Parted Magic (now a paid version), which is great for privacy of online transactions.
Also just started to play with Tails, supposedly a more secure Linux that runs on USB stick. Don't know enough about it just yet to say its more "secure" or "private". For all I know, it could have been commandeered by the NSA already!
I don't buy that "secure" and "private" claims by anyone. That's like saying that the software was created and tested on the moon.
I use my computer as a toy, nothing important goes through it.
Please register to post and access all features of our very popular forum. It is free and quick. Over $68,000 in prizes has already been given out to active posters on our forum. Additional giveaways are planned.
Detailed information about all U.S. cities, counties, and zip codes on our site: City-data.com.
Please register to participate in our discussions with 2 million other members - it's free and quick! Some forums can only be seen by registered members. After you create your account, you'll be able to customize options and access all our 15,000 new posts/day with fewer ads.
. It's satisfying and I've also met friends and clients this way. Several of the kids that learned Linux from the machines I gave them have gone on to being programmers and hackers (not crackers, though I can't say for sure). They're showing me more tricks that I hadn't heard or read about. 
