Got my new computer -- now what?

[Sal_gal]

Hi guys, I got a new computer. And I want to get opins what to do with the old one. Specs:
HD = 80 gig
Win Xp home edition
AMD Athlon 64 processor
speed 2160 Mhz
Installed mem = 1 gig
Model HP a1330e

I have it up for sale for $125 but getting practically no replies. So I'm thinking of dismantling it and selling off the parts.
However, I don't know how to wipe the hard drive clean. Totally clean.

Step by step instructions thanks.

[SpywareDr]

DBAN it.
http://www.dban.org/

Darik's Boot and Nuke ("DBAN") is a self-contained boot disk that securely wipes the hard disks of most computers. DBAN will automatically and completely delete the contents of any hard disk that it can detect, which makes it an appropriate utility for bulk or emergency data destruction.

Download: http://www.dban.org/download
Documentation: http://www.dban.org/documentation

[Sal_gal]

DBAN it.
http://www.dban.org/

Download: http://www.dban.org/download
Documentation: http://www.dban.org/documentation

I gather you think I'd get more if I dismantle it and sell the parts vs. selling the whole computer?

[fink]

Not very likely. What about using it as a media server? I have my old P3 hooked up to my TV to watch streaming media.. it's networked via a router and I can watch sporting events, youtube, whatever in the comfort of my living room.

I'm using the s-video out on the PC to the S-video in on the tv... quality is quite decent esp for the average quality of most on line streaming.

[SuperSparks]

The best thing to do with th dard drive is to smash it up. A secondhand 80gig drive is worth nothing anyway, and you can be absolutely certain that no data can be recovered from a destroyed drive.

[photolady]

Either do what fink said or what SS said. Being that is an HP only HP computers can use the motherboard and processor (most times the processor will only work in another HP). The motherboard were made special for HP.

And like SS said, that 80gb harddrive isn't worth anything. You can buy bigger drives now that would cost what the 80gb cost at the time of production.

[Train]

I bought a USB 1.5 TB for cheaper than I paid for my 1st 80 GB hdd and the 80 went bad the first month I had it.

Another option.
Use it for a file server.

[Sal_gal]

Either do what fink said or what SS said. Being that is an HP only HP computers can use the motherboard and processor (most times the processor will only work in another HP). The motherboard were made special for HP.

And like SS said, that 80gb harddrive isn't worth anything. You can buy bigger drives now that would cost what the 80gb cost at the time of production.

I bought a HP desktop brand new. I have an older HP desktop still working that I want to retrieve some money for. Either sell it whole or sell the parts including the ram, the hard drive, the dvd, etc. etc. I want something back for my expenses

I also bought a netbook.

Does everybody understand? Should I continue to sell it @ $100 (dropped the price) or sell off the parts?

[photolady]

We understood what you wanted to do in the first place. What we are trying to tell you is that the parts sold off individually won't bring you any money to speak of. The hard drive just isn't worth much more than $10 or $15, if that much. The motherboard and/or processor will only work in another HP, you can't sell it to anyone who doesn't have an HP and it's possible it will only work with the same model HP you have. Depending on the speed of the DVD, that too probably isn't worth much because you can buy brand new DVD drives for less than $25. The ram probably DDR, won't fit in newer computers, though you could probably get more for it than anything else in that computer as DDR costs more than DDR2 ram.

So to be able to make any money from it, sell it as a whole computer for the $100. Make sure to use Dban and wipe the drive two or three times to make sure there is nothing on there anyone can retrieve.

[SuperSparks]

We understand perfectly. But the hard drive, with your valuable personal data on it, if you could even find a buyer, given what a new drive costs, is worth maybe $5. What I am saying, is that it is better to write off the value of the drive and smash it up, rather than risk not erasing the drive thoroughly enough. Otherwise use Dban or Eraser to wipe it, and expect to take a good few hours.

I can't comment on what old computers go for in the US, but over here they are worth next to nothing. I gave away a much more powerful one than that to my mother-in-law, it wasn't worth the hassle of selling it for the small amount that I would have got.

[aphex500]

Another option is that you can sell the PC to a company that will recycle the parts. Doing a little good for the world and making a small profit at the same time.

http://envirogreen.rtrk.co.uk/?scid=12637&kw=3930879

That site is for the UK but I'm sure that there would be others out there for different parts of the world.

Hope this helps!

Kind regards,
John.

[SuperSparks]

Another option is that you can sell the PC to a company that will recycle the parts. Doing a little good for the world and making a small profit at the same time.

http://envirogreen.rtrk.co.uk/?scid=12637&kw=3930879

That site is for the UK but I'm sure that there would be others out there for different parts of the world.

Hope this helps!

Kind regards,
John.

Good point. There are a few firms around that will send refurbished old computers to third world countries. I might add that many of them take the drives out and physically destroy them, then put a new drive in the PC.

[Sal_gal]

I live in Chicago.

[SuperSparks]

http://www.epa.gov/osw/conserve/mate...ling/index.htm

[Sal_gal]

Ram about $30
80 Gig HD about $30

That's enough to convince me to dismantle it and sell it by parts.

Now, when I wipe the hard drive, will it wipe the partition too? Or can someone install an O/S (Linux, Win) on the hard drive?
I'm not giving nothing away. I want some of my expense back, sorry.....but if I can get $2 for something, I'll take it.