Thursday, February 10, 2011

Donate your old PC or laptop to AgeUK

[Age UK (Age Concern, as was), just down from the Town Hall, will take your old PCs or laptops. They don't want any monitors, just the CPU (or obviously the entire laptop). The following is from their website]

Why donate your PC?

Support technology novices in your community to get online with your old PC.

We know lots of you have old, working PCs and laptops sitting there gathering dust and space at home. We can help you get rid of them safely and securely, giving them a second lease of life to do good in your community and for people in later life.

In collaboration with Age UK and Microsoft Authorised Refurbishers, we can rebuild your old PCs into more affordable PCs which go to support community-based projects and older people directly.


What happens to my old PC?

We know that your old PC may still contain private information, which is why we guarantee to wipe them clean, securely removing all your data to internationally approved standards. We also clean, test and then install Microsoft software to get the PC ready for a new home and all for a worthy cause. The proceeds of your donation will directly support Age UK’s vital work to help train older technology novices to use computers to experience the benefits offered by today’s modern technology.


What exactly do I donate?

All we need is the working PC, desktop body, or laptop and electrical accessories that make up the PC. We are unable to take any screens or any other equipment.


Where do I donate my PC?

  • Simply donate your unwanted PC desktop body or laptop to any Age UK shop.
  • Thank you for giving the gift of technology and positively changing someone’s life.

More information on this programme can be found on the Age UK website.

4 comments:

GamerSyndrome said...

The reality is that Intel after so many disputes back and forth was mainly due to the fact that the guy was using AMD chips, intel's biggest rival, in their laptops.

Anonymous said...

Be aware that your hard drive will contain confidential information, and history of everything you have done and everywhere you have visited, even if you have erased memory, deleted files and so on. It needs to be 'wiped' by a DOD-level system which will remove all traces of information to a point where it is impossible to recover. I trust Age Concern but you can never be sure what will happen once you hand your computer over to them. It is your security that is under threat, not Age Concern's (or any other recipient).

If you feel safe to donate your computer, after wiping all personal files, and removing all added programs that can retain your passwords etc, you can reinstall the original system to its default status. This should be done in any event before you give up your computer. The only way to be 100% secure is to remove the hard drive and destroy it. It is the only part that retains data.

The Postman said...

I imagine they wouldn't want a computer without a hard drive...not much point really..

Anonymous said...

HD wiping software is freely available. I am surprised that anyone concerned about their data does not have it to hand if they are that bothered. You can of course both encrypt and password protect your files if you are worried about theft or the thought police. Lenovo Thinkpad laptops have good hard drive password protection as well.