How to Make Use of Old Laptops
The laptop computer is a PC designed for people on the go. Slimmer, more advanced, faster laptops render the older models obsolete in only three or four years. While your older laptop may still run, chances are it won't be able to run the newest version of Windows or very many new programs. But don't throw your laptop away--it's full of valuable parts and a vault of potential.
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Instructions
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Open your laptop. Set your laptop down flat, screen-side down. Remove the access panels housing the outermost modules. Once you remove the modules where the hard drive and memory are stored, remove the rest of the screws on the back of your laptop. The case should come right off once the screws are removed. Don't remove anything other than the case.
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Write down the serial numbers for laptop components. The hard drive, RAM and video card, if you have one, will all have a model/serial number.
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Visit the manufacturer's website for hardware specs. Type in the model or serial number of your hard drive or RAM. Take note of hard drive capacity (GB) and speed (MHz). With RAM, take note of size (MB) and speed (MHz).
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Price out your laptop components. With the specs of your computer components, visit Tigerdirect, Newegg or eBay to gauge about how much your computer parts are worth.
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Decide whether to sell or reuse your laptop. If your laptop is fairly new, you may be able to make a couple hundred bucks selling the key laptop parts; you can then donate or sell the remaining parts of your laptop. If your laptop is more than a couple years old, it's probably best to keep it.
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Don't let your laptop go unused. Use your old laptop computer as a digital picture frame, media storage computer, or external hard drive. If you don't want to deal with the hassle, donate your computer to charity or recycle it.
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References
- Photo Credit laptop 3 image by patrimonio designs from Fotolia.com
