XP box

In message , Tim Lamb writes

Post script...

Can I just dump the old routers or do they contain anything incriminating?

;-)

It always seems a shame to disable an old PC like that when it's actually working (assuming it is etc).

So, what I might be inclined to do is get a copy of DBAN and securely wipe the drive (assuming you don't want what's on it etc), it's just a couple of inputs and you leave it to do it's thing.

At that point you could stick it on Freecycle / Freegle and let them 1) come and get it and 2) do what they want with it.

Or, get a copy of Linux Mint (MATE) if it's only got a basic graphics solution and stick that on it (you could try it first from the LiveDVD) and then give it away as a complete working solution. ;-)

If you needed a high current 12V DC supply to run some lights or a de- rusting tank then you only need to short a couple of wires on the ATX plug (green and black) to get it to power up and connect up the wires you need (yellow is +12 and black (gnd) to your load and you are good to go. ;-)

I'll process the PC and give it away for you if you don't get any other takers. ;-)

Cheers, T i m

Not incriminating typically (unless you have one of the more sophisticated units with stats and logging) but could in some cases reveal your ADSL authentication ID and even password (FWIW etc).

Simplest thing would be to 'factory restore it' by typically just either powering it up with the reset button held in for 10+ seconds or just holding the reset button for 10+ seconds etc.

Again, often of little use to anyone *except* if it happens to be one of the models that will accept alternative / open source firmware, like OpenWRT, DD-WRT or Tomato.

Or, some of them can be set into 'Access Point Mode', a wireless repeater (might be handy in R. Cott?) or as a 4 port HUB or switch. ;-)

Cheers, T i m

If it had a reliable CD/DVD writer in it, that might be of use. Many of the modern ones I get are crap at writing cds that my normal CD player can read, whereas those of a few years back seem to be better at this job. My guess is that the newer devices are jack of all trades, masters of none.

Some electronic bods like the old psus to give them bench power supplies, got any ham radio groups near you? What is the keyboard like. If its usb and reasonable might be better than the el cheapo ones you get these days. Keep the mains lead. Its a pity you don't have the room as I have a number of old xp machines in use as back up storage when needed on a network.

Memory sticks only of use to people trying to keep old machine running. If it has separate sound card can be handy if its still a supported model, but not many are now. What other cards does it have. Serial or parralel cards, network cards and any non graphics card can be handy to some people. Rest is probably recyclable. As you say, unless you can use the ide drive locally, you need to physically destroy it if it has any chance of holding personal info. Brian

I've got a few of these that were 'retired' when the current (ex-corporate) Win10 boxes were installed in the home office.

At the moment, the XP boxes are set up just as they were on the day they were turned off - reasonably well-specced for 'office' machines, decent-sized hard drives.

I think I know the answer - but is there a reliable way of wiping any confidential info (passwords etc) without removing the XP install..? I'd like them to go to somewhere where they'll be used, but don't particularly want my bank account emptied or my email hacked!

Thanks Adrian

Ive got 4 now and all have had XP install wiped.

And new disks isntalled and now run Linux, faster than they ever ran XP...

No. Run DBAN on them and install Linux Mint.

Snip..

That might be the simplest solution although I can hammer a nail through the drive as well as anyone:-)

The de-rusting power supply is interesting but unlikely to happen as I rely on the trusty angle grinder with a cup wheel brush.

Bits for R. Cott. is also interesting as I fully intended to pick your brains:-) The spare routers are Technicolour TG582n PRO and Thomson ST585 v6. Progress so far is to run cat6 cable here and there in readiness.

And the point of running Linux fasters is ?

If I'm not sure what the next owner will want to do with them, I guess I might as well just DBAN them. They can then install whatever they want.. Thanks Adrian

In message , The Natural Philosopher writes

Sadly, just as it would be with Win10, this is not an option here, where I need to support certain hardware and run certain programs.

At the moment, I'm struggling to revert to XP on a Mint laptop that seems to have had its bios corrupted by a previous owner.

I think the closest 'easy' way is to create a new user / admin account and deleting the accounts and data for all the others. Then you could use something like Ccleaner to wipe the free space and / or Defraggler, after emptying the recycling bin of course. ;-)

Assuming you have the original licence and install media (although you can get the latter online), XP can be quite quick to re-install, made much easier if you have the drivers on hand ready to install all the bits that aren't detected automatically.

Or as mentioned elsewhere, wipe it with something like a DBAN boot CD and then install Linux Mint on it, leaving the new owner to re-install XP (or whatever) if they want.

Cheers, T i m

Try installing Linux on 64M of RAM (or at least a version that is as useable as XP still is).

The biggest killer is finding an efficient graphics card driver for Linux for the older stuff. Ok, it might 'work' but rarely works better than a manufacturers driver written specifically for the job.

That said, assuming it actually runs, it's probably *easier* to install Linux on an old PC for someone who doesn't know their way around Windows drivers ... assuming you then actually make use of it afterwards.

My mate still sells old / low spec Linux laptops because people use them for running car diagnostic tools (that won't run on Linux).

Cheers, T i m

who said there was a point?

I merely noted that old hardware can be recycled to do specific stuff better using Linux

Legacy boot is what you use to get rid of Microsoft. YOu may need to revert to UEFI to get windows to reinstall, thiugh why anyone would want to...

;-(

A mate burned a hdd from a PC that his son had given him (it came from his sons work), or at least he tried to burn it (in amongst general rubbish etc). He wasn't so keen he'd done so when I told him there was no reason to have done that (unless it contained plans for a new missile or somesuch and even then it was probably insufficient) and that a good overwrite with something like DBAN (done from a boot CD with a few keyboard taps) and then re-installing an OS again. Unless someone comes to collect the re-furbished PC in a black helicopter I don't think you should worry. ;-)

Not so good for getting inside stuff but I'm not sure if there aren't also issues with electrical re-rusting on anything that needs to retain good mechanical strength. So, say you had some old iron farm equipment you wanted to de-rust and then paint and put out as an ornament, I'd go the electronic way every time (once you have a suitable rig / tank, it's very easy and fun in a mad professor sorta way). ;-)

Any time. ;-)

Not sure about that one.

A good start. ;-)

Cheers, T i m

Anyone who wants to make use of pretty well all the hardware, games, applications out there?

Anyone who has a life and doesn't want to have to 'learn' to be a Linux geek?

Anyone who doesn't have a tame Linux geek and then would need to find one to get their machine (OS) fixed when it goes wrong.

Apart from them, no one. ;-)

Cheers, T i m

Install Eraser (). That will work with XP if it has SP3.

You can selectively erase files or folders - not just delete but overwrite. I used to use this years ago when I used my XP machine for confidential business work. I don't know if it still has it, but it could also "erase" free disk space. This was useful to clean up old disks where there was a large amount of "deleted" file data, which might be restorable or partly recoverable with special utilities.

Of course, erasing a large amount of data will take quite a time. If you've got a large HD drive, running to a couple of hundred MB or more, you will need hours to wipe it securely.

If it runs and has a Microsoft OS and Office, it will be taken off your hands in seconds if you put it on Freecycle/Gumtree (for free).

Problem is that most people are usually too ignorant to properly wipe clean the HDD, so they take it out, and then nobody wants to touch what's left.