Disposal of computers
 

How do you dispose of a computer in The Villages? Thanks

I'm not sure if they still do it, but a few years back Best Buy would take old computers for disposal, no charge. It might be worth a call to them to find out.

In any event, it is always a good idea to securely erase the hard drive before letting it go.

Staples will recycle it for free.

Make sure you completely wipe the hard drive, or better yet remove it and destroy.

Ditto!

I recommend a sledgehammer. It does the job, and it is also fun.

I would always recommend removing the hard drive and keep it as a backup. As I hate to loose data files (pictures, documents, ...), I keep everything that has had data on it for backup purposes.

Yes. Best Buy takes all electronics for recycling.

There was a guy who posted on some of the villages Facebook groups that was taking old computers

Old computers still have a lot of life in them.

Linux is a light weight operating system that can act like Windows without all the problems. You can still use all your online accounts, use an open source word or spreadsheet program and convert you existing ones.
There are many households that can't afford a new computer, but could get by with Linux. In converting a system to Linux the hard drive is totally wiped out. Linux is also virus resistant. What I mean by that is that your chances of getting a virus is greatly reduced. It doesn't annoy you with automatic updates (you do them, or not, when you want to).
There are many great YouTube videos on how to do it (or I can help).

After a relative recently passed away, I recycled a number of items at no charge through Best Buy. One was a computer screen which I was charged for, the rest of the items were no charge. As another previously suggested, wipe the hard drive clean.

Use the electronic er in Leesburg (support local small business!) They're on 44 near 27 or they will pick up for free. THEY RETURN HARD DRIVES TO YOU ON THE SPOT for your disposal or storage. They break down and recycle every component of anything electrical to avoid landfills. Stereos, battery chargers, tv's ..anything with a circuit board or wires.
Their hours of operation are odd, see the website but they are easy to work with.

352-539-9985

Yes, I too took out the hardrive and destroyed it too. Kind of fun actually.

Contact Jeff McNeil in Linden. He’s looking for old computers.

UbreakIfix on Wedgewood Lane in the Villages