Helpdesk No. 1
Q: I just read your interesting instructions for cleaning a PC. You recommended using a can of compressed air. Can’t I gently use a hand vacuum instead? —Penny Knaack
A: Yes, in fact that’s how professionals often do it. But you have to be careful. Keep the vacuum several inches away from any metal contact. Also, make sure to touch the side of the computer’s chassis to remove any static electricity charge. I have no idea how powerful your vacuum is. It needs to be able to pick up all the dust and yet not get too close to the innards of your computer. So it may work fine, or may not. You’d just have to try it and see.
Q: When it comes to email programs, what do you recommend? Outlook is too complex, Outlook Express is no more for my Windows 7 PC. So I am evaluating Mozilla Thunderbird. Any others to consider? — Wayne Gordon
A: I sure miss Outlook Express. When it went away I moved to the professional version of Outlook. I agree with your opinion that it can be complex, but it’s still the best option as long as the cost isn’t a problem. I also use Thunderbird, a free email program that has some of the same virtues of Outlook Express, including ease of use. I wish I knew of better options but I don’t. That doesn’t mean that there isn’t something out there that I’d like better — it just means I haven’t found it. I’d be glad to hear from readers who want to suggest free email programs they like.
If you have ever tried to sell a used computer, you know it’s just not worth the effort. Even for relatively new computers, the market value escapes faster than a 7-year-old who has just raided the cookie jar.
But while the resale value of that old computer has taken a nose dive, there’s huge value left in it for you. After all, that old machine is still capable of performing marvels. Today we’ll look at some of the ways you can avoid early retirement for your PC and put that elderly machine to work in your home.
Backup central
Many of you have more than one computer. And you spend a good bit of time — if you’re smart — backing up the data for each of those computers.
Why not turn your old machine into backup central for your home? And let it back up all your computers automatically. All that requires is adding a larger hard disk and some free software to the old computer. Using either a wired or wireless connection all your devices can automatically dump a copy of their data into your old computer.
There are many ways to go if this sounds attractive to you. So I’ll offer web links that explain various methods for doing this. Many of them will include their own links to the free software you’ll need to do the job. The directions can seem a little tedious and technical but if you follow each step carefully you’ll be able to do it.
www.howtogeek.com/190835/how-to-turn-an-old-pc-into-a-home-file-server/
winsupersite.com/windows-8/windows-8-tip-repurpose-old-pc-home-server
Just for guests
At one time or another you’ve had a guest who asked if they could use your computer to check email or to use the web to find some bit of information. I don’t know about you but I feel awkward turning them down and yet not be completely comfortable having someone else using my computer.
That’s where the old computer comes in. Keep it completely free of any of your own information and install nothing more than Windows and a browser. The next time a guest needs a computer you’ll have a way to help your guest and yet not expose your own data.
Show your dedication
Turn that old machine into a specialist. If you’re like most people you have some specialized interests and hobbies. For instance, I am a ham radio operator. There’s a huge amount of software that I use as part of my hobby. So my wife’s discarded desktop computer now sits near my ham radio equipment, filled with all the programs I use.
You can do the same when it comes to your interests and hobbies. Everything from rebuilding cars, to model railroading to amateur astronomy makes extensive use of computer programs these days. So load up that computer to suit your own interests and put it to work.
Perhaps the best use of all
Sometimes the best thing to do with a computer is to give it away. If the old computer is working fine and relatively recent you’ll be able to give it to any number of charities and take a tax deduction to boot. But — before you do that — you need to be sure there’s no way of someone seeing any of the information that was stored on the computer.
Me? I simply remove the hard disk and put it in a drawer. After all new hard disks are cheap these days and by taking out the hard disk all your old data stays with you. I also like the fact that — if I ever need some bit of data from the old computer — it’s as close as my desk drawer.
But if you prefer to give the computer away, complete with hard disk, here are some websites that will help you do that safely:
gizmodo.com/5489933/leave-no-trace-how-to-completely-erase-your-hard-drives-ssds-and-thumb-drives
www.microsoft.com/security/online-privacy/safely-dispose-computers-and-devices.aspx
Testing one, two, three
Maybe you’d like to try a new operating system. You’ve read about free operating systems and heard that they’re more secure and sometimes faster than using Windows. But it’s always been too much of a gamble to try one.
That old computer of yours makes a terrific test bed for giving it a try. You can, for instance, install Ubuntu — it’s one of the most popular versions of Linux. One of the virtues of it — besides the fact that it’s free — is that it can make the most of a computer that is no longer powerful enough for the latest version of Windows.
Here’s the best part. Even if you find that it’s not for you, you’ve risked nothing, paid nothing and learned something along the way. Here’s where you can find out more about installing and using it: help.ubuntu.com/community/Installation
Turn it into email central
There’s an increasing trend these days for hackers to include malware — viruses and other software specially designed to hack into your machine or otherwise compromise your security. So why not turn that old computer into a dedicated email station.
Keep the old computer free of any information that would compromise your security. And, of course, protect it — just as you do with your other computers — with software to hunt down viruses and spyware. Using that machine to check email means that if you slip up and somehow let a virus into the computer, you can keep it contained to that machine alone. There’s less danger that you’ll contaminate the programs and data that you use on your new machine.
That old computer of yours deserves more than prison time in a closet or execution at the junk heap. And you deserve more for the money you paid for it in the first place — let’s put that PC to work.
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