When is it time to junk your computer?

[bucolic_frolic]

What yardsticks do you use?

[Ocelot II]

1. When the hard drive crashes.

[Dennis Donovan]

2. OS is no longer supported.

If it's win7 or earlier, time to junk it because no more updates. Speed, as well.

People are starting to sell their win10's that are unsupported by win11 so you can get a deal on those (if $$$ is an issue).

[SWBTATTReg]

3. I don't know. I've had mine sine 2005 and am still very much in love w/ it, it runs beautifully and I get everything,

everywhere I want to go w/ it still. And I haven't even begun to touch the outside limits of my disc space, the outside limits of things running on it. Haven't even come close. Now I did have it built long ago, so perhaps that's why my space and other considerations are still good w/ me. You may have a system bought off the shelves w/ some limiting factors, it's up to you to see if they are being breached by you running things on it, having issues backing up stuff, etc.

I think that perhaps the best yardstick is when you can't still do the things you want to do, that is, perhaps the memory needs a boost, etc. Perhaps you use it too, for your job or other tasks and some of the software packages you're looking at, if any, won't run on it.

One thing is to keep backing up your system, just in case that fateful day ever comes. At least, prices have come down and perhaps the capabilities are much better than what was out there.

[bucolic_frolic]

10. 2005! And no keyboard problems?

[SWBTATTReg]

13. No, isn't that amazing! I guess I've been lucky, but I don't really do too much on it, like play games or stuff on it.

I'm a long-term IT guy, so I'm not really into playing computer games or the like, I guess when you work in IT, you really don't have that desire to 'play games' on it. Don't get me wrong, there's nothing at all wrong w/ people playing games and such on their computers. The only thing I'll say is that few of us back then (back in the early 1980s) little visualized just how big the IT of today, and all of its many different shapes, fashion, everything. Amazing. And one of the applications I worked on back then, we were wondering what people would do, if they had access to like AOL (one of our first customers back in the early 1980s). AOL had approached us (I worked for SWBT, one of the former ATT subsidiaries), and wanted a, basically cheaper than private lines access (private lines were very expensive back then).

And today? I'm constantly amazed, and absolutely enchanted w/ how the Internet and computers have exploded across the landscape. A tiny bit of which I was so lucky to be involved w/, and also, still around to see the long-term impact of what the Internet can do, and will continue to do.

[HAB911]

4. All about the speed for me

assuming the hardware all still works, if I have to wait on it........it is gone!

[IbogaProject]

5. If youre asking, likely it's time.

First need some details of what the current computer is. Second we need idea of budget and what needs are there regarding this decision. What is it needed for? How is it to be used? Hevy laptop that maybe gets driven back and forth, desktop or lightweight mobile laptop. Another angle is switch to Linux if machine is under 15 years old. That is cheepest. Also just upgrading the RAM and switching to an SSD hard drive might perk up an older computer.

[KPN]

6. Good question. When you get a really helpful answer that

makes the decision for you, could you please let me — heck, maybe most of us -- know?

[bucolic_frolic]

9. I believe in running things until they drop

But I do have other computers. I even have a twin of this one. So it's easy to remove the hard drive, connect it to the new one, and up and running. Linux so easy up, easy to run.

But this HP 2009, whiich I use every day, has lost 3 keys. I'm not seeing replacement keyboards anymore, and they coast about 40% of an old working model of this same system. And I definitely don't want to take this apart again, did in twice about 2012. I glued a cap onto one of the keys, but don't have any more caps.

Also it's embarrassing to take this out in public.

I see Best Buy accepts junk now, no fee. Might not always be like that.

So this computer is in Computer Hospice.

I was just wondering what others might view as too long to keep a PC, like an eccentricity.

[Girard442]

7. Easy peasy. Have software that moves easily from one platform to another. Then swap out the computer when it gets dodgy.

Look into virtual machines. You can keep your old stuff alive until you can't stand looking at it anymore.

[Joinfortmill]

8. When things begin going wonky

[marble falls]

11. As soon as I got the bucks for the next one, a year or two, no more than three and there has to be real benefits.

[usonian]

12. If OS support means a lot to you, when it's unsupported.

Mainly because security patches stop.

You can go to linux because it is more efficient and patches continue much longer.

It's just amazing what apps, and web apps install easily on linux and run chores. Less bloat means a lot.

I try to use FOSS apps like GIMP, Darktable and so on, so I am free to roam about operating systems.

Even a mac user has to worry about those 6 GB online upgrades, which apps and toolchains are going to break and waste lots of time trying to get in working order again.

If you want cheap, I upgraded the old mac mini to a new one with M2 CPU for $600. Stuff that lagged goes fast now. Magnetic disks are always a bottleneck, so go SSD on external if you can. Magnetic disks are just so damn cheap. Try to use them for backups and book/media storage, where access is infrequent.

Staying modular means you can upgrade one item at a time, so a single failure won't generally knock out the whole system. Happened to an imac. Display quit. (Very old, FWIW). Of course, you need bootable backup disks just in case. I use SuperDuper free version on Mac.

[lastlib]

14. When you can no longer upgrade it to do what you need to do.....

For several months, my old machine (Win-7) was dragging down on large files (I run some massive spreadsheets and databases, and my e-mail files are colossal) and webpages; even DU was a drag on it. Win-7 is no longer supported, the machine was at LEAST a decade old and maxxed out on memory, and the hardware wasn't up to the task any more. And ever more content was geared to more powerful machines. So I bought a new one. I'm mostly pleased with it, although Outlook 2021 is a trainload of whaleshit.

[GreenWave]

15. If Linux gives up the ghost!

Mint (Cinnamon) is a popular Linux distro and can overwrite or share along side what you have. (I bought a download disc.)
I had Ubuntu, it became bulky. Mint is a breeze.
I put my personal stuff on a thumbdrive and overwrite the whole thing.

https://www.howtogeek.com/132624/htg-explains-whats-a-linux-distro-and-how-are-they-different/

[bucolic_frolic]

16. Interesting there is a Linux for home theater PCs.

I have such a creature, an old MS MCE edition desktop, still in the process of recovering OS. But keep an eye out for Linux home theater.

Thanks for the post!

[progree]

17. I can't imagine running a Windows computer with no more updates, as will happen to Win10 computers

in October 2025. So that's death day for me, and I'll certainly be looking before that.

I have a home desktop computer built from scratch (by a local tech company) in 2011, and I'm delighted with it. No parts upgraded other than the monitor.

I'm thinking of a new keyboard as the lettering on my "N" key has worn off, but being a desktop, I just get a new keyboard for what little or lot that I want to spend.

[Susan Calvin]

18. When it stops working or

When I can't do the taxes on it anymore.

I recently got a dual boot refurbished business Dell, Windows 11 and Ubuntu, because I was afraid the tax software wouldn't work on my old Windows 7 refurbished business Dell, and I didn't want to install icky Windows 11 on it. Still have it though, and it still works fine.

[keithbvadu2]

19. I don't do fancy videos or gaming so a basic computer can last a long time with me.

I recently got some advice here about using bluetooth on it with a dongle.

If that works out ok, I'm good for a while.

[bucolic_frolic]

20. Interesting b/c I have a Bluetooth dongle

But it will be months of shuffling computers here. Keyboard on laptop going kaput! Keys falling off, up/down arrows and often delete don't work.

Can't see repairing a 2009 PC. Then need to get desktop working, and ditch Verizon for Cable.

[LeftInTX]

21. For some reason, mine seem to last seven years. I'm a Windows user.

[hunter]

22. When the dog breaks it (one laptop I had) or I find a much better computer for $100 or less.

Some of my favorite computers were someone else's trash.

The most I've ever paid for a computer was $350. That was back in the 'nineties.

One of the reasons I use Linux is that it makes computer upgrades easy. I just transfer everything in my home folder to the new machine. There's no fuss about licenses, etc., no proprietary software demanding I prove my right to use it.

I've got files going back to the 'seventies and emulators for most of the machines I've ever used.

My favorite machines were the Atari 8 bits. From my Linux desktop my favorite Atari setup is just one click away. I still have my original Atari hardware and a lot of Atari 8-bit stuff I've found in thrift stores over the years, but mostly it remains in storage.

The first real operating system I used regularly was BSD, which later made switching from Windows 98SE to Linux easy. I first signed onto DU with a Windows 98SE machine and a dial-up connection using Opera as my browser. Opera cost $35 then and fit on one floppy disk.

[bucolic_frolic]

23. It finally happened. It's a goner.

Keyboard went belly up. I think a RAM flaw and Google overreach polluted keystroke travel. Some days O,L,M, and . were not working. Other days it would shift. I took it apart last week, and it was better for a day. Then worse. Had to take it apart, remove top and keyboard ... keyboard has a clear flex plastic back under which crumbs and hair abounded. No way to remove them. Finally the running lights went out, and keyboard wouldn't work well enough for login. So off to recycling this week! I'm running exactly the same model, and it's a Core 2 Duo 15 years old. It's 95% or better new. Bought it on eBay for less than $50 about 4 years ago, it was a backup. I can't afford downtime. Just swapped over the hard drive, and ready to roll.

PS Now I won't bother with bad PC OPs!