Outdated Technology Brought Back to Life

OUTDATED TECHNOLOGY BROUGHT BACK

TO LIFE:

BY: Sergio Raphael Fabella

AND WHY I LOVE RECYCLING OLD LAPTOPS

LAPTOPS ARE PRICEY...

Let's be honest, technology has made leaps in advancements since a decade ago. From new versions of Operating Systems to faster and more powerful hardware, tech has been steadily becoming more and more efficient.

And yet, they have also started becoming more expensive. The current market for laptops right now is not cheap, with the prices of decent ones starting at around 25 thousand pesos already. That's no joke!

What Does Recycling a Laptop Mean?

This means that upgrading your laptop is definitely a commitment. However, say it IS time to upgrade to a better and faster machine, what do you do with your old one? Toss it away? Wouldn't be a good idea to keep it as a backup laptop?

"But it's old and slow! It barely keep up with simple tasks now!" Yeah, you're right, but what if I told you it doesn't have to be? What if I told you that with a little knowledge of recycling, that little machine you have on you right now can become just as fast as modern day ones?

What Does Recycling a Laptop Mean?

What do I mean by recycling though?

When we talk about recycling laptops, what we usually mean is to salvage what hardware components in a laptop we find is still in functional and good condition, so that we may install it in another machine when the time comes.

This form of recycling can be a bit too complex for people like you and me though, so in this case, we will be talking about the OTHER form of recycling laptops. That is, the upgrading of specific laptop component hardware in order to modernize and meet the standards of today's technology.

CONS OF RECYCLING

There are situations however, where it would just be better to throw away that old laptop of yours. It could either be too broken or banged up that repairing it would cost almost the same as buying a brand new one (it could even be more expensive at times). There is also the fact that technology can just be too outdated sometimes. There wouldn't be much use to recycle a laptop from 20 years ago besides novelty really (recycling laptops this old can also be expensive too so this ties in with the first point as well).

RECYCLING PROS

Recycling is Situational

On the other hand, if your laptop isn't too old or beat up and you are willing to learn and put in the effort, recycling might just be for you! Recycling has many positives to it. With laptop recycling, you can make a backup machine in the unfortunate event that your main laptop suddenly stops functioning and you need another one for work asap. Having an already working backup laptop beats having to suddenly buy a new one or borrow one from a friend or family member.

Another point is that recycling helps reduce ewaste, which is great for our environment.

IT MIGHT JUST BE FOR YOU...

DISCLAIMER!!

I just want to preface that when it comes to procedures like this, there is always a certain amount of risk involved (especially if it is your first time doing this kind of stuff). Understand that you could potentially damage your device to the point of it not working any more if you do something wrong. At the end of the day, the responsibility is yours alone should you wish to continue with this procedure and this is why I recommend you do this on older machines you no longer use actively but still want to hold on to as a backup.

BE CAREFUL!!

Laptop Components

UPGRADE TIME!

Well that was certainly scary, huh?

Didn't mean to scare you! Just wanted to let you know that doing this kind of thing isn't always safe. Though in my own personal experience, the more you do it, the easier (and less scary) it becomes!

So now that we know what exactly I mean with "recycling" in the context of laptops and the possible dangers of recycling our computer, we can go ahead and take a look at what exactly we can do to keep our outdated tech up=to-date.

Laptop Components

KEEPING IT SIMPLE

We're not going to go into complex practices like swapping displays or de-soldering and re-soldering RAM, CPU or GPU units. Instead we will focus on the two most basic ways one can upgrading their old laptop. These two hardware components are storage and RAM.

RAM, or Random Access Memory, is basically a computer's memory and multitasking capabilities. The more it has, the better it will do at its job. Do you for some reason need 50 chrome tabs open? More RAM will make sure your laptop's running smoothly despite having those tabs up. Storage on the other hand houses all of the laptop's data. Every document, music file, or video you have on that machine storage controls. Laptop storage is not created equal though.

Laptop Components

TYPES OF STORAGE :

There are two main types of laptop storage hardware. The first are known as Hard Disk Drives or HDD.

These drives are the older, slower magnetic drives that have been used since the 1980s and 1990s. Despite being very slow compared to more modern drives, they are still popular due to their ability to store large amounts of data.

The other, faster form of computer storage is known as the Solid State Drive (SSD). Compared to a hard drive, an SSD is quicker and allows for faster boot (turning on) speeds for both computer and applications. This is the more modern version of storage and is generally seen in almost every laptop nowadays. Modern SSD's can also match the storage capacities of HDDs, but usually at a much higher price point.

Now that we know about the two main ways of upgrading our old laptop, I'll give you the basics of how to actually go about upgrading it! Starting with the first step, knowing your laptop model!

KNOW YOUR LAPTOP!

Understanding your laptop's manufacturer and model number is an important part to upgrading your laptop! Knowing how much RAM it can store and what kind of hard drive is already in it helps a ton in assessing possible upgrades.

For a Windows laptop you need not look any further than the Task Manager application! It provides you with all the hardware information you need to know for upgrading your old machine.

Understanding Laptop Models

You just need to type into your Windows Search bar "Task Manager" and you should be able to run the app. From there click on "Performance" and you should come across a screen that looks like this.

It can tell you everything you need to know about RAM and storage, like how many RAM slots are filled, what RAM speed is used, and what kind of hard drive is already on your computer, whether SSD, HDD or both. Very helpful!

You can also find out the specifications of your laptop by searching the model number on the manufacturer's website. Generally they will have their model listed and also what kind of hardware specs it has.

You can find your laptop's model number on the side of the box it came with when you bought it, in the "About" section in the System Settings on your laptop, or by looking at the product description usually located at the back of the machine. Let's use my laptop for example! The model number at the back would look something like this.

Now that we know what our laptop's model is and what kind of upgrade we need for it, it is time for us to spend some cash on the tools we need for the operation! Assuming you already know the RAM you will need (and its speed), and what kind hard drive you want to upgrade your laptop with (say from a slow HDD to a faster SSD), all we need now is to assemble all the needed tools. Assuming you don't have any of these things, your shopping list will look something like this:

Laptop Hardware:

RAM Stick (with the amount of your choice and the compatible speed)

Storage Drive (with the above as our example, that means we are purchasing an SSD)

Actual Tools

Screwdriver set (preferably a smaller one that is used for electronic gadgets. These will also have pry tools that will help you in the disassembly process of your laptop)

Small organizing box for screws to keep things tidy and manageable (especially if it is your first time. You don't want to get confused about which screw goes where!)

And just like that, we -or rather, you- are ready to breathe new life into that machine of yours! Now, since every machine is different and because laptop brands tend to make their laptops in a proprietary manner, teaching you how to disassemble each laptop based on manufacturer and model will take WAY too long. That doesn't mean you won't have a teacher though! There are plenty of tutorials on how to upgrade the RAM or storage (or both) of your laptop on different websites. Personally, I like to use Youtube a lot since you can really follow along with the process, and because I taught you how to find your laptop's specific manufacterer model, all you have to do is type it in the search bar and you can give it a try and follow along!

Laptopsareamazingmachines,andjust becauseyouhaveabrandnewone,doesn't meanyouhavetothrowawayyouroldone. Frombackuphardwareincaseofemergency, torecyclingforthesakeoftheplanet,inmy opinion,therearemanypositivestobreathing newlifeintoalaptop,andwiththeknowledge youknownow,youcantryitouttoo!

Thanks for reading! I hope this little project of mine truly did entice you to try and breathe new life into your old machine, even if it's just for fun! It never hurts to experimen when it comes to your old technology! You never know what extra things you could use it for. Give it a shot, and remember, old doesn't always have to mean outdated!

Sergio Raphael Fabella

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