Free Laptops

[The Killing Joke]

Yes, you read that right. I'm looking for a free laptop.

Since I'm working nights as a web developer/graphic artist/system administrator (etc., etc.) I thought I would look around to see if I could get my hands on a laptop, so I could work wherever I wanted. I thought it would be a cool idea to see if I would be able to put it all together for free - with a free laptop and all freeware applications. So, anyway, I've created a blog post (here (http://durhamdev.wordpress.com/2009/10/14/the-freecycled-laptop-project/)) and have made a request on CraigsList (here (http://toronto.en.craigslist.ca/drh/sys/1422818035.html)) and Kijiji (here (http://oshawa.kijiji.ca/c-buy-and-sell-computers-The-Freecycled-Laptop-Project-W0QQAdIdZ162224234))...

If you know anybody looking to toss a laptop (hopefully with wifi, but not a requirement) into the trash, let me know. I'm more than happy to build one from many, and ain't too proud to beg.

Thanks in advance! (...and in before "good luck with that" or "wow, that's dumb" - lol)

:))

[Lyynyyrd]

My laptop (bottom of the barrel Inspiron 1525) is going to die soon.

But you can't have it, I'd rather smash the shit out of it.

[cujo]

I have a lenovo t60 that has a fried mobo and no harddrive >_>

[The Killing Joke]

I have a lenovo t60 that has a fried mobo and no harddrive >_>

If you don't want it, I'd be happy (ecstatic, actually) to take it off your hands.

[Lopert]

Interesting idea. I wish you luck in your endeavor.

[The Killing Joke]

Interesting idea. I wish you luck in your endeavor.

Thanks!

I actually have a few ideas which I'd like to look at when I do, finally, put everything together and get it all working.

I was thinking of modding the case a bit - since you really can't do anything significant internally - by giving it a coat of paint (I have a nice "chrome" paint I was dieing to try) or doing else something really funky with it. (I'm on a bit of a 'Zen' kick at the moment, so covering it with bamboo from some placemats I have was actually an option.) Covering the case with duct tape or bumper stickers was yet another thought.

Of course, I might just shine it up and use it 'as is'. We'll see. Regardless, I'm planning on posting on the blog as the hardware comes rolling in.

(Hmm... Now, that's a thought. If I get more enough parts to build more than one system, would anybody here like one?)

:))

[macho]

My laptop... is going to die soon.

But you can't have it, I'd rather smash the shit out of it.

Same here...but I don't want to smash it. I want to see how dead the battery can get.

[Derfel]

Interesting idea. I wish you luck in your endeavor.

...

I'd also like to add that we have about 3 or 4 laptops at our school that are mothballed. They work fine, they're just OLD. But the shipping cost would be prohibitive, I'm sure.

[The Killing Joke]

...

I'd also like to add that we have about 3 or 4 laptops at our school that are mothballed. They work fine, they're just OLD. But the shipping cost would be prohibitive, I'm sure.

Hmm. If you'd be willing (and able) to send them out, let me check on something with our Loss Prevention Manager.

I work for Purolator full-time, and we get a 75% discount on shipping for personal shipments. I believe this would qualify, however, I always run questions like this past him first. (I was lucky enough I asked before shipping some stuff on E-Bay, because as it turns out, if you make money from things you ship, they do not fall under the discount rule, and become an offense punishable by a swift firing!)

If he says it's ok, are you able (and willing) to part with them?

[Lopert]

...

I'd also like to add that we have about 3 or 4 laptops at our school that are mothballed. They work fine, they're just OLD. But the shipping cost would be prohibitive, I'm sure.

...

[SpiderTroll]

Funny you should post looking for free laptops.... I was going to make a thread asking if I can overclock the laptop I have now because I have no purpose for it and if I could max it out that would be cool and I would then (maybe) have more use for it. It is an IBM ThinkPad A31 (I think).

The wireless card on it is hit or miss, the battery is somewhat shot and lasts 45 minutes at most, the adapter to charge the laptop is cracked at the tip and requires to be plugged in with pressure being applied sideways.

Other than that... The laptop is in fantastic condition and could use a home too.

The problem of shipping is the next problem, living in Ottawa and you living in Ajax is that awkward distance, where it is close enough to drive and far enough to ship.

PM me if you are interested.

[fab]

Sounds like you're well on your way, Rick.

You might need to purchase a new battery, if that's a factor. At least, my laptop battery died pretty hard about a year and a half after owning it, and I didn't see the point in replacing it. It lasts about thirty seconds now (more if I shut the screen and drag it from outlet to outlet), though standby works like a charm.

I don't know if you've ever heard of it, but you can always try Freecycle. It's a website where people give away things for free that they were originally going to throw away or something.

http://www.freecycle.org/group/CA/Ontario

Good luck!

[The Killing Joke]

Funny you should post looking for free laptops.... I was going to make a thread asking if I can overclock the laptop I have now because I have no purpose for it and if I could max it out that would be cool and I would then (maybe) have more use for it. It is an IBM ThinkPad A31 (I think).

The wireless card on it is hit or miss, the battery is somewhat shot and lasts 45 minutes at most, the adapter to charge the laptop is cracked at the tip and requires to be plugged in with pressure being applied sideways.

Other than that... The laptop is in fantastic condition and could use a home too.

That's awesome! I'd be happy to give it a good home!


The problem of shipping is the next problem, living in Ottawa and you living in Ajax is that awkward distance, where it is close enough to drive and far enough to ship.

PM me if you are interested.

PM sent!


I don't know if you've ever heard of it, but you can always try Freecycle. It's a website where people give away things for free that they were originally going to throw away or something.

http://www.freecycle.org/group/CA/Ontario

Good luck!

Yeah, I have heard about it, but hadn't checked into it yet. I watch "Junk Raiders" when I can, and that's where I first really heard about the idea.

Thanks to everybody for the well wishes!

[Nekkris]

wow, that's dumb - lol!

just buy a laptop x.x;

[cujo]

Heads up on my lenovo is that the repair costs were quoted at just about the price of the laptop itself lol, and then you'd need to get a new hard drive on top of that

[The Killing Joke]

Heads up on my lenovo is that the repair costs were quoted at just about the price of the laptop itself lol, and then you'd need to get a new hard drive on top of that

...but it does sound like it has a working screen! Now, if I find one with a working mobo and HD, I'd be set! (We actually just refreshed our laptops recently here, and replaced a bunch of T60's, although it's unlikely I'd be able to get any of them - they'll likely be sold off - although, maybe someone has one with a broken screen that might go to the dumpster...)

[The Killing Joke]

Hey guys. I talked with my Loss Prevention Manager and he confirmed that it's ok for me to receive Collect shipments and use my discount to pay for them, so if you have a laptop (or two, or three) you're willing to part with, please PM me and let me know, and I'll send you my shipping address.

All of this is greatly appreciated, guys, and as I mentioned, if I get more than enough parts to build more than one, I'm going to fix 'em up and see if anyone here wants 'em.

Thanks again.

[Derfel]

Just checked with our tech head - he's reluctant to part with any of our laptops (there's 5 of them, ranging in age and condition) just in case any of his students want to do the same thing you're doing.

So no - I can't get my hands on any right yet, but I'll keep my eyes open.

[The Killing Joke]

Just checked with our tech head - he's reluctant to part with any of our laptops (there's 5 of them, ranging in age and condition) just in case any of his students want to do the same thing you're doing.

I thought there might be an issue with my request, due to the fact that you work at a school, and I'm just some schlub looking for free stuff. No worries, there. If a student takes the initiative to do something similar, then that's even better. (Hell, tell your tech guy about my blog if you'd like.)


So no - I can't get my hands on any right yet, but I'll keep my eyes open.

No worries, and very, very much appreciated!

[The Killing Joke]

I'm really excited on this whole project - as per my other thread, I've installed Ubuntu on a VirtualBox partition to test out the features and learn my new OS as best I can. I'm not surprised that there are no hits on my Kijiji/Craigslist ads or request on the Freecycle Durham group, but I'm keeping my fingers crossed nonetheless.

I'm planning on some customization on my freecycled laptop when it's all put together, and I'm excited to get dirty on this. There's something about personalizing something that makes it all the more desirable to use.

More to come!

[The Killing Joke]

Ok, so I'm closer to building that free laptop... ...but I keep running into small roadblocks. It's actually pretty exciting, really, and amusing nonetheless.

I received notification from a fellow freecycler that he had two older laptops for me, and he was in the area and kind enough to drop them off at my house. One of them was an old IBM 770 (http://www.orbitlink.net/770X.jpg) and the other was a Compaq Armada M700 (http://www.notebooksale.ru/img/cpqm700super.jpg). When I got home that night, I found that he had left them on my back deck in a paper bag, both in fairly good condition, but that they didn't have power supplies.

On the weekend, I finally caught up with another freecycler, who had offered me two Toshiba Tecra 500CDT (http://www.albrektsson.net/bilder/datorer/tecra500cdt.jpg) laptops, of which he said he believed one of them still worked. So, on Sunday, I was able to drop by his house to pick them up. It looks like both of them had survived a flood, as they were covered in a tonne of dirt and grime, but they both came with power cables, so I decided to check them out.

I booted one, which gave a "CMOS Checksum Error" and asked me to press F1, but it turns out the keyboard didn't respond. The other didn't power up at all, and it was in a lot worse shape. So, it became my donor. I removed the (ugh! yuck, sticky!) keyboard and transplanted it into the bootable one, and then was able to boot into the BIOS. (Yay for small victories.) I auto-assigned the hard drive, and attempted to boot. Nothing. I removed the other hard drive and attempted to boot. Click, click, click, click. Dammit!

So, with another thought, I removed the hard drives from the IBM and the Compaq. Using the precision screwdriver set I had, I was unable to release the screws from the IBM's HD shroud (why do they need to have it mounted sidways?) so it was placed back into the IBM. I tried to remove the Compaq's HD from it's shroud, but theirs was even more devilishly ingenious. "Hey, let's glue the shroud and 2.5" adapter right to the drive itself!" Curse you, Engineers!

Finally, after an hour or so of tinkering (man, I dislike dirty technology) I was a little further along, but no true successes as yet. I've put out a request for any power supplies for the IBM and Compaq, and will likely be donating the Toshibas to another local freecycler, if he wants them.

Fingers crossed!

:))

[Derfel]

I once bought a Toshiba Tecra for $50, and sold it two weeks later for $100. True story.

[The Killing Joke]

I once bought a Toshiba Tecra for $50, and sold it two weeks later for $100. True story.

I used one when I started with Purolator thirteen years ago. They were a pretty good machine, back in their time. These ones have definitely seen better days. I'll snap a pic one of these days. One of them looks like it was left on a stovetop, as it has a huge melted burn mark across the side of it.

[Conscript]

Good luck to you on this, I wish I had a spare to send.

[The Killing Joke]

Good luck to you on this, I wish I had a spare to send.

Thank you, I appreciate that. I even got a comment from SniperGimp on the site now.

:))

As you can see from my avatar and sig, I'm really into this. I figure that if I can get a few working systems up and running, and as 'clean' as possible, I'll freecycle them back into the community and hopefully others will take note.

Hell, I feel bad for all the CRT monitors and TVs I keep seeing posted! Sadly, there's not enough room to give all of them a home, even though you know they're probably still top-notch.

[Wesley Crusher]

M700's are nice machines. P3's but fricking amazing form factor, AND it has a trackpoint.

We still have some them at work and use them for people's simple pdf/powerpoint presentations.

I'd say your most reliable bet is to salvage the Thinkpad. They're all built like tanks. We have a T21, T22, several T30s that are still fully functional.

[The Killing Joke]

M700's are nice machines. P3's but fricking amazing form factor, AND it has a trackpoint.

It's a sexy looking machine, that's for sure. It's certainly heavy as a rock, but still, the plastic is 100x nicer on it than on my Wife's work T60. I use a Dell D630 at work, and I'd still take the heavyweight M700 box any day.


I'd say your most reliable bet is to salvage the Thinkpad. They're all built like tanks. We have a T21, T22, several T30s that are still fully functional.

I'm hoping it still works. Without a working power adapter, I'm not too sure, though. I was toying with trying my Wife's T60 adapter, but I think they changed the plug after the T4x series... Of course, we might have a T42 adapter floating around at work, somewhere...

[Wesley Crusher]

IBM/Lenovo changed it from a skinny barrel to a fat barrel (my own names for them), as well as from 16V to 20V.

[The Killing Joke]

IBM/Lenovo changed it from a skinny barrel to a fat barrel (my own names for them), as well as from 16V to 20V.

Well. Does that mean the M700 might still be running 16V? I haven't checked, however, if they're the same between the M700 and a T4x, I'd be happy to borrow one from our Distribution and Repair Centre to test it out.

(...and yes, by borrow, I mean "ask the DRC Manager for permission".)

[Wesley Crusher]

Compaq was bought out by HP. IIRC adapters for the old Compaq laptops should be the same as the older (3 yrs?) HP laptops... around the dv6000 line? I haven't had many HP laptops pass through my hands recently so I can't say if the newer ones use the same style plug.

[The Killing Joke]

Oh look, I confused myself. I thought the M700 was the IBM. You're right, the Compaq is nice and slim, especially for its age. Of course, the IBM T4x adapter probably won't help it much. I'm going to try to find one tomorrow and see if I can't get the IBM 770 running. Fingers crossed.

[skatsinas]

Hi,

I just read your post about your fried T60. I have a T60 that I like very much, but I dropped it on a concrete street in Juneau Alaska. Though the case was cracked in several places, the T60 continued to work for a couple years.

But now the case is coming apart, and I can no longer use the T60. My 14-year old son says he can replace the case parts if I can acquire them, so yours sounds perfect.

Is your case in good condition? Would you be willing to sell your T60 to us?

-- Scott in Tucson
**Auto-merged Double Post**

I have a lenovo t60 that has a fried mobo and no harddrive >_>
Hi,

I just read your post about your fried T60. I have a T60 that I like very much, but I dropped it on a concrete street in Juneau Alaska. Though the case was cracked in several places, the T60 continued to work for a couple years.

But now the case is coming apart, and I can no longer use the T60. My 14-year old son says he can replace the case parts if I can acquire them, so yours sounds perfect.

Is your case in good condition? Would you be willing to sell your T60 to us?

-- Scott in Tucson (katsinas@usa.net)
**Auto-merged Double Post**
Hi,

I just read your post about your fried T60. I have a T60 that I like very much, but I dropped it on a concrete street in Juneau Alaska. Though the case was cracked in several places, the T60 continued to work for a couple years.

But now the case is coming apart, and I can no longer use the T60. My 14-year old son says he can replace the case parts if I can acquire them, so yours sounds perfect.

Is your case in good condition? Would you be willing to sell your T60 to us?

-- Scott in Tucson (katsinas@usa.net)

P.S.: Sorry about possible duplicate postings (first day on this forum)

[cujo]

o_o Sure, just send me a private message with your email address and we can continue discussing it there. Keep in mind I'm in Toronto, Canada and you may find cheaper luck somewhere stateside.

[Derfel]

WTF? Your laptop project is drawing new members to the forums?

[The Killing Joke]

o_o Sure, just send me a private message with your email address and we can continue discussing it there. Keep in mind I'm in Toronto, Canada and you may find cheaper luck somewhere stateside.

I relinquish my 'dibs' and hereby permit you to sell your parts to this gentleman, especially if it gets us new members.

;)


WTF? Your laptop project is drawing new members to the forums?

Well, it would seem so, eh? Anything I can do to help. (Although, it would be nice if the new Members actually joined and donated an old, unused laptop to me, as opposed to trying to buy out my potential stock.)

;) :))

[cujo]

lol this guys from tuscon and is enquiring about a very particular laptop >_> something tells me he isnt a gamer interested in Canadian servers :P

[Wesley Crusher]

make sure the shipping label that he makes you print is legit, and that you have the correct number to the escrow company.

[The Killing Joke]

So, I found a power adapter for an IBM T4x! (Yay!) When I plugged it in, the IBM 770 powered up! (Yay!) The screen didn't, and there was some superfluous beeping. (Boo!) I looked closer, and there are huge scratches across the interior of the screen and large purple marks in the corners, meaning that the screen is totally shot.

I'm going to plug it into an external monitor to see if anything else is salvageable. If I'm lucky, I can find a replacement LCD somewhere for it. I'm hopeful, as the only other thing that's visibly wrong is the missing battery.

[Fallout]

I have an acer laptop running Ubuntu 7.10 which is being used as a brain for a electronic project ATM. The hinge is broken on the screen but it still works and is pretty decent. I'll see if I can get rid of it.

[The Killing Joke]

I'm always happy to take in more strays - thanks! (Sooner or later, I'll actually be able to put one together from the pieces!)

:))

[The Killing Joke]

To those who are reading my blog, I've recently posted a new article that I'm particularly proud of. A direct link is found here (http://durhamdev.wordpress.com/2009/11/04/the-good-the-bad-and-the-ugly/).

Many, many thanks to all of those who are supporting me in this.

[WiseGuy]

i read ur blog. your last translation is impactful but grammatically incorrect. Its using past and present tense all at the same time. I got owned for that a lot in high school english :(

[The Killing Joke]

i read ur blog. your last translation is impactful but grammatically incorrect. Its using past and present tense all at the same time. I got owned for that a lot in high school english :(

Oof. I hate when that happens. I'll edit it and fix it up. Thanks!

[The Killing Joke]

Hey hey, another blog post up! Click my sig to see it. (And this time, it has NOTHING to do with free laptops!)

:))

[Derfel]

I'm really impressed with your work on this one. Kudos to you, good sir.

[The Killing Joke]

Hey, thanks! That means a lot. Those quotes are real - and I'm amazed sometimes at what people write.

(Yikes, now I'm committed to another original idea for next week.)
Posted via Mobile Device

[The Killing Joke]

So, thanks to a generous benefactor here at TNR, I am now the proud owner of an IBM A31 Laptop. I just received my collect shipment this morning of "Fragile Porcelain" (lol) and opened it up to find my new pride and joy - a working P4-2GHz system w/768MB RAM and a 30GB HD!

With a small chunk missing from the screen where it attaches to the hinge, I'm anxious to get home tonight and look at the other couple of IBM laptops I have, to see if I cannot affect a down and dirty swap, but otherwise, this system is frigging TOP NOTCH! I'm really, really excited, and will be posting up on the Blog shortly.

Freecycling works, ladies and gentlemen, and I'm sportin' a huge happy hat right now.

THANK YOU SO MUCH, SPIDERTROLL!!! (You are the Derfel to my Pointlessness.)

:))

[Derfel]

THANK YOU SO MUCH, SPIDERTROLL!!! (You are the Derfel to my Pointlessness.)



Wait... what?

[The Killing Joke]

Wait... what?

Thank you, Spidertroll?

[fab]

So, thanks to a generous benefactor here at TNR, I am now the proud owner of an IBM A31 Laptop. I just received my collect shipment this morning of "Fragile Porcelain" (lol) and opened it up to find my new pride and joy - a working P4-2GHz system w/768MB RAM and a 30GB HD!

With a small chunk missing from the screen where it attaches to the hinge, I'm anxious to get home tonight and look at the other couple of IBM laptops I have, to see if I cannot affect a down and dirty swap, but otherwise, this system is frigging TOP NOTCH! I'm really, really excited, and will be posting up on the Blog shortly.

Freecycling works, ladies and gentlemen, and I'm sportin' a huge happy hat right now.

THANK YOU SO MUCH, SPIDERTROLL!!! (You are the Derfel to my Pointlessness.)

:))

aw yay, Jeremy finally did something useful with that laptop...

he's still a dick <3

[SpiderTroll]

THANK YOU SO MUCH, SPIDERTROLL!!! (You are the Derfel to my Pointlessness.)

:))

I don't hear that very often.


he's still a dick <3

Yep, I knew it wouldn't last long.


Happy I could help.
Paying it forward!

[fab]

you know it's only because I <3 you so much, Jeremy (said with no irony or sarcasm whatsoever)

:lol:

[fab]

btw Rick, I read this these comments re: upgrade cycle just now and thought of you. hope your project is going well! :)

http://slashdot.org/comments.pl?sid=1468970&cid=30349562

http://slashdot.org/comments.pl?sid=1468970&cid=30355766

[The Killing Joke]

Everything is going AWESOME.

I installed Ubuntu 9.10 last night, and short of a known video problem with the older ATI cards which I repaired, everything is running nice and smooth. I installed a Beta client for LogMeIn Free so I can remotely access my other computers from it, and tonight I'm planning on getting more of my development stuff installed.

Today during my breaks, I plan on looking into more software to make the whole thing a little more friendly.

:))

[fab]

killer! if I ever dip my feet back into linux waters again via double booting, I'll be sure to bug you for pointers. it can be frustrating at times, troubleshooting things (particularly since I was using it when wireless out of the box was not implemented and I had to do some odd things to get it to work)

I do love the command line though... it's so sexy, and just the thought of hacking things together using scripts and piping gives me a logical geekgasm... it's like puzzles! kinda.

I've always wanted to fiddle with the minimalist distros for sheer optimization and workflow efficiency, or go the other route and run the super eye candy ones with Compiz or Beryl or whatever it's called these days ;)

[Xzinum]

Compiz is nice, but it slowed my poor little box down to a crawl. :(
No eye candy for me.

[fab]

yeah, when I tried it awhile back, the flgrx drivers for ati weren't very effective. possibly since I have a mobile card since it's a laptop, and even though they're derivative of desktop parts mostly, I guess it makes things a bit trickier.

worst part about dual booting was that I had an ACPI shutdown problem with Ubuntu such that the computer actually refused to boot / POST if I turned it off normally... I found that out the hard way. thankfully the computer services people on campus gave me the appropriate fix (pop out battery, hold down power button to drain capacitors, try again). very strange.

[The Killing Joke]

I was considering Compiz for the laptop, but since the video card can't even run the 'General' graphics settings, it's a no-brainer no-go here. I will say that Ubuntu handles fonts really, really nicely... Nice and smooth.

[fab]

I remember xubuntu (aka ubuntu with xfce frontend) being all sorts of minimalist sexy

almost as cool as fluxbox :))