I can’t speak for anyone else but it seems like everytime I look through a drawer or a box or something that may resemble a storage container I come across computer parts, software, books, etc. In the past I have just thrown it away. I remember I once put a working PC (that I no longer had a use for) on the side of the road for garbage. I am almost ashamed to tell that story now.

On the opposite end of the spectrum I had the chance in 2004 to run a computer recycling initiative and I have been an advocate of it since. So I thought today would be a good day to recommend some ideas for recycling your PC. No matter where you live, there are refurbishing centers and you can access a huge database just by visiting this site on the TechSoup site.

But before you just take out a hunk of mechanical junk to be reused, allow me to offer some tips (courtesy of TechSoup).

1. Determine if your old computer can be reused.

   If you have a computer that is less then five years old, chances are that it can be put to good use by someone else. Rather than donate equipment directly to a charity or school, however, it is usually best for all involved if you can send it to a refurbisher, especially if you need to wipe your hard drive or are uncertain about the computer’s condition. Refurbishers will ensure that equipment they send to nonprofits and schools works well and runs legal copies of software, and that any e-waste is disposed of properly.

2. Recycle old and broken hardware.

   Any equipment that is not working or is more than five years old should be tagged for recycling, i.e. responsible destruction.

3. Contact the refurbisher or recycler before donating.

   Call the organization or check its Web site to ensure that it accepts the type of computer you plan to give away. Some refurbishing organizations, for example, will refuse anything older than a Pentium II. While you may be tempted to donate equipment directly to a favorite local school or charity, remember that refurbishers are generally better equipped to repair and upgrade computers. They will then pass on ready-to-use equipment to those who need it, often at little or no cost.

4. Remember the accessories.

   If you can, include the keyboard, mouse, printer, modem, packaged software, or any other accessories you use with the computer. Schools and nonprofits can almost always put them to good use, and most organizations only accept complete systems.

5. If possible, keep the operating system intact.

   If you are donating hardware with a preinstalled Microsoft operating system, keep in mind that the license is only valid when used with the machine on which it was originally installed. Since charitable organizations usually cannot afford to purchase and license new operating systems, a legal transfer (whereby the computer and operating system stay together) is always preferable. While Linux and Macintosh operating systems have different requirements, as a general rule, try to include the operating system software with all donated computers whenever possible.

6. Provide the original software media and documentation.

   To ensure that the software transfer is legal, pass along the original disks, media, Certificate of Authenticity sticker (usually on the computer), user manual, and other documentation that came with the equipment.

7. If you clear your computer of personal information yourself, it’s best to use disk-cleaning software.

   “Personal information” includes your Internet browser’s cache, cookies, history; your email contacts and messages; your documents; your recycle or trash folder; and all nontransferable software. The best way to clear this is with a disk-cleaning utility that overwrites all the sectors of your hard drives, making your data unrecoverable.

8. Follow computer delivery instructions.

   Many recycling and refurbishing organizations have specific locations where equipment can be donated, while others have delivery instructions they expect donors to follow.

9. Keep a list of what you donated for your records.

   Remember that tax season will always return — and you are likely eligible for a deduction if you donate to a nonprofit refurbisher. Most school or nonprofit refurbishers can provide a tax receipt upon request. Business donors can deduct the un-depreciated value of the computer, and individuals can deduct the current market value of a computer.

10. Plan for future donations.

    Rescue a box from the recycling bin and use it to store the documents that came with your new computer, so that when the time comes to donate it, you’ll have everything in one place.

5. Purchase a 3rd party pop-up blocker. Out of all 5 solution, this is probably the best in terms of combination defense. It will stop pop-up advertising, stop spyware and erase web browsing tracks if used correctly. We recommend Pop-Up Stopper -or- STOPzilla.

• Pros: These 3rd-party anti-popup products effectively block popup ads. They also prevent/erase spyware and adware without having to install separate anti-spyware software. These software products have no advertising on screen.
• Cons: You can get the same functionality from many no-cost popup blockers and anti-spyware.

4. Your ISP likely offers a free 3rd party pop-up blocker. Ask them. Price! They are usually free. Many Internet Service Providers will often offer free software to stop pop-up advertising.

• Pros: Free; these products are often promotional versions of high-quality paid products like Popup Killer or AdsGone.
• Cons: Remember, “you get what you pay for.”

3. Install a Google or Yahoo anti-pop-up toolbar. This is a good and free choice if you are using Windows XP Service Pack 1. If not, search Google for their latest toolbar update. The pop-up blocker is generally packaged in the bar.

• Pros: Both the Google Toolbar and Yahoo Toolbar offer 98% effective pop-up blocking (according to their advertisement), and extra search engine functions all at once.
• Cons: As mentioned, these products have only partially-effective anti-spyware. You will still need to install your own additional 3rd-party anti-spyware software. Also, if you are concerned about digital conspiracies, Google Toolbar does report your web browsing habits back to its home servers in an attempt to do statistical market analysis.

2. Be sure to install XP Service Pack 2 and use the IE Pop-Up Blocker. For security reasons, you should have long since upgraded to Microsoft XP Service Pack 2. As you perhaps know, a “service pack” is really a patch that repairs deficiencies in the software . In this case, Microsoft created XP “SP2″ to patch several security leaks in both Windows and in the IE6 browser.

• Pros: XP SP2 not only plugs 99% of the security holes in your Microsoft computer, but it also adds in some excellent built-in popup blocking to your IE6 browser. The new Integrated IE popup blocker is a favorite amongst most IE users.
• Cons: Installation can cause you headaches if you are unprepared. Also, SP2 will pester you with overly-cautious security messages every 30 seconds until you disable them.

1. Switch to Firefox for your primary browser. This is our top suggestion for browsing the Web without pop-up advertising. The Mozilla Firefox browser not only has integrated popup blocking, but it is also a feature-rich tool for viewing web pages.

• Pros: Firefox browser blocks popups, adware, and cookies. It allows specific popups through, upon your command. Firefox also has outstanding general browsing features, like tabbed pages, slick bookmarking features, integrated Google searching, larger screen viewing than IE, faster page transfers, and better security than IE.
• Cons: About 2% of web pages will not render in Firefox, including ActiveX-intensive pages and some .asp pages.

Much has been made over Windows Vista and the impending discontinuation of XP. What is a consumer left to do when they can’t figure out their own operating system? In a desperate effort to be the proverbial Windex to their customer base, Microsoft has announced that they are offering unlimited toll-free tech support calls for compatibility and installation issues with Windows Vista (Service Pack 1) through March 2009, in nearly any country. To take advantage of the service though you will need to have your Product ID handy (right-click on My Computer > Properties), but it’s a nice last resort for you or anyone you don’t have time to troubleshoot for.

Summer is here. It isn’t coming. It isn’t just getting warmer. We are in the thick of it. Many of us are seeing humidity soaked days of 100+ degrees. We are all tempted to crank up the AC, drink a few more cold ones and basically burn energy like it is our job. But we all need to make a more conscious effort to conserve energy and conserve resources to slow the march of global warming. Hey, it saves money too and that is something we can all keep cool about.

I thought I would put together this list of things we can all do to cut our energy consumption this sizzling summer. It starts out pretty easy and then escalates into some more difficult challenges. I even included a list of five computer specific ways to really cut down. After you read ‘em though, let us know what you are doing this season to keep cool and be cool!

1. Resist the urge to live in a refrigerator.  78 degrees is plenty cool in the house.  Turn down the AC and get a programmable thermostat so you’re only cooling the house when you really need to.
2.  Air dry your dishes and clothes. The dryer and dish washer use a lot of energy– and the air does the drying job just as well.
3.  Take shorter showers and do not take baths.  Hot water heating is one of the major uses of energy in any home.  Short showers are the way to go. Baths use much more water and heat than do baths (unless you’re taking 30 minute showers!).
4.  Make sure you have energy-efficient lighting throughout your home. Everyone has heard about compact fluorescent lights by now. But are you up to date on LED lights? Light-emitting diodes (LEDs) have come a long way, baby, and they are often 10 times more efficient than compact flourescents.
5.  Ditch the beer fridge. It’s amazing how many homes have two refrigerators.  Please do not use more than one fridge.  And if you have an old model, get a newer Energy Star model.
6.  Use ceiling fans or even floor fans rather than AC.  They are much more energy-efficient and you can get very reasonably priced Energy Star models.
7.  Get solar screens for your windows. These screens cut 75% of the heat coming through your windows, but don’t impact your visibility.
8.  Plant trees!  Placing deciduous trees on the South side of your home is a great way to block summer heat, but keep the sun shining on your home in the winter when you need the warmth.
9.  Spend one night each week in candlelight. It’s romantic, fun and inspires new conversation. I think they smell pretty good as well, if you get the right ones.
10. Use a solar oven for some cooking. Yes these exist and yes, they really work! You don’t want that hot oven on in your house anyway. You can either buy a solar oven, or you can learn to make one yourself.

And now for the computer tips (for you geeks):

1. Visit the Energy Star Computer page. The page provides a link to an Excel document that lists every qualified computer. You can find computers by manufacturer, desktop or laptop system or model. Check this list before you buy, particularly if you are buying online and there is no sales person to help you find an Energy Star certified model.

2. Set the energy efficient mode. After you have your new computer at home, make sure you run it in the most energy efficient mode. Reduce power requirements by closing applications when they aren’t in use, by setting the screen brightness at the lowest comfortable level, and by putting it instantly into sleep mode when you know you will be away for a few minutes.

NOTE: A computer’s energy consumption depends on what you’re doing with it. Writing an email uses less energy than playing a graphics-heavy game. I’m not suggesting that you quit playing computer games, but you might think about dragging out the old board games once in a while instead.

3. Maintain and Upgrade. The majority of energy that goes into a computer is actually used during the manufacturing process. Once you have an energy efficient computer, take care to keep it in good running condition for as long as possible. Upgrade and fix when necessary so that the machine runs efficiently for the long term.

4. Don’t litter. When you get a new energy-efficient computer, dispose of the old one properly. Search in your area for a place that will recycle or reuse the computer parts so that the toxic materials in the old computer don’t end up in your local landfill.

Since beginning our partnership with Skype we have heard some great reviews and observations on just how powerful of a tool Skype really is. Today I received a letter from Michael Barrow, one of our Certified MinuteFix Techs. He writes:

I have recently taken more time to explore the Skype community as we eagerly await the next major build and product launch from them. Being pleasantly surprised at the variety, depth, and spirit of content in this great community I got to thinking, “how familiar am I really with the entire Skype universe?” So I started casually clicking through all the menus until I got bored and found the Tools > Do More menu. I then found all the latest utility software we call “Skype Extras” for users. Now I’m expecting these all will provide a multitude opportunities for MinuteFixers to support them in the future. In all I counted several dozen to play with including my own troublesome issue with the Cryptochat4skype extra. (Only after being politely teased for having an annoying message appear in our Technicians Chat Room.) The message simply says that all chat entries to this user will be scanned for malware and viruses. I Googled it and discovered the only way to get rid of it was to do a fresh install of Skype including searching for and deleting all Skype related folders. This was a great experience seeing as I now have the fix the caller who wants to remove the Crypto4chat extra but doesn’t know how. All in all I learned also I will have no reasons for idol time in the coming weeks since there are so many other “extras” for us as technicians to break and play with.

The best find of all was in the skype.com site. How many technicians do we know have that ugly caller story? I mean the caller that would not seem satisfied regardless of how good our service was? Yes, that one caller we all remember and probably may never forget. The next question that comes to mind is. What can we do after the call is over? Sure we can journal the call sequence and reflect what we could of done otherwise or reposed on things we could have said or presented differently to the caller. Most importantly, this page I found in the halls of skype.com reminded me what we really need as support technicians. And that is resolution on every case we take, regardless of the final outcome. Not only did I find this downright fun watch but therapeutic for every computer user including the seasoned technician and for the green eared newbie. Enjoy Minute Peeps. Until my next post….

Michael Barrow
Certified Minutefix Techinician