It’s a cruel fact that all things must reach an end, and this certainly applies to your computer, smartphone or tablet. 

In time a device’s components may fail, the hard drive can become corrupted, or the operating system might crash or become obsolete. Getting a replacement is a nuisance but an additional dilemma is figuring out what to do with the old device. Will it be recycled, repurposed, sold, or donated? 

What happens to your unwanted tech largely depends upon its condition or circumstances. 

A Windows 10 computer that can’t be upgraded to Win 11 may still run well, and it would be a shame to relegate it to the recycling bin. In previous columns I detailed how you could convert a Win 10 computer to a Chromebook or switch to a Linux operating system. 

If you decide to donate or sell the device there is an important task to complete before doing anything. In order to avoid a potential personal or economic disaster, you must back up your important files and then delete all those files on the device including any personal information.

Windows 10 and 11 have built-in tools to delete all the files and programs and reinstall the operating system to its factory settings. This is important since using a program such as CCleaner to wipe the drive will also delete the operating system, rendering the computer unusable.   

In Win 10, open Settings, then Update and Security, and in the Recovery section click on Reset and choose to delete all files and reset. In Win 11 the Recovery and Reset commands are in the System section. 

If an old Windows computer is not bootable, it’s possible to reset it to its original state by forcing the Recovery Environment to open by turning on the computer three times and each time abruptly turning it off as soon as the Windows boot screen appears. The Reset command is in the Advanced Options section of the recovery mode.

An iPad or iPhone can be reset to factory settings but, before doing so, remove the phone’s SIM card and sign out of your iCloud account. Open Settings and in the General section you’ll find Reset with the option to delete all content and apps. 

The steps for doing a factory reset on an Android device depends on the brand and model, but a general method is to open Settings and type Reset into the search box.

There is a marvellous way of repurposing a reset smartphone which will benefit a person in need. Take the phone, its charger, and cable to the Peterborough police station and donate it at the front desk. The phone will be given to a person at risk and can be used to call 911 in an emergency. 

Your old reset computer can also be made into a community asset by donating it to Reboot Canada which will refurbish it and make it available to low income or marginalized people. Reboot has an outlet in Peterborough (https://www.rebootcanada.ca/) and you can fill out the form at its website to arrange a donation, for which you will receive an income tax receipt. 

A “nuclear” option for a dead computer is to remove the drive and then either drop the computer off at the electronics recycling depot on Pido Road, or at a BestBuy or Staples store. When you’re confident that all old data on the drive is backed up, whack the drive with a hammer to destroy it and then recycle it as well.

If a mobile device is dead, you won’t be able to run the restore command to delete its data or sign out of your account, and trying to physically destroy the device could be dangerous. Fortunately, the data on a nonfunctioning mobile device is extremely hard to extract and a safe route is to use the recycling services at an electronics retailer.

No matter what you do with that old device, the one definite decision is to never send it to landfill.

Links in this column and others are available at www.rayser.ca/online and I can be reached at rayser3@cogeco.ca.

© Peterborough Examiner