Computing and Information Services

Disposing of old PC's and Laptops

There are various different ways of disposing of PC’s (and laptops) that are no longer of any use in your department.   This page will suggest the different options available.  
 
The information below refers to CIS MDS/NPCS systems but also can be used by departments that do not use CIS supported  systems.
 
It would be environmentally friendly and could benefit others  if the PC can be reused or sold  but in some cases the machine will be so old disposal is the only option.
 
The steps to take:

Firstly you need to assess the specification of the PC if you are unsure how to do this contact the IT Service desk. 
If you wish to check yourself please run CPU Information Utility

Utility

If the PC is above the minimal CIS PC specification
http://www.dur.ac.uk/cis/hardware/recommendations/minpc/
then it has the potential to be reused.
 
A machine above the minimum specification may have  the potential to be used elsewhere in the University .   If you are willing to donate it then please contact the IT Service desk and we can allocate it to another MDS or NPCS  system.

If you wish to sell the PC outside of the University then you must follow some procedures: Your department needs to inform the treasurers of this and fill out the necessary form
http://www.dur.ac.uk/resources/procurement/Soldnoteofsecondhandgoodstoconsumers.doc

You will also need to remove any data  and software (e.g. Microsoft office) from the machine and then it can be sold as a blank system.
http://www.dur.ac.uk/cis/faqs/?faqcategory=37#faq1333

If you wish to sell it in working condition with a version of  windows  installed  then you will need to reinstall the operating system which you can do yourself or CIS can install for you at a charge, the above procedure for erasing data must still be performed before the installation of Windows
http://www.dur.ac.uk/cis/faqs/?faqcategory=37#faq1339
 
The operating system that you install must match the valid licence sticker on the PC, and must not be the University volume licence copy of windows.
To tell what version of the operating system  you should use 
http://www.dur.ac.uk/cis/faqs/?faqcategory=37#faq1336


If the PC is below the minimum specification then it cannot be reused on MDS/NPCS
If it’s just below the minimum specification you may still wish to sell it following the guidelines above.
Otherwise you will have to dispose of the PC via the correct procedure offered by Estates and Buildings in order to comply with The WEEE directive of disposal of electrical equipment.
http://www.dur.ac.uk/cis/faqs/?faqcategory=37#faq1332