Instructions from Proud Heng and E Green 4 Need in California

I"m a fan of creating a "REFURBISHING CLUB."  Can we bring computers "back from the dead?"  

Can we remove viruses?
If someone donates a computer, can we remove viruses, remove personal files and protect the computer from future viruses?

Can we get a computer up and running?
Maybe a computer just needs a new hard drive....

So I wrote to Proud Heng, the current coordinator of EGreen4Need volunteers in California.  Here is her reply:

Some resources that I found to be extremely helpful are the PowerPoints on http://www.techsoup.org/support/articles-and-how-tos/manuals-for-refurbishing-computers.  I've used them during eGreen4Need meetings to teach others about refurbishing.

Most of what goes on at school is not necessarily repairing computers, but upgrading old ones.  We don't have the resources and the expertise to repair broken computers, so those are just donated to e-waste or local refurbishing companies.  From what I hear, most broken computers can be fixed with replacement parts.  The difficulty of this of course depends on the part: if the RAM sticks need to be changed, then it should be easy; if a capacitor is messed up, then careful soldering is involved.  Soldering is useful as a real world experience, but it's too much of a chance to take to recover an old motherboard without knowing how to do it.  In that case, the computer would be passed on to a professional company or to e-waste.

Sincerely,

Proud

You can learn more about the E Green 4 Need group and methods here
http://eg4n.weebly.com/uploads/8/2/5/3/8253988/egreen4need_donation_request_form.pdf



You can write to Proud and get direct answers:
Whitney eGreen4Need WHSeG4N <whseg4n@gmail.com>