One for the tech guys! This old pc has being laying in a corner of the garden !

[mazi]

Oops, at least Stoney has had a test run and can look forward to two more satisfying episodes. 

Mike

[mazi]

Is this a good time to confess that in implementing a hardware improvement I once shorted two phases of a three phase supply, the result when I reapplied power was dramatic.   

Mike

[trystan]

Mike,

That's a shocking confession. I bet that made one heck of a bang?

Trystan

[mazi]

It was spectacular, I was upgrading the primary circuit breaker, nobody told me this equipment was American and ran phase to phase, so I wired it to uk standards, outside the protection of any fuses other than the large one protecting the the entire complex the circuit breaker vaporised completely,fortunately we had sold them an uninterruptible power supply for the mainframe,regrettably it did not also power the kettle. 
Mike

[Flattybasher9]

You can boil a kettle in 11 seconds from 3 phase. We watched a confused electrician do it at Evanton.

Regards

Malky

[stoney]

Good job the ex-PC hasn't made its way to the tip yet, if there's more hammer-wielding to be done! (I was actually thinking of dousing it in paraffin and setting light to it!)


As for the 'autopsy' reports - you guy clearly have way too much time on your hands 


...but thank you, anyway! 

Stoney

[trystan]

Stoney,

Thanks for that. I think.    If it makes you smile it's worth it.

Trystan

[BumbleB]

I'm just going to take my old, pre-old, PC to my "man" and he will legally dispose of it for me.  As he has now built at least 3 consecutive PCs for me, I trust him    Must do it tomorrow - if I can manage to get the heavy thing down the stairs without breaking my neck    The latest one is so light 

[km1971]

We wiped off everything before we disconnected it......but you never know....

If you did this within the operating system - ie using Delete - then all you have done is delete the entries in the table that record the physical location of the data. The actual data is still on the disk and can be recovered.

The best way to dispose of an old PC is to remove the hard drive(s); leave the rest at the local recycling centre; and destroy the hard drive(s) as discussed above. You used to be able to disassemble a hard drive using just a Philips screwdriver; but now they seem to use specialist fasteners and/or glues.

If you intend to use a drill you should try and find someone with a pillar drill stand for stability. Do not forget eye protection.

Ken