Koldov Posted October 19, 2018 Posted October 19, 2018 I think I really just need a few people to tell me it's ok.... This coming half-term week, I have been told to have a clear out, as my hoarding of old equipment is beginning to stretch to epic proportions. My room is difficult to walk in (there is a path from door to desk though), the air conditioning service man said they won't come in next time until I clear the server room out and I have two cupboards in school full of old useless (potentially useful at some point maybe) tech, which is a sore point with a few teachers. I have about 16 laptops (with Intel Centrino and IDE 5400rpm hd's), about ten 15" monitors that wouldn't look out of place in a late 90's office (at least they aren't CRT I guess), two old inkjet printers and a fax, two OHP (no young Jimmy... an actual OVERHEAD PROJECTOR... for acetate paper), an all in one PC with Intel Atom cpu, a couple of PDA's with Win XP mobile (what), cheap visualisers and a microscope that won't play with Win10, kids cameras (Disgo and Blue somethin' or others), Buffalo Air Stations that were pulled out 8 years ago when we had our network redone with the BSF fund... After pulling most of it out and assessing it, I fell into the old familiar trap and got distracted by wondering how much of it still worked and what I could use it for. In the end I spent my lunchtimes putting together 5 pc's (I got Win 10 on two, Win 7 on two, but only up to XP on one (driver issues and such) - they are a mix of Pentium D and Semprons (Socket A), all on DDR 400, with AGP graphics... and a little network with an ancient Cisco 1800 router and netgear switch and... Oh wait... What am I doing?!
3s-gtech Posted October 19, 2018 Posted October 19, 2018 I do that at times - hoard the junk that I find - then eventually realise that it has no use at all and bin it. What's left are a couple of ancient laptops that I'm keeping around (one's 20 years old, working perfectly), some classic stuff, and a load of junk to go. I still bitterly regret getting rid of the BBC model B, found working with monitor and FDD after being stored in a cupboard for many years. 1
DalekSec Posted October 19, 2018 Posted October 19, 2018 We need a picture of this path you speak of! 2
TechMonkey Posted October 19, 2018 Posted October 19, 2018 (edited) I'm afraid I have had to start getting ruthless. We are limited to our office, which isn't the biggest, and a couple of racks of shelving in the basement. So do we need to keep 50 VGA cables? No. That old monitor may be useful for someone but will we ever really use it in the next year? No and we definitely don't need 10 of them. Our rule now is we cut down and then throw if not used. Anything anyone thinks we should keep needs to justify it and everyone agree. If it is thrown and later it is found to be useful, the person who argued for it gets to be smug. This is not our playground to keep ancient kit, it is not our storage unit. We keep what we actually need, not we might need for some future apocalypse. Edited October 19, 2018 by TechMonkey
Koldov Posted October 19, 2018 Author Posted October 19, 2018 I do that at times - hoard the junk that I find - then eventually realise that it has no use at all and bin it. Yeah, until that time when you are asked "can you fix this?" or you find a use for an old piece of tech and you can't do it because you've just thrown away that part you had sitting in the cupboard for the last 8 years.... Here's one I made for the kids to sit in the ICT room and play a Power Point explaining all the parts inside (because I didn't throw them away)... It's one of my old perspex sided cases from home, I added the red LED lights for effect though (computers are cool kids!). I still bitterly regret getting rid of the BBC model B, found working with monitor and FDD after being stored in a cupboard for many years. Ahhhhhhh yes, exactly that! I know what you mean... I went through the loft properly for the first time in about 20 years, as I'm thinking of putting some of my old tech in with the collection from school and saw a box with my old Commodore 64 and all the old games... It's still there... obviously. We need a picture of this path you speak of! Actually I've spent this week tidying up and I'm quite pleased with the result, so that may give me the push I need to get rid! 3
DalekSec Posted October 19, 2018 Posted October 19, 2018 ....that's after you've tidied? Yepp, you're right you're a hoarder!
Koldov Posted October 19, 2018 Author Posted October 19, 2018 So do we need to keep 50 VGA cables? I only have about 30, so I guess I'm ok then... Oh and about 20 kettle/clover leaf leads and 15 or so A - B USB leads and about 40 various 3.5mm audio leads and a box of random Network cables and and odds box full of Telephone cables / serial leads / parrallel printer cables and two boxes of old random power adaptors (I don't even know what half of them fit anymore, but I'm pretty sure we don't have whatever it was), 15 cream coloured PS2 keyboards.... HELP ME!
bald_pig Posted October 19, 2018 Posted October 19, 2018 I only have about 30, so I guess I'm ok then... Oh and about 20 kettle/clover leaf leads and 15 or so A - B USB leads and about 40 various 3.5mm audio leads and a box of random Network cables and and odds box full of Telephone cables / serial leads / parrallel printer cables and two boxes of old random power adaptors (I don't even know what half of them fit anymore, but I'm pretty sure we don't have whatever it was), 15 cream coloured PS2 keyboards.... HELP ME! Ooh, not model M are they?
Katy Posted October 19, 2018 Posted October 19, 2018 I've got far too many VGA and power cables but I refuse to throw away unopened cable... they don't take up that much room. The old broke PCs/monitors etc sit in the back of the server room until there's a big enough collection then they all get carted away
dhicks Posted October 19, 2018 Posted October 19, 2018 15 cream coloured PS2 keyboards.... If those are IBM Model Ms then they're genuine antiques, and go for maybe £100 each on eBay...
Koldov Posted October 19, 2018 Author Posted October 19, 2018 ....that's after you've tidied? thought I did quite a good job actually... you'd have to have seen the 'before' picture I guess... Ooh, not model M are they? Unfortunately not, even I'm not able to hoard things for that long!
southhamster Posted October 19, 2018 Posted October 19, 2018 When the kit is older than the children it's probably time it was scrapped. 1
FishCustard Posted October 19, 2018 Posted October 19, 2018 (edited) This reminds me I really need to have a clear out. I have two server rooms (please don't shoot me...) with various boxes of crap in them from our old site. I've sorted VGA and power cables, and can probably chuck some, but I still have a couple of mountains of random cables. Aaand a table full in the office (see below). And yet more in the workshop. It's INSET today, which means the perfect opportunity to tidy as there's naff all going on. Thanks Internet! Edited October 19, 2018 by FishCustard
jthompson Posted October 19, 2018 Posted October 19, 2018 I find that legacy stuff that turns out to be useful tends to be quite small. Bulky items tend not to be the ones to solve obscure problems. I keep one or two tubs of small bits (USB floppy drive, assorted SCART cables, etc.) but have learned to be brutal with everything else. That said, we too struggle with the "How many of these pristine power/VGA/USB cables should we throw away?" question.
3s-gtech Posted October 19, 2018 Posted October 19, 2018 Ahhhhhhh yes, exactly that! I know what you mean... I went through the loft properly for the first time in about 20 years, as I'm thinking of putting some of my old tech in with the collection from school and saw a box with my old Commodore 64 and all the old games... It's still there... obviously. Oh, home is another matter. At home my C64 is safe and sound in the loft. Along with the two spare ones, all of the games, etc. Finally chucked the poor old DM printer last year though Also got maybe three working Playstations up there. Just because. All of the other consoles are plugged into the TV ready to roll, and my PC is regularly used for playing retro games so I like to think I at least use this stuff!
unixman_again Posted October 19, 2018 Posted October 19, 2018 I reckon we must have a zillion kettle leads (I'm sure they breed). Nobody has the heart to chuck out new in wrapper leads, and they don't do what I do - install new PC, install new wires.
elsiegee40 Posted October 19, 2018 Posted October 19, 2018 I reckon we must have a zillion kettle leads (I'm sure they breed). Nobody has the heart to chuck out new in wrapper leads, and they don't do what I do - install new PC, install new wires. I bagged up 4 rubble sacks of assorted leads and offered them on freecycle. They went the same day.
HarryMonkey Posted October 19, 2018 Posted October 19, 2018 If I haven't used/needed it in the last 2 years, I probably won't in the next 2 years either so out it goes. I don't have the room, time or inclination to keep old stuff "just in case"
Koldov Posted October 19, 2018 Author Posted October 19, 2018 (edited) So let's complete my walk through a gallery of shame... CD's nobody will ever use again... Server room... Oh the shame.... Thought I might find a DOS 8 or Windows 3.1 book here at least but no, 2000 is as far back as we go... And finally the cupboard of legend where the shiny IT purchases go to die... Edited October 19, 2018 by Koldov
LeMarchand Posted October 19, 2018 Posted October 19, 2018 So let's complete my walk through a gallery of shame... [ATTACH=CONFIG]50636[/ATTACH] CD's nobody will ever use again... One of my sites still claims most of those are "essential" and "regularly used".
jthompson Posted October 19, 2018 Posted October 19, 2018 Our equivalent collection includes 5 copies of C&C Red Alert 2, for some reason.
Koldov Posted October 19, 2018 Author Posted October 19, 2018 Ahhhhh... the 'its an IT club really' ruse for the IT teacher/Techs/NM to sit in at lunchtime and play games...
FishCustard Posted October 19, 2018 Posted October 19, 2018 Our equivalent collection includes 5 copies of C&C Red Alert 2, for some reason. Install one on your office PC for, er, research purposes.
jthompson Posted October 19, 2018 Posted October 19, 2018 Perhaps it's useful as a training tool: how to deploy limited resources to multiple fronts in short timescales.
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