Boot discs explained: An overview of booting your PC from something other than your hard drive

<div class="imageContainer580xX" style="width:320px;height:auto;clear:both;margin:auto;color:rgb(34,34,34);font-family:'Helvetica Neue',Arial,sans-serif;font-size:14px;line-height:19px"><img class="largeImage imgId100031267 " itemprop="image" src="http://zapt4.staticworld.net/images/article/2013/03/0411-thumb-100031267-large.jpg" style="box-sizing: border-box; border-width: 0px; vertical-align: middle; width: 320px; max-width: 100%;"></div> <div class="department" style="margin:0px 0px 10px;overflow:hidden"><a class="topCatLink" href="http://www.pcworld.com/category/windows" style="color:rgb(172,31,43);float:left;font-family:facitweb,sans-serif;font-size:16px;font-weight:700;text-transform:uppercase;margin-right:5px"><br> </a></div><span itemprop="articleBody description text" style><p style="line-height:1.7em;margin:0px 0px 0.7em">When you boot your PC, it generally loads an operating system (such as Windows) from a hard drive or SSD. But you can bypass this process by booting from a specially-prepared CD, DVD, or flash drive.</p> <p style="line-height:1.7em;margin:0px 0px 0.7em">Why would you do this? Perhaps Windows is so messed up that it fails to boot on its own. Or you want to scan for malware in a clean environment. Or perhaps you just want to play with another operating system without bothering to install it.</p> <p style="line-height:1.7em;margin:0px 0px 0.7em"><br></p><p style="line-height:1.7em;margin:0px 0px 0.7em">Before you can successfully boot from a disc or flash drive, you may need to go to your computer's Setup screen and change the boot order. How you do this varies with different computers. Look for an onscreen message, soon after you boot your PC, that says something like "Press <em style>key </em>for setup."</p> <p style="line-height:1.7em;margin:0px 0px 0.7em">The following terms and definitions will help you understand booting from media that doesn't stay inside your PC.</p><p style="line-height:1.7em;margin:0px 0px 0.7em"> <strong style>Boot disc:</strong> Any bootable CD or DVD. Although not technically accurate, the term is also used for bootable flash drives.</p><p style="line-height:1.7em;margin:0px 0px 0.7em"><strong style>.iso file:</strong> A CD or DVD image file that you can download and burn to a disc. To burn one in Windows 7, simply double-click the file and follow the prompts. In Windows 8, right-click the file and select <em style>Burn disc image</em>. For earlier versions of Windows, you'll need to install a third-party program such as the free <a href="http://isorecorder.alexfeinman.com/W7.htm" style="color:rgb(37,167,215)">ISO Recorder</a>.</p> <p style="line-height:1.7em;margin:0px 0px 0.7em"><a href="http://www.pendrivelinux.com/universal-usb-installer-easy-as-1-2-3/" style="color:rgb(37,167,215)"><strong style>Universal USB Installer</strong></a><strong style>:</strong> A free program from Pendrivelinux.com that can prepare a bootable flash drive from an .iso file. This doesn't work with every .iso file in existence, but it supports an amazingly large selection of them.</p> <p style="line-height:1.7em;margin:0px 0px 0.7em"><strong style>Windows System Repair Disc:</strong> This Microsoft boot disc provides several tools for repairing a bad Windows installation. To create this disc in Windows 7, click <em style>Start,</em> type <strong style>system repair disc</strong>, and press <strong style>ENTER. </strong>Windows 8 provides different options for a CD or a flash drive. For a CD, press<strong style>WINKEY+R</strong>, type <strong style>recdisc</strong>, and press<strong style>ENTER</strong>. For a flash drive, press<strong style>WINKEY+R</strong>, type <strong style>control panel</strong> and press <strong style>ENTER</strong>. Type the word <strong style>recovery</strong>in the Search Control Panel field in the upper-right corner. Click <em style>Create a recovery drive.</em></p> <p style="line-height:1.7em;margin:0px 0px 0.7em"><strong style>Live Linux:</strong> This generic term refers to several versions of Linux that can be booted from a disc or flash drive. The most popular of these, and probably the most powerful, is <a href="http://www.ubuntu.com/" style="color:rgb(37,167,215)">Ubuntu</a>.</p> </span>

Boot discs explained: An overview of booting your PC from something other than your hard drive

When you boot your PC, it generally loads an operating system (such as Windows) from a hard drive or SSD. But you can bypass this proces...

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Boot discs explained: An overview of booting your PC from something other than your hard drive

<div class="imageContainer580xX" style="width:320px;height:auto;clear:both;margin:auto;color:rgb(34,34,34);font-family:'Helvetica Neue',Arial,sans-serif;font-size:14px;line-height:19px"><img class="largeImage imgId100031267 " itemprop="image" src="http://zapt4.staticworld.net/images/article/2013/03/0411-thumb-100031267-large.jpg" style="box-sizing: border-box; border-width: 0px; vertical-align: middle; width: 320px; max-width: 100%;"></div> <div class="department" style="margin:0px 0px 10px;overflow:hidden"><a class="topCatLink" href="http://www.pcworld.com/category/windows" style="color:rgb(172,31,43);float:left;font-family:facitweb,sans-serif;font-size:16px;font-weight:700;text-transform:uppercase;margin-right:5px"><br> </a></div><span itemprop="articleBody description text" style><p style="line-height:1.7em;margin:0px 0px 0.7em">When you boot your PC, it generally loads an operating system (such as Windows) from a hard drive or SSD. But you can bypass this process by booting from a specially-prepared CD, DVD, or flash drive.</p> <p style="line-height:1.7em;margin:0px 0px 0.7em">Why would you do this? Perhaps Windows is so messed up that it fails to boot on its own. Or you want to scan for malware in a clean environment. Or perhaps you just want to play with another operating system without bothering to install it.</p> <p style="line-height:1.7em;margin:0px 0px 0.7em"><br></p><p style="line-height:1.7em;margin:0px 0px 0.7em">Before you can successfully boot from a disc or flash drive, you may need to go to your computer's Setup screen and change the boot order. How you do this varies with different computers. Look for an onscreen message, soon after you boot your PC, that says something like "Press <em style>key </em>for setup."</p> <p style="line-height:1.7em;margin:0px 0px 0.7em">The following terms and definitions will help you understand booting from media that doesn't stay inside your PC.</p><p style="line-height:1.7em;margin:0px 0px 0.7em"> <strong style>Boot disc:</strong> Any bootable CD or DVD. Although not technically accurate, the term is also used for bootable flash drives.</p><p style="line-height:1.7em;margin:0px 0px 0.7em"><strong style>.iso file:</strong> A CD or DVD image file that you can download and burn to a disc. To burn one in Windows 7, simply double-click the file and follow the prompts. In Windows 8, right-click the file and select <em style>Burn disc image</em>. For earlier versions of Windows, you'll need to install a third-party program such as the free <a href="http://isorecorder.alexfeinman.com/W7.htm" style="color:rgb(37,167,215)">ISO Recorder</a>.</p> <p style="line-height:1.7em;margin:0px 0px 0.7em"><a href="http://www.pendrivelinux.com/universal-usb-installer-easy-as-1-2-3/" style="color:rgb(37,167,215)"><strong style>Universal USB Installer</strong></a><strong style>:</strong> A free program from Pendrivelinux.com that can prepare a bootable flash drive from an .iso file. This doesn't work with every .iso file in existence, but it supports an amazingly large selection of them.</p> <p style="line-height:1.7em;margin:0px 0px 0.7em"><strong style>Windows System Repair Disc:</strong> This Microsoft boot disc provides several tools for repairing a bad Windows installation. To create this disc in Windows 7, click <em style>Start,</em> type <strong style>system repair disc</strong>, and press <strong style>ENTER. </strong>Windows 8 provides different options for a CD or a flash drive. For a CD, press<strong style>WINKEY+R</strong>, type <strong style>recdisc</strong>, and press<strong style>ENTER</strong>. For a flash drive, press<strong style>WINKEY+R</strong>, type <strong style>control panel</strong> and press <strong style>ENTER</strong>. Type the word <strong style>recovery</strong>in the Search Control Panel field in the upper-right corner. Click <em style>Create a recovery drive.</em></p> <p style="line-height:1.7em;margin:0px 0px 0.7em"><strong style>Live Linux:</strong> This generic term refers to several versions of Linux that can be booted from a disc or flash drive. The most popular of these, and probably the most powerful, is <a href="http://www.ubuntu.com/" style="color:rgb(37,167,215)">Ubuntu</a>.</p> </span>

Boot discs explained: An overview of booting your PC from something other than your hard drive

When you boot your PC, it generally loads an operating system (such as Windows) from a hard drive or SSD. But you can bypass this proces...

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One antivirus program is better than two

<div class="imageContainer580xX" style="width:320px;height:auto;clear:both;margin:auto;color:rgb(34,34,34);font-family:'Helvetica Neue',Arial,sans-serif;font-size:14px;line-height:19px"><img class="largeImage imgId100033005 " itemprop="image" src="http://zapt3.staticworld.net/images/article/2013/04/0422-thumb-100033005-large.jpg" style="box-sizing: border-box; border-width: 0px; vertical-align: middle; width: 320px; max-width: 100%;"></div> <div class="department" style="margin:0px 0px 10px;overflow:hidden"><a class="topCatLink" href="http://www.pcworld.com/category/software-security" style="color:rgb(172,31,43);float:left;font-family:facitweb,sans-serif;font-size:16px;font-weight:700;text-transform:uppercase;margin-right:5px"><br> </a></div><span itemprop="articleBody description text" style><p style="line-height:1.7em;margin:0px 0px 0.7em">Running two antivirus programs simultaneously is a bit like mixing a fine, vintage Cabernet with breakfast cereal. Each is good on its own right, but the combination may have unpleasant effects.</p> <p style="line-height:1.7em;margin:0px 0px 0.7em">Before I explain why, let's get some definitions out of the way. The term<em style>antivirus </em>has come to mean a program that launches when you boot your PC and stays running in memory, protecting you in real time not just from viruses (which are, technically speaking, passé), but Trojans, rootkits, and all other forms of malware.</p> <p style="line-height:1.7em;margin:0px 0px 0.7em">Two antivirus programs, both loaded and running simultaneously, will be, at the very least, redundant. And it in this case, you don't want redundancy.</p><p style="line-height:1.7em;margin:0px 0px 0.7em"> Keep in mind that every program running uses RAM and clock cycles, potentially slowing down every other running program. A well-made antivirus program has a very small footprint, and doesn't slow things down significantly. But two such programs running together will slow it down twice as much.</p> <p style="line-height:1.7em;margin:0px 0px 0.7em">And it could be worse. The two programs may conflict with each other--remember that every time you download a file, both will try to scan it. Conflicts could result in other programs failing to work and Windows becoming less stable.</p> <p style="line-height:1.7em;margin:0px 0px 0.7em">If you're worried that one antivirus program isn't enough, you can augment it with an on-demand malware scanner. Unlike antivirus programs, they don't hang around. You load one, update its database, scan your hard drive with it, and close it when you're done.</p> <p style="line-height:1.7em;margin:0px 0px 0.7em">I use two of these programs--the free versions of <a href="http://www.superantispyware.com/" style="color:rgb(37,167,215)">SuperAntiSpyware</a> and<a href="http://www.malwarebytes.org/products/malwarebytes_free/" style="color:rgb(37,167,215)">Malwarebytes Anti-Malware</a>. Once a week, I scan my hard drive with one or the other.</p> </span>

One antivirus program is better than two

Running two antivirus programs simultaneously is a bit like mixing a fine, vintage Cabernet with breakfast cereal. Each is good on its o...

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One antivirus program is better than two

<div class="imageContainer580xX" style="width:320px;height:auto;clear:both;margin:auto;color:rgb(34,34,34);font-family:'Helvetica Neue',Arial,sans-serif;font-size:14px;line-height:19px"><img class="largeImage imgId100033005 " itemprop="image" src="http://zapt3.staticworld.net/images/article/2013/04/0422-thumb-100033005-large.jpg" style="box-sizing: border-box; border-width: 0px; vertical-align: middle; width: 320px; max-width: 100%;"></div> <div class="department" style="margin:0px 0px 10px;overflow:hidden"><a class="topCatLink" href="http://www.pcworld.com/category/software-security" style="color:rgb(172,31,43);float:left;font-family:facitweb,sans-serif;font-size:16px;font-weight:700;text-transform:uppercase;margin-right:5px"><br> </a></div><span itemprop="articleBody description text" style><p style="line-height:1.7em;margin:0px 0px 0.7em">Running two antivirus programs simultaneously is a bit like mixing a fine, vintage Cabernet with breakfast cereal. Each is good on its own right, but the combination may have unpleasant effects.</p> <p style="line-height:1.7em;margin:0px 0px 0.7em">Before I explain why, let's get some definitions out of the way. The term<em style>antivirus </em>has come to mean a program that launches when you boot your PC and stays running in memory, protecting you in real time not just from viruses (which are, technically speaking, passé), but Trojans, rootkits, and all other forms of malware.</p> <p style="line-height:1.7em;margin:0px 0px 0.7em">Two antivirus programs, both loaded and running simultaneously, will be, at the very least, redundant. And it in this case, you don't want redundancy.</p><p style="line-height:1.7em;margin:0px 0px 0.7em"> Keep in mind that every program running uses RAM and clock cycles, potentially slowing down every other running program. A well-made antivirus program has a very small footprint, and doesn't slow things down significantly. But two such programs running together will slow it down twice as much.</p> <p style="line-height:1.7em;margin:0px 0px 0.7em">And it could be worse. The two programs may conflict with each other--remember that every time you download a file, both will try to scan it. Conflicts could result in other programs failing to work and Windows becoming less stable.</p> <p style="line-height:1.7em;margin:0px 0px 0.7em">If you're worried that one antivirus program isn't enough, you can augment it with an on-demand malware scanner. Unlike antivirus programs, they don't hang around. You load one, update its database, scan your hard drive with it, and close it when you're done.</p> <p style="line-height:1.7em;margin:0px 0px 0.7em">I use two of these programs--the free versions of <a href="http://www.superantispyware.com/" style="color:rgb(37,167,215)">SuperAntiSpyware</a> and<a href="http://www.malwarebytes.org/products/malwarebytes_free/" style="color:rgb(37,167,215)">Malwarebytes Anti-Malware</a>. Once a week, I scan my hard drive with one or the other.</p> </span>

One antivirus program is better than two

Running two antivirus programs simultaneously is a bit like mixing a fine, vintage Cabernet with breakfast cereal. Each is good on its o...

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Recycle your old tech gear

<div class="imageContainer580xX" style="width:320px;height:auto;clear:both;margin:auto;color:rgb(34,34,34);font-family:'Helvetica Neue',Arial,sans-serif;font-size:14px;line-height:19px"><img class="largeImage imgId100033842 " itemprop="image" src="http://zapt3.staticworld.net/images/article/2013/04/recycle-man-100033842-large.jpg" style="box-sizing: border-box; border-width: 0px; vertical-align: middle; width: 320px; max-width: 100%;"></div> <div class="department" style="margin:0px 0px 10px;overflow:hidden"><a class="topCatLink" href="http://www.techhive.com/category/computers-all" style="color:rgb(215,114,39);float:left;font-family:ff-enzo-web,sans-serif;font-weight:700;text-transform:uppercase;margin-right:5px"><span style="line-height:1.7em;color:rgb(34,34,34);font-family:'Helvetica Neue',Arial,sans-serif">In springtime, people's fancies may turn to love, but their to-do list turns to cleaning. Make this the year that you finally recycle all the ancient MP3 players, toner cartridges, ethernet cables, and bulky monitors out of the closets, garages, and spare rooms where they've been lurking. Your home will feel more modern, and you'll be doing your part to boost the 27 percent electronics recycling rate in the U.S.—just in time for another spring constant, Earth Day.</span><br> </a></div><span itemprop="articleBody description text" style><a class="zoom cboxElement" href="http://images.techhive.com/images/article/2013/04/what_is_e-waste-100033841-orig.png" style="color:rgb(37,167,215)"><img alt="" border="0" height="731" src="http://images.techhive.com/images/article/2013/04/what_is_e-waste-100033841-medium.png" style="box-sizing: border-box; border-width: 0px; vertical-align: middle; width: auto; height: auto; max-width: 100%; float: left;" width="300"></a>Half of all electronic waste is linked to consumer electronics.<h2 style="font-family:ff-enzo-web,sans-serif;margin-top:1em;margin-bottom:0.25em"> Why recycle at all?</h2><p style="line-height:1.7em;margin:0px 0px 0.7em">Sure, it would be easier just to dump all your old, unwanted electronic stuff in the trash. However, old computers and their related peripherals contain a lot of heavy metals—lead, cadmium, mercury—that are <a href="http://www.techhive.com/article/2023547/the-dirty-and-dangerous-side-of-tech.html" style="color:rgb(37,167,215)" target="_self">bad for people's health when they get into the soil and water</a>. In addition, when old electronics hit the trash heap, they're out of a recycling stream that can cut the energy costs for production of future electronics.</p> <p style="line-height:1.7em;margin:0px 0px 0.7em">But if the environmental concerns don't grab you, consider the business benefits to recycling electronics: According to the<a href="http://www.ilsr.org/recycling-means-business/" style="color:rgb(37,167,215)" target="_blank">Institute for Local Self-Reliance</a>, compared to disposal, computer reuse created 296 jobs per every 10,000 tons of material disposed of each year. The <a href="http://www.electronicstakeback.com/home/" style="color:rgb(37,167,215)" target="_blank">Electronics TakeBack Coalition</a> estimates that the U.S. generates approximately 1.7 million tons of electronic waste annually—so imagine the job potential that's still there. And if those arguments don't sway you, maybe the long arm of the law can: It's <a href="http://www.electronicsrecycling.org/public/ContentPage.aspx?pageid=14" style="color:rgb(37,167,215)" target="_blank">illegal in 25 U.S. states to simply trash your old electronics</a>.</p> <p style="line-height:1.7em;margin:0px 0px 0.7em">Now, don't you want to avoid breaking the law? Don't you also want to employ people and keep the planet clean by recycling your old stuff? Of course you do, so let's get started.</p> <h2 style="font-family:ff-enzo-web,sans-serif;margin-top:1em;margin-bottom:0.25em">Before you get rid of any of your electronics</h2><p style="line-height:1.7em;margin:0px 0px 0.7em">The first step on your recycling journey: Make sure that none of your personal data will be leaving the house along with your soon-to-be-discarded electronics. As a bare minimum, make sure you do the following:</p> <a class="zoom cboxElement" href="http://images.techhive.com/images/article/2013/04/itunes-deauthorize-new-100034059-orig.png" style="color:rgb(37,167,215)"><img alt="" border="0" height="154" src="http://images.techhive.com/images/article/2013/04/itunes-deauthorize-new-100034059-small.png" style="box-sizing: border-box; border-width: 0px; vertical-align: middle; width: auto; height: auto; max-width: 100%; float: left;" width="140"></a>Don't forget the little things like deauthorizing iTunes-running computers, for example.<p style="line-height:1.7em;margin:0px 0px 0.7em"> If you're using Apple's iTunes to manage your digital music and video, be sure you<a href="http://www.macworld.com/article/1167523/deauthorizing_the_itunes_account_on_an_old_computer.html" style="color:rgb(37,167,215)" target="_self">deauthorize any device you're recycling</a>. "But that computer is dead" is no excuse: Apple expects you to simply deauthorize all your devices via the iTunes app, then reauthorize the ones that are still alive (and hanging around after the purge). Note that the "deauthorize all" option works only once a year, so use it wisely.</p> <p style="line-height:1.7em;margin:0px 0px 0.7em">If you're recycling a smartphone, do a complete reset of your phone to wipe out its data and restore it to its factory settings. Before you do this, however, make sure that you've got your data backed up someplace else, and that you've double-checked the manufacturer's instructions on how to reset your phone.</p> <p style="line-height:1.7em;margin:0px 0px 0.7em">If you're recycling a computer or a hard drive, don't just assume that deleting files will wipe the data off your system, because it won't. All it does is reformat the space on the drive, and the data can be snagged using tools designed for disaster recovery.</p> <q style="quotes:none;background-image:url(http://csmb.staticworld.net/images/furniture/techhive/icn-pullquote-th.png);color:rgb(217,115,39);font-size:24px;padding-top:5px;padding-bottom:10px;padding-left:85px;display:block;font-family:ff-enzo-web,sans-serif;background-repeat:no-repeat no-repeat">In 2003, graduate students at MIT were able to pull more than 5000 credit card numbers, personal and corporate financial records, and medical records from so-called "wiped" drives</q><p style="line-height:1.7em;margin:0px 0px 0.7em"> You need to get a disk-wiping program, preferably one that meets the <a href="http://www.doncio.navy.mil/ContentView.aspx?id=4138" style="color:rgb(37,167,215)" target="_blank">U.S. Department of Defense's Media Sanitation Guidelines</a>, and you need to set aside a few hours. What a good disk-wiping program will do is write all sorts of data on your hard disk multiple times, effectively obscuring your original data with newer, nonpersonal stuff. This takes some time, so don't procrastinate and leave it to the morning of your planned recycling run.</p> <p style="line-height:1.7em;margin:0px 0px 0.7em">Mac users looking for disk-wiping programs can use Apple's built-in Disk Utility, or they can cough up $25 for Mireth Technology's <a href="http://www.mireth.com/pub/sxme.html" style="color:rgb(37,167,215)" target="_blank">ShredIt X</a>. Windows users on a budget can erase their drives using the free<a href="http://www.pcworld.com/article/2024250/review-eraser-removes-files-safely-and-permanently.html" style="color:rgb(37,167,215)" target="_self">Eraser 6.0.10</a>.</p> <p style="line-height:1.7em;margin:0px 0px 0.7em">If you're tempted to skip this step, consider this: In 2003, <a href="http://web.mit.edu/newsoffice/2003/diskdrives-0129.html" style="color:rgb(37,167,215)" target="_blank">graduate students at MIT</a> bought 158 used hard drives—approximately 60 percent of them reformatted and 45 percent with no files on them at all—and they were able to pull more 5000 credit card numbers, personal and corporate financial records, and medical records from these "wiped" drives. While the odds of a graduate student at an elite technical university pulling your personal data off that old MacBook and using it for evildoing are low, why not make them even lower? (Some people recommend physically drilling holes in hard-drive platters, but even that may not be enough.)</p> <p style="line-height:1.7em;margin:0px 0px 0.7em">If you're recycling a digital camera and its attendant memory card, you'll need to wipe the card too. The best way to do this is to stick any memory card back in the camera and use the camera's built-in "format card" option to wipe the memory card clean of all data.</p> <p style="line-height:1.7em;margin:0px 0px 0.7em">If you're getting rid of memory sticks, USB flash drives, and other small storage drives, reformat the drive, preferably with a disk-writing program. Remember, throwing out files doesn't delete the data.</p> <p style="line-height:1.7em;margin:0px 0px 0.7em">If you're getting rid of old printers, scanners, or fax machines, you'll need to purge the appliance's memory. The good news is, most consumer-grade printers, scanners, and fax machines don't have internal hard drives. (Most of the time, the document you're printing or scanning is stored in RAM in the appliance's hardware.) All you have to do is disconnect your appliance from any computer, and then turn it on and go through the settings until you find the option to reset everything to factory settings. That should flush out any residual data or personal information like your fax number.</p> <h2 style="font-family:ff-enzo-web,sans-serif;margin-top:1em;margin-bottom:0.25em">Now, on to recycling</h2><p style="line-height:1.7em;margin:0px 0px 0.7em">Broadly speaking, you have three recycling options: You can drop off your unwanted stuff in person somewhere; you can ship it away; or you can donate it to a willing organization.</p> <p style="line-height:1.7em;margin:0px 0px 0.7em"><strong style>Drop it off in person.</strong> The advantage to dropping off your gear is that you don't need to really plan ahead and print out prepaid labels (as you would if you were shipping things away); you just toss your stuff in the car and go. Several national retail chains have set up recycling options for everything from batteries to toner cartridges to mobile phones. Below, some of the most ubiquitous:</p> <p style="line-height:1.7em;margin:0px 0px 0.7em">You can bring your old iPod to any Apple Retail Store and get 10 percent off a new one. (Note: this does not apply to iPod shuffles).</p><a class="zoom cboxElement" href="http://images.techhive.com/images/article/2013/04/ewaste-greenpeace-100033839-orig.jpg" style="color:rgb(37,167,215)"><img alt="" border="0" height="386" src="http://images.techhive.com/images/article/2013/04/ewaste-greenpeace-100033839-large.jpg" style="box-sizing: border-box; border-width: 0px; vertical-align: middle; width: auto; height: auto; max-width: 100%; float: left;" width="580"></a><small class="credit" style="font-size:9px;text-align:center;text-transform:uppercase;display:block;float:left;background-image:url(http://csmb.staticworld.net/images/furniture/techhive/backgroundwhite70.png);color:rgb(51,51,51);padding:1px 3px 2px;background-repeat:initial initial">GREENPEACE</small>If you thought computers from the late 1990s were ugly on the desktop, wait til you see several thousand of them in a landfill.<p style="line-height:1.7em;margin:0px 0px 0.7em"> Dell has set up a printer recycling program in conjunction with the office supply chain Staples, where you can <a href="http://www.dell.com/Learn/us/en/uscorp1/corp-comm/recycling-inktoner-us?c=us&l=en&s=corp&cs=uscorp1&delphi:gr=true" style="color:rgb(37,167,215)" target="_blank">drop off Dell-branded used ink and toner cartridges at participating locations</a>. The program is free. (Staples takes any brand of empty ink and toner cartridge through <a href="http://www.staples.com/sbd/cre/marketing/easy-on-the-planet/recycling-and-eco-services.html" style="color:rgb(37,167,215)" target="_blank">its own recycling program</a>—and you'll even get back $2 in Staples rewards for each cartridge you recycle.)</p> <p style="line-height:1.7em;margin:0px 0px 0.7em">Hewlett-Packard has also partnered with Staples as a <a href="http://www8.hp.com/us/en/hp-information/environment/computer-hardware-recycling.html" style="color:rgb(37,167,215)" target="_blank">drop-off point for its old computing equipment and printer cartridges</a>. Again, you can drop off your old equipment for free.</p> <p style="line-height:1.7em;margin:0px 0px 0.7em">Acer works with Best Buy's in-store recycling program. Check <a href="http://us.acer.com/ac/en/US/content/recycling-pc" style="color:rgb(37,167,215)" target="_blank">Acer's website</a> to see what programs the computer manufacturer offers in your state.</p> <p style="line-height:1.7em;margin:0px 0px 0.7em">Some large chains have recycling programs as well. <a href="http://www.officemax.com/storelocator/storeLocatorHome.jsp" style="color:rgb(37,167,215)" target="_blank">OfficeMax</a>, for example, will take your old printer/toner cartridges, as will<a href="http://www.walgreens.com/storelocator/find.jsp?tab=store%20locator&requestType=locator" style="color:rgb(37,167,215)" target="_blank">Walgreens</a>.</p> <p style="line-height:1.7em;margin:0px 0px 0.7em">Finally, who among us doesn't have a <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Rat_king_%28folklore%29" style="color:rgb(37,167,215)" target="_blank">ratking</a> of cables that you've been holding on to since the Clinton administration? Happily, most electronics recycling places will take any and all cables you have, as well, because the cables have copper that can be stripped out. If you really want to brighten the day of whoever is stuck dealing with your cables, take the time to untangle them, sort them by size, and use twist ties to make compact little bundles of each cable.</p> <p style="line-height:1.7em;margin:0px 0px 0.7em">You've also got the option of dropping off your unwanted stuff at a local recycling center. <a href="http://www.lgrecyclingprogram.com/" style="color:rgb(37,167,215)" target="_blank">LG</a>, <a href="http://store.sony.com/webapp/wcs/stores/servlet/CategoryDisplay?catalogId=10551&storeId=10151&langId=-1&identifier=S_eCycle_Locator" style="color:rgb(37,167,215)" target="_blank">Sony</a>, and<a href="http://us.toshiba.com/green/reuse-and-recycling" style="color:rgb(37,167,215)" target="_blank">Toshiba</a> all provide location-based lookups for electronics recycling centers that take their wares. You can also find one through <a href="http://e-stewards.org/find-a-recycler/" style="color:rgb(37,167,215)" target="_blank">eStewards</a>, or <a href="http://greenergadgets.org/" style="color:rgb(37,167,215)" target="_blank">Greener Gadgets</a>. When you do find a center, call ahead and ask the following questions:</p> <ul style="margin:1em 0px;padding:0px 0px 0px 40px"><li style="line-height:1.45em">Do you accept electronic devices from individuals, or do you work only with businesses?</li><li style="line-height:1.45em">What are your policies on destroying personal data that may still be on used computers or cell phones?</li> <li style="line-height:1.45em">Do you destroy storage media?</li><li style="line-height:1.45em">Can I get a record of the methods used on my old electronics?</li><li style="line-height:1.45em">What environmental management guidelines do you follow?</li> <li style="line-height:1.45em">What percentage of the materials you collect are recycled and what percentage is disposed?</li><li style="line-height:1.45em">What fees will you charge for disposing of computer monitors? Televisions? Or do you charge a flat fee for a carload of items? (The first time I used a recycling center, 11 years ago, I paid $35 to get rid of two laptops. That experience made me appreciate the free programs set up by manufacturers.)</li> </ul><a class="zoom cboxElement" href="http://images.techhive.com/images/article/2013/04/typical-recycling-fundraiser-flyer-100033838-orig.jpg" style="color:rgb(37,167,215)"><img alt="" border="0" height="187" src="http://images.techhive.com/images/article/2013/04/typical-recycling-fundraiser-flyer-100033838-medium.jpg" style="box-sizing: border-box; border-width: 0px; vertical-align: middle; width: auto; height: auto; max-width: 100%; float: left;" width="300"></a>A local recycler-as-fundraiser program typically takes the kinds of small electronics found around the house, but won't take televisions or other appliances.<p style="line-height:1.7em;margin:0px 0px 0.7em"> A third option that's cropping up across the U.S. is the electronics recycling fundraiser. You'll often see schools or civic groups doing these, where a coordinating group, such as a middle-school orchestra's booster club, charges a nominal fee of $25 or so for all the electronics you care to drop off. The advantage here is that you don't have to go chasing all over the place to drop off your stuff. The disadvantage is that Lincoln Middle School's first clarinet chair may do a great job hustling your old printer cartridges out of your car trunk, but she probably can't tell you whether there's a decent data-management policy in place at the recycling endpoint.</p> <p style="line-height:1.7em;margin:0px 0px 0.7em"><strong style>Ship it away.</strong> The Web is chockablock with sites that promise to pay you cash money for your old junk. Some manufacturers and retailers have gotten in on the game too. Apple, for example—working in conjunction with <a href="http://poweron.com/" style="color:rgb(37,167,215)" target="_blank">PowerOn Services</a>—promises a <a href="http://www.apple.com/recycling/gift-card/" style="color:rgb(37,167,215)" target="_blank">gift card with whatever cash value your old computers, iPhones, or iPads had</a>. (And if your gear doesn't qualify, it'll recycle them for you at no charge.)</p> <a class="zoom cboxElement" href="http://images.techhive.com/images/article/2013/04/apple-recycle-100033840-orig.png" style="color:rgb(37,167,215)"><img alt="" border="0" height="314" src="http://images.techhive.com/images/article/2013/04/apple-recycle-100033840-large.png" style="box-sizing: border-box; border-width: 0px; vertical-align: middle; width: auto; height: auto; max-width: 100%; float: left;" width="580"></a>Apple will take all sorts of your old gear.<p style="line-height:1.7em;margin:0px 0px 0.7em"> Other tech vendors provide free shipping and hassle-free recycling: Dell's mailback program provides a<a href="http://www.dell.com/Learn/us/en/uscorp1/corp-comm/GetFreeAt-HomePickup" style="color:rgb(37,167,215)" target="_blank">prepaid mailing label and a pickup by FedEx to whisk away your old PCs</a>. Motorola will foot the bill if you want to <a href="http://responsibility.motorola.com/index.php/environment/products/recycling/htrmp/USrecycling/" style="color:rgb(37,167,215)" target="_blank">send it any brand of mobile phone, tablet, or accessory</a> and it'll recycle its branded cordless phones, modems, and routers for free.</p> <p style="line-height:1.7em;margin:0px 0px 0.7em">Other major brands that will provide prepaid mailing labels to recycle their old products include <a href="http://us.blackberry.com/recycle.html" style="color:rgb(37,167,215)" target="_blank">BlackBerry</a>,<a href="http://www8.hp.com/us/en/hp-information/environment/computer-hardware-recycling.html" style="color:rgb(37,167,215)" target="_blank">Hewlett-Packard</a>, <a href="http://portal.aerccr.com/TRCS/RequestMailback.aspx?f=104632" style="color:rgb(37,167,215)" target="_blank">Lenovo</a>, and<a href="https://www.trade-in.vzw.com/home.aspx" style="color:rgb(37,167,215)" target="_blank">Verizon Wireless</a>.</p> <p style="line-height:1.7em;margin:0px 0px 0.7em">If you just want to toss everything in one giant box and never think of it again, check out the services<a href="http://www.greendisk.com/" style="color:rgb(37,167,215)" target="_blank">GreenDisk</a> offers. It'll recycle <a href="http://www.greendisk.com/gdsite/accept.aspx" style="color:rgb(37,167,215)" target="_blank">almost anything</a> (but draws the line at electric toothbrushes). Note that this convenience does not come free—getting rid of your Jurassic monitor starts at $35.</p> <p style="line-height:1.7em;margin:0px 0px 0.7em"><strong style>Donate it.</strong> If your older gear is still in working order, you may want to think about giving it away instead of sending it on its way to its next life. But before you make plans to gift your local preschool with a <a href="http://www.everymac.com/systems/apple/mac_performa/specs/mac_performa_6115cd.html" style="color:rgb(37,167,215)" target="_blank">Performa 6115</a>, stop and consider whether your donation is going to be useful to any given organization. Phones, computers, and printers that don't work aren't going to magically fire up once they've been tossed in the Goodwill bin; if you can recycle them on your own, do it and save the folks at the nonprofits the effort.</p> <p style="line-height:1.7em;margin:0px 0px 0.7em">If you have relatively modern, working electronics and you want to get them into the hands of people who can use them, start with the<a href="http://www.cristina.org/" style="color:rgb(37,167,215)" target="_blank">Cristina Foundation</a>, which matches donors of used computers and other electronic hardware to select a local charity or school in their area of the country. Another organization to consider is the <a href="http://www.worldcomputerexchange.org/gear-we-can-use" style="color:rgb(37,167,215)" target="_blank">World Computer Exchange</a>, which sells low-cost refurbished desktop computers and peripherals available to developing countries.</p> <p style="line-height:1.7em;margin:0px 0px 0.7em">There's also a crop of charities seeking to pass along mobile phones to people who desperately need them—groups such as the <a href="http://www.ncadv.org/takeaction/DonateaPhone.php#labelsandsupplies" style="color:rgb(37,167,215)" target="_blank">National Coalition Against Domestic Violence</a>,<a href="http://aboutus.verizonwireless.com/commitment/community_programs/hopeline/" style="color:rgb(37,167,215)" target="_blank">HopeLine</a>, <a href="http://www.cellphonesforsoldiers.com/" style="color:rgb(37,167,215)" target="_blank">Cellphones for Soldiers</a>,<a href="http://www.operationgratitude.com/" style="color:rgb(37,167,215)" target="_blank">Operation Gratitude</a>, <a href="http://hopephones.org/about/" style="color:rgb(37,167,215)" target="_blank">Hope Phones</a>,<a href="http://www.securethecall.org/" style="color:rgb(37,167,215)" target="_blank">Secure the Call</a>, and the <a href="http://911cellphonebank.org/" style="color:rgb(37,167,215)" target="_blank">911 Cell Phone Bank</a>.</p> <p style="line-height:1.7em;margin:0px 0px 0.7em">And keep in mind that if you're giving to a registered nonprofit organization, you may get some tax benefits from your donation (you'll need a receipt with the company's Tax ID on it).</p> </span>

Recycle your old tech gear

In springtime, people's fancies may turn to love, but their to-do list turns to cleaning. Make this the year that you finally recycle ...

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Recycle your old tech gear

<div class="imageContainer580xX" style="width:320px;height:auto;clear:both;margin:auto;color:rgb(34,34,34);font-family:'Helvetica Neue',Arial,sans-serif;font-size:14px;line-height:19px"><img class="largeImage imgId100033842 " itemprop="image" src="http://zapt3.staticworld.net/images/article/2013/04/recycle-man-100033842-large.jpg" style="box-sizing: border-box; border-width: 0px; vertical-align: middle; width: 320px; max-width: 100%;"></div> <div class="department" style="margin:0px 0px 10px;overflow:hidden"><a class="topCatLink" href="http://www.techhive.com/category/computers-all" style="color:rgb(215,114,39);float:left;font-family:ff-enzo-web,sans-serif;font-weight:700;text-transform:uppercase;margin-right:5px"><span style="line-height:1.7em;color:rgb(34,34,34);font-family:'Helvetica Neue',Arial,sans-serif">In springtime, people's fancies may turn to love, but their to-do list turns to cleaning. Make this the year that you finally recycle all the ancient MP3 players, toner cartridges, ethernet cables, and bulky monitors out of the closets, garages, and spare rooms where they've been lurking. Your home will feel more modern, and you'll be doing your part to boost the 27 percent electronics recycling rate in the U.S.—just in time for another spring constant, Earth Day.</span><br> </a></div><span itemprop="articleBody description text" style><a class="zoom cboxElement" href="http://images.techhive.com/images/article/2013/04/what_is_e-waste-100033841-orig.png" style="color:rgb(37,167,215)"><img alt="" border="0" height="731" src="http://images.techhive.com/images/article/2013/04/what_is_e-waste-100033841-medium.png" style="box-sizing: border-box; border-width: 0px; vertical-align: middle; width: auto; height: auto; max-width: 100%; float: left;" width="300"></a>Half of all electronic waste is linked to consumer electronics.<h2 style="font-family:ff-enzo-web,sans-serif;margin-top:1em;margin-bottom:0.25em"> Why recycle at all?</h2><p style="line-height:1.7em;margin:0px 0px 0.7em">Sure, it would be easier just to dump all your old, unwanted electronic stuff in the trash. However, old computers and their related peripherals contain a lot of heavy metals—lead, cadmium, mercury—that are <a href="http://www.techhive.com/article/2023547/the-dirty-and-dangerous-side-of-tech.html" style="color:rgb(37,167,215)" target="_self">bad for people's health when they get into the soil and water</a>. In addition, when old electronics hit the trash heap, they're out of a recycling stream that can cut the energy costs for production of future electronics.</p> <p style="line-height:1.7em;margin:0px 0px 0.7em">But if the environmental concerns don't grab you, consider the business benefits to recycling electronics: According to the<a href="http://www.ilsr.org/recycling-means-business/" style="color:rgb(37,167,215)" target="_blank">Institute for Local Self-Reliance</a>, compared to disposal, computer reuse created 296 jobs per every 10,000 tons of material disposed of each year. The <a href="http://www.electronicstakeback.com/home/" style="color:rgb(37,167,215)" target="_blank">Electronics TakeBack Coalition</a> estimates that the U.S. generates approximately 1.7 million tons of electronic waste annually—so imagine the job potential that's still there. And if those arguments don't sway you, maybe the long arm of the law can: It's <a href="http://www.electronicsrecycling.org/public/ContentPage.aspx?pageid=14" style="color:rgb(37,167,215)" target="_blank">illegal in 25 U.S. states to simply trash your old electronics</a>.</p> <p style="line-height:1.7em;margin:0px 0px 0.7em">Now, don't you want to avoid breaking the law? Don't you also want to employ people and keep the planet clean by recycling your old stuff? Of course you do, so let's get started.</p> <h2 style="font-family:ff-enzo-web,sans-serif;margin-top:1em;margin-bottom:0.25em">Before you get rid of any of your electronics</h2><p style="line-height:1.7em;margin:0px 0px 0.7em">The first step on your recycling journey: Make sure that none of your personal data will be leaving the house along with your soon-to-be-discarded electronics. As a bare minimum, make sure you do the following:</p> <a class="zoom cboxElement" href="http://images.techhive.com/images/article/2013/04/itunes-deauthorize-new-100034059-orig.png" style="color:rgb(37,167,215)"><img alt="" border="0" height="154" src="http://images.techhive.com/images/article/2013/04/itunes-deauthorize-new-100034059-small.png" style="box-sizing: border-box; border-width: 0px; vertical-align: middle; width: auto; height: auto; max-width: 100%; float: left;" width="140"></a>Don't forget the little things like deauthorizing iTunes-running computers, for example.<p style="line-height:1.7em;margin:0px 0px 0.7em"> If you're using Apple's iTunes to manage your digital music and video, be sure you<a href="http://www.macworld.com/article/1167523/deauthorizing_the_itunes_account_on_an_old_computer.html" style="color:rgb(37,167,215)" target="_self">deauthorize any device you're recycling</a>. "But that computer is dead" is no excuse: Apple expects you to simply deauthorize all your devices via the iTunes app, then reauthorize the ones that are still alive (and hanging around after the purge). Note that the "deauthorize all" option works only once a year, so use it wisely.</p> <p style="line-height:1.7em;margin:0px 0px 0.7em">If you're recycling a smartphone, do a complete reset of your phone to wipe out its data and restore it to its factory settings. Before you do this, however, make sure that you've got your data backed up someplace else, and that you've double-checked the manufacturer's instructions on how to reset your phone.</p> <p style="line-height:1.7em;margin:0px 0px 0.7em">If you're recycling a computer or a hard drive, don't just assume that deleting files will wipe the data off your system, because it won't. All it does is reformat the space on the drive, and the data can be snagged using tools designed for disaster recovery.</p> <q style="quotes:none;background-image:url(http://csmb.staticworld.net/images/furniture/techhive/icn-pullquote-th.png);color:rgb(217,115,39);font-size:24px;padding-top:5px;padding-bottom:10px;padding-left:85px;display:block;font-family:ff-enzo-web,sans-serif;background-repeat:no-repeat no-repeat">In 2003, graduate students at MIT were able to pull more than 5000 credit card numbers, personal and corporate financial records, and medical records from so-called "wiped" drives</q><p style="line-height:1.7em;margin:0px 0px 0.7em"> You need to get a disk-wiping program, preferably one that meets the <a href="http://www.doncio.navy.mil/ContentView.aspx?id=4138" style="color:rgb(37,167,215)" target="_blank">U.S. Department of Defense's Media Sanitation Guidelines</a>, and you need to set aside a few hours. What a good disk-wiping program will do is write all sorts of data on your hard disk multiple times, effectively obscuring your original data with newer, nonpersonal stuff. This takes some time, so don't procrastinate and leave it to the morning of your planned recycling run.</p> <p style="line-height:1.7em;margin:0px 0px 0.7em">Mac users looking for disk-wiping programs can use Apple's built-in Disk Utility, or they can cough up $25 for Mireth Technology's <a href="http://www.mireth.com/pub/sxme.html" style="color:rgb(37,167,215)" target="_blank">ShredIt X</a>. Windows users on a budget can erase their drives using the free<a href="http://www.pcworld.com/article/2024250/review-eraser-removes-files-safely-and-permanently.html" style="color:rgb(37,167,215)" target="_self">Eraser 6.0.10</a>.</p> <p style="line-height:1.7em;margin:0px 0px 0.7em">If you're tempted to skip this step, consider this: In 2003, <a href="http://web.mit.edu/newsoffice/2003/diskdrives-0129.html" style="color:rgb(37,167,215)" target="_blank">graduate students at MIT</a> bought 158 used hard drives—approximately 60 percent of them reformatted and 45 percent with no files on them at all—and they were able to pull more 5000 credit card numbers, personal and corporate financial records, and medical records from these "wiped" drives. While the odds of a graduate student at an elite technical university pulling your personal data off that old MacBook and using it for evildoing are low, why not make them even lower? (Some people recommend physically drilling holes in hard-drive platters, but even that may not be enough.)</p> <p style="line-height:1.7em;margin:0px 0px 0.7em">If you're recycling a digital camera and its attendant memory card, you'll need to wipe the card too. The best way to do this is to stick any memory card back in the camera and use the camera's built-in "format card" option to wipe the memory card clean of all data.</p> <p style="line-height:1.7em;margin:0px 0px 0.7em">If you're getting rid of memory sticks, USB flash drives, and other small storage drives, reformat the drive, preferably with a disk-writing program. Remember, throwing out files doesn't delete the data.</p> <p style="line-height:1.7em;margin:0px 0px 0.7em">If you're getting rid of old printers, scanners, or fax machines, you'll need to purge the appliance's memory. The good news is, most consumer-grade printers, scanners, and fax machines don't have internal hard drives. (Most of the time, the document you're printing or scanning is stored in RAM in the appliance's hardware.) All you have to do is disconnect your appliance from any computer, and then turn it on and go through the settings until you find the option to reset everything to factory settings. That should flush out any residual data or personal information like your fax number.</p> <h2 style="font-family:ff-enzo-web,sans-serif;margin-top:1em;margin-bottom:0.25em">Now, on to recycling</h2><p style="line-height:1.7em;margin:0px 0px 0.7em">Broadly speaking, you have three recycling options: You can drop off your unwanted stuff in person somewhere; you can ship it away; or you can donate it to a willing organization.</p> <p style="line-height:1.7em;margin:0px 0px 0.7em"><strong style>Drop it off in person.</strong> The advantage to dropping off your gear is that you don't need to really plan ahead and print out prepaid labels (as you would if you were shipping things away); you just toss your stuff in the car and go. Several national retail chains have set up recycling options for everything from batteries to toner cartridges to mobile phones. Below, some of the most ubiquitous:</p> <p style="line-height:1.7em;margin:0px 0px 0.7em">You can bring your old iPod to any Apple Retail Store and get 10 percent off a new one. (Note: this does not apply to iPod shuffles).</p><a class="zoom cboxElement" href="http://images.techhive.com/images/article/2013/04/ewaste-greenpeace-100033839-orig.jpg" style="color:rgb(37,167,215)"><img alt="" border="0" height="386" src="http://images.techhive.com/images/article/2013/04/ewaste-greenpeace-100033839-large.jpg" style="box-sizing: border-box; border-width: 0px; vertical-align: middle; width: auto; height: auto; max-width: 100%; float: left;" width="580"></a><small class="credit" style="font-size:9px;text-align:center;text-transform:uppercase;display:block;float:left;background-image:url(http://csmb.staticworld.net/images/furniture/techhive/backgroundwhite70.png);color:rgb(51,51,51);padding:1px 3px 2px;background-repeat:initial initial">GREENPEACE</small>If you thought computers from the late 1990s were ugly on the desktop, wait til you see several thousand of them in a landfill.<p style="line-height:1.7em;margin:0px 0px 0.7em"> Dell has set up a printer recycling program in conjunction with the office supply chain Staples, where you can <a href="http://www.dell.com/Learn/us/en/uscorp1/corp-comm/recycling-inktoner-us?c=us&l=en&s=corp&cs=uscorp1&delphi:gr=true" style="color:rgb(37,167,215)" target="_blank">drop off Dell-branded used ink and toner cartridges at participating locations</a>. The program is free. (Staples takes any brand of empty ink and toner cartridge through <a href="http://www.staples.com/sbd/cre/marketing/easy-on-the-planet/recycling-and-eco-services.html" style="color:rgb(37,167,215)" target="_blank">its own recycling program</a>—and you'll even get back $2 in Staples rewards for each cartridge you recycle.)</p> <p style="line-height:1.7em;margin:0px 0px 0.7em">Hewlett-Packard has also partnered with Staples as a <a href="http://www8.hp.com/us/en/hp-information/environment/computer-hardware-recycling.html" style="color:rgb(37,167,215)" target="_blank">drop-off point for its old computing equipment and printer cartridges</a>. Again, you can drop off your old equipment for free.</p> <p style="line-height:1.7em;margin:0px 0px 0.7em">Acer works with Best Buy's in-store recycling program. Check <a href="http://us.acer.com/ac/en/US/content/recycling-pc" style="color:rgb(37,167,215)" target="_blank">Acer's website</a> to see what programs the computer manufacturer offers in your state.</p> <p style="line-height:1.7em;margin:0px 0px 0.7em">Some large chains have recycling programs as well. <a href="http://www.officemax.com/storelocator/storeLocatorHome.jsp" style="color:rgb(37,167,215)" target="_blank">OfficeMax</a>, for example, will take your old printer/toner cartridges, as will<a href="http://www.walgreens.com/storelocator/find.jsp?tab=store%20locator&requestType=locator" style="color:rgb(37,167,215)" target="_blank">Walgreens</a>.</p> <p style="line-height:1.7em;margin:0px 0px 0.7em">Finally, who among us doesn't have a <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Rat_king_%28folklore%29" style="color:rgb(37,167,215)" target="_blank">ratking</a> of cables that you've been holding on to since the Clinton administration? Happily, most electronics recycling places will take any and all cables you have, as well, because the cables have copper that can be stripped out. If you really want to brighten the day of whoever is stuck dealing with your cables, take the time to untangle them, sort them by size, and use twist ties to make compact little bundles of each cable.</p> <p style="line-height:1.7em;margin:0px 0px 0.7em">You've also got the option of dropping off your unwanted stuff at a local recycling center. <a href="http://www.lgrecyclingprogram.com/" style="color:rgb(37,167,215)" target="_blank">LG</a>, <a href="http://store.sony.com/webapp/wcs/stores/servlet/CategoryDisplay?catalogId=10551&storeId=10151&langId=-1&identifier=S_eCycle_Locator" style="color:rgb(37,167,215)" target="_blank">Sony</a>, and<a href="http://us.toshiba.com/green/reuse-and-recycling" style="color:rgb(37,167,215)" target="_blank">Toshiba</a> all provide location-based lookups for electronics recycling centers that take their wares. You can also find one through <a href="http://e-stewards.org/find-a-recycler/" style="color:rgb(37,167,215)" target="_blank">eStewards</a>, or <a href="http://greenergadgets.org/" style="color:rgb(37,167,215)" target="_blank">Greener Gadgets</a>. When you do find a center, call ahead and ask the following questions:</p> <ul style="margin:1em 0px;padding:0px 0px 0px 40px"><li style="line-height:1.45em">Do you accept electronic devices from individuals, or do you work only with businesses?</li><li style="line-height:1.45em">What are your policies on destroying personal data that may still be on used computers or cell phones?</li> <li style="line-height:1.45em">Do you destroy storage media?</li><li style="line-height:1.45em">Can I get a record of the methods used on my old electronics?</li><li style="line-height:1.45em">What environmental management guidelines do you follow?</li> <li style="line-height:1.45em">What percentage of the materials you collect are recycled and what percentage is disposed?</li><li style="line-height:1.45em">What fees will you charge for disposing of computer monitors? Televisions? Or do you charge a flat fee for a carload of items? (The first time I used a recycling center, 11 years ago, I paid $35 to get rid of two laptops. That experience made me appreciate the free programs set up by manufacturers.)</li> </ul><a class="zoom cboxElement" href="http://images.techhive.com/images/article/2013/04/typical-recycling-fundraiser-flyer-100033838-orig.jpg" style="color:rgb(37,167,215)"><img alt="" border="0" height="187" src="http://images.techhive.com/images/article/2013/04/typical-recycling-fundraiser-flyer-100033838-medium.jpg" style="box-sizing: border-box; border-width: 0px; vertical-align: middle; width: auto; height: auto; max-width: 100%; float: left;" width="300"></a>A local recycler-as-fundraiser program typically takes the kinds of small electronics found around the house, but won't take televisions or other appliances.<p style="line-height:1.7em;margin:0px 0px 0.7em"> A third option that's cropping up across the U.S. is the electronics recycling fundraiser. You'll often see schools or civic groups doing these, where a coordinating group, such as a middle-school orchestra's booster club, charges a nominal fee of $25 or so for all the electronics you care to drop off. The advantage here is that you don't have to go chasing all over the place to drop off your stuff. The disadvantage is that Lincoln Middle School's first clarinet chair may do a great job hustling your old printer cartridges out of your car trunk, but she probably can't tell you whether there's a decent data-management policy in place at the recycling endpoint.</p> <p style="line-height:1.7em;margin:0px 0px 0.7em"><strong style>Ship it away.</strong> The Web is chockablock with sites that promise to pay you cash money for your old junk. Some manufacturers and retailers have gotten in on the game too. Apple, for example—working in conjunction with <a href="http://poweron.com/" style="color:rgb(37,167,215)" target="_blank">PowerOn Services</a>—promises a <a href="http://www.apple.com/recycling/gift-card/" style="color:rgb(37,167,215)" target="_blank">gift card with whatever cash value your old computers, iPhones, or iPads had</a>. (And if your gear doesn't qualify, it'll recycle them for you at no charge.)</p> <a class="zoom cboxElement" href="http://images.techhive.com/images/article/2013/04/apple-recycle-100033840-orig.png" style="color:rgb(37,167,215)"><img alt="" border="0" height="314" src="http://images.techhive.com/images/article/2013/04/apple-recycle-100033840-large.png" style="box-sizing: border-box; border-width: 0px; vertical-align: middle; width: auto; height: auto; max-width: 100%; float: left;" width="580"></a>Apple will take all sorts of your old gear.<p style="line-height:1.7em;margin:0px 0px 0.7em"> Other tech vendors provide free shipping and hassle-free recycling: Dell's mailback program provides a<a href="http://www.dell.com/Learn/us/en/uscorp1/corp-comm/GetFreeAt-HomePickup" style="color:rgb(37,167,215)" target="_blank">prepaid mailing label and a pickup by FedEx to whisk away your old PCs</a>. Motorola will foot the bill if you want to <a href="http://responsibility.motorola.com/index.php/environment/products/recycling/htrmp/USrecycling/" style="color:rgb(37,167,215)" target="_blank">send it any brand of mobile phone, tablet, or accessory</a> and it'll recycle its branded cordless phones, modems, and routers for free.</p> <p style="line-height:1.7em;margin:0px 0px 0.7em">Other major brands that will provide prepaid mailing labels to recycle their old products include <a href="http://us.blackberry.com/recycle.html" style="color:rgb(37,167,215)" target="_blank">BlackBerry</a>,<a href="http://www8.hp.com/us/en/hp-information/environment/computer-hardware-recycling.html" style="color:rgb(37,167,215)" target="_blank">Hewlett-Packard</a>, <a href="http://portal.aerccr.com/TRCS/RequestMailback.aspx?f=104632" style="color:rgb(37,167,215)" target="_blank">Lenovo</a>, and<a href="https://www.trade-in.vzw.com/home.aspx" style="color:rgb(37,167,215)" target="_blank">Verizon Wireless</a>.</p> <p style="line-height:1.7em;margin:0px 0px 0.7em">If you just want to toss everything in one giant box and never think of it again, check out the services<a href="http://www.greendisk.com/" style="color:rgb(37,167,215)" target="_blank">GreenDisk</a> offers. It'll recycle <a href="http://www.greendisk.com/gdsite/accept.aspx" style="color:rgb(37,167,215)" target="_blank">almost anything</a> (but draws the line at electric toothbrushes). Note that this convenience does not come free—getting rid of your Jurassic monitor starts at $35.</p> <p style="line-height:1.7em;margin:0px 0px 0.7em"><strong style>Donate it.</strong> If your older gear is still in working order, you may want to think about giving it away instead of sending it on its way to its next life. But before you make plans to gift your local preschool with a <a href="http://www.everymac.com/systems/apple/mac_performa/specs/mac_performa_6115cd.html" style="color:rgb(37,167,215)" target="_blank">Performa 6115</a>, stop and consider whether your donation is going to be useful to any given organization. Phones, computers, and printers that don't work aren't going to magically fire up once they've been tossed in the Goodwill bin; if you can recycle them on your own, do it and save the folks at the nonprofits the effort.</p> <p style="line-height:1.7em;margin:0px 0px 0.7em">If you have relatively modern, working electronics and you want to get them into the hands of people who can use them, start with the<a href="http://www.cristina.org/" style="color:rgb(37,167,215)" target="_blank">Cristina Foundation</a>, which matches donors of used computers and other electronic hardware to select a local charity or school in their area of the country. Another organization to consider is the <a href="http://www.worldcomputerexchange.org/gear-we-can-use" style="color:rgb(37,167,215)" target="_blank">World Computer Exchange</a>, which sells low-cost refurbished desktop computers and peripherals available to developing countries.</p> <p style="line-height:1.7em;margin:0px 0px 0.7em">There's also a crop of charities seeking to pass along mobile phones to people who desperately need them—groups such as the <a href="http://www.ncadv.org/takeaction/DonateaPhone.php#labelsandsupplies" style="color:rgb(37,167,215)" target="_blank">National Coalition Against Domestic Violence</a>,<a href="http://aboutus.verizonwireless.com/commitment/community_programs/hopeline/" style="color:rgb(37,167,215)" target="_blank">HopeLine</a>, <a href="http://www.cellphonesforsoldiers.com/" style="color:rgb(37,167,215)" target="_blank">Cellphones for Soldiers</a>,<a href="http://www.operationgratitude.com/" style="color:rgb(37,167,215)" target="_blank">Operation Gratitude</a>, <a href="http://hopephones.org/about/" style="color:rgb(37,167,215)" target="_blank">Hope Phones</a>,<a href="http://www.securethecall.org/" style="color:rgb(37,167,215)" target="_blank">Secure the Call</a>, and the <a href="http://911cellphonebank.org/" style="color:rgb(37,167,215)" target="_blank">911 Cell Phone Bank</a>.</p> <p style="line-height:1.7em;margin:0px 0px 0.7em">And keep in mind that if you're giving to a registered nonprofit organization, you may get some tax benefits from your donation (you'll need a receipt with the company's Tax ID on it).</p> </span>

Recycle your old tech gear

In springtime, people's fancies may turn to love, but their to-do list turns to cleaning. Make this the year that you finally recycle ...

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How to add permanent captions to your photos

<div class="imageContainer580xX" style="width:320px;height:auto;clear:both;margin:auto;color:rgb(34,34,34);font-family:'Helvetica Neue',Arial,sans-serif;font-size:14px;line-height:19px"><img class="largeImage imgId100029462 " itemprop="image" src="http://zapt1.staticworld.net/images/article/2013/03/0328-photo-caption-thumb-100029462-large.jpg" style="box-sizing: border-box; border-width: 0px; vertical-align: middle; width: 320px; max-width: 100%;"></div> <div class="department" style="margin:0px 0px 10px;overflow:hidden"><a class="topCatLink" href="http://www.pcworld.com/category/software-photography" style="color:rgb(172,31,43);float:left;font-family:facitweb,sans-serif;font-size:16px;font-weight:700;text-transform:uppercase;margin-right:5px"><br> </a></div><span itemprop="articleBody description text" style><p style="line-height:1.7em;margin:0px 0px 0.7em">I'm assuming you're saving and sharing those photos as .jpg files. And that gives you an advantage, because jpegs have captions build in as part of the format's <em style>metadata</em>.</p> <p style="line-height:1.7em;margin:0px 0px 0.7em">Metadata is a particular kind of data that explains a file's content, and most file types contain their own metadata fields. For instance, a jpeg's metadata includes the camera model, resolution, the date the photo was taken, and other bits of information. To view and potentially change a file's metadata, right-click it, select <em style>Properties, </em>and click the <em style>Details </em>tab.</p> <p style="line-height:1.7em;margin:0px 0px 0.7em"><br></p><p style="line-height:1.7em;margin:0px 0px 0.7em">If you want to add a caption to a photo, use the jpeg format's Title field--the very first one on that Details tab. Point the mouse cursor to the blank space to the right of the word <em style>Title</em>. A field will appear; click there and type your description.</p> <img alt="" border="0" height="385" src="http://images.techhive.com/images/article/2013/03/0328-windows-explorer-100029466-orig.jpg" style="box-sizing: border-box; border-width: 0px; vertical-align: middle; width: auto; height: auto; max-width: 100%; float: left;" width="600"><p style="line-height:1.7em;margin:0px 0px 0.7em"> If you want to use the same caption for multiple photos, just do that en masse. Select all of the files in question, then do what I described above.</p><p style="line-height:1.7em;margin:0px 0px 0.7em">Both Picasa or Photo Gallery display the contents of the Title field as the photo's caption. And if you give a photo a caption in either of these programs, your words will be saved in the file's Title field. (Photo Gallery will save those words in both the Title and Subject fields.)</p> <img alt="" border="0" height="395" src="http://images.techhive.com/images/article/2013/03/0328-photo-gallery-100029463-large.jpg" style="box-sizing: border-box; border-width: 0px; vertical-align: middle; width: auto; height: auto; max-width: 100%; float: left;" width="580"><p style="line-height:1.7em;margin:0px 0px 0.7em"> If you upload your photos to Flickr, your Title field travels with it, and becomes a caption there, to.</p></span>

How to add permanent captions to your photos

I'm assuming you're saving and sharing those photos as .jpg files. And that gives you an advantage, because jpegs have captions ...

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How to add permanent captions to your photos

<div class="imageContainer580xX" style="width:320px;height:auto;clear:both;margin:auto;color:rgb(34,34,34);font-family:'Helvetica Neue',Arial,sans-serif;font-size:14px;line-height:19px"><img class="largeImage imgId100029462 " itemprop="image" src="http://zapt1.staticworld.net/images/article/2013/03/0328-photo-caption-thumb-100029462-large.jpg" style="box-sizing: border-box; border-width: 0px; vertical-align: middle; width: 320px; max-width: 100%;"></div> <div class="department" style="margin:0px 0px 10px;overflow:hidden"><a class="topCatLink" href="http://www.pcworld.com/category/software-photography" style="color:rgb(172,31,43);float:left;font-family:facitweb,sans-serif;font-size:16px;font-weight:700;text-transform:uppercase;margin-right:5px"><br> </a></div><span itemprop="articleBody description text" style><p style="line-height:1.7em;margin:0px 0px 0.7em">I'm assuming you're saving and sharing those photos as .jpg files. And that gives you an advantage, because jpegs have captions build in as part of the format's <em style>metadata</em>.</p> <p style="line-height:1.7em;margin:0px 0px 0.7em">Metadata is a particular kind of data that explains a file's content, and most file types contain their own metadata fields. For instance, a jpeg's metadata includes the camera model, resolution, the date the photo was taken, and other bits of information. To view and potentially change a file's metadata, right-click it, select <em style>Properties, </em>and click the <em style>Details </em>tab.</p> <p style="line-height:1.7em;margin:0px 0px 0.7em"><br></p><p style="line-height:1.7em;margin:0px 0px 0.7em">If you want to add a caption to a photo, use the jpeg format's Title field--the very first one on that Details tab. Point the mouse cursor to the blank space to the right of the word <em style>Title</em>. A field will appear; click there and type your description.</p> <img alt="" border="0" height="385" src="http://images.techhive.com/images/article/2013/03/0328-windows-explorer-100029466-orig.jpg" style="box-sizing: border-box; border-width: 0px; vertical-align: middle; width: auto; height: auto; max-width: 100%; float: left;" width="600"><p style="line-height:1.7em;margin:0px 0px 0.7em"> If you want to use the same caption for multiple photos, just do that en masse. Select all of the files in question, then do what I described above.</p><p style="line-height:1.7em;margin:0px 0px 0.7em">Both Picasa or Photo Gallery display the contents of the Title field as the photo's caption. And if you give a photo a caption in either of these programs, your words will be saved in the file's Title field. (Photo Gallery will save those words in both the Title and Subject fields.)</p> <img alt="" border="0" height="395" src="http://images.techhive.com/images/article/2013/03/0328-photo-gallery-100029463-large.jpg" style="box-sizing: border-box; border-width: 0px; vertical-align: middle; width: auto; height: auto; max-width: 100%; float: left;" width="580"><p style="line-height:1.7em;margin:0px 0px 0.7em"> If you upload your photos to Flickr, your Title field travels with it, and becomes a caption there, to.</p></span>

How to add permanent captions to your photos

I'm assuming you're saving and sharing those photos as .jpg files. And that gives you an advantage, because jpegs have captions ...

Read more »

How to add permanent captions to your photos, Part 2: Making them visible (and make them in XP)

<div class="imageContainer580xX" style="width:320px;height:auto;clear:both;margin:auto;color:rgb(34,34,34);font-family:'Helvetica Neue',Arial,sans-serif;font-size:14px;line-height:19px"><img class="largeImage imgId100029462 " itemprop="image" src="http://zapt1.staticworld.net/images/article/2013/03/0328-photo-caption-thumb-100029462-large.jpg" style="box-sizing: border-box; border-width: 0px; vertical-align: middle; width: 320px; max-width: 100%;"></div> <div class="department" style="margin:0px 0px 10px;overflow:hidden"><a class="topCatLink" href="http://www.pcworld.com/category/software-photography" style="color:rgb(172,31,43);float:left;font-family:facitweb,sans-serif;font-size:16px;font-weight:700;text-transform:uppercase;margin-right:5px"><br> </a></div><span itemprop="articleBody description text" style><p style="line-height:1.7em;margin:0px 0px 0.7em">Srinivasan was the first of many readers who complained about this, and I have no one to blame but myself. Although I intended to offer a digital equivalent of writing a description on the <em style>back</em> of a printed photo, the image I created to head that article (which also heads this one) suggested something different--the caption as part of the image.</p> <p style="line-height:1.7em;margin:0px 0px 0.7em">So this time, I'm going to talk about making that caption visible. I'll discuss setting up slideshows and screensavers with captioned photos, and inserting the caption into the actual picture.</p> <p style="line-height:1.7em;margin:0px 0px 0.7em"><br></p><a class="zoom cboxElement" href="http://images.techhive.com/images/article/2013/04/0418-xp-100032993-orig.jpg" style="color:rgb(37,167,215)"><img alt="" border="0" height="194" src="http://images.techhive.com/images/article/2013/04/0418-xp-100032993-small.jpg" style="box-sizing: border-box; border-width: 0px; vertical-align: middle; width: auto; height: auto; max-width: 100%; float: left;" width="140"></a>Click for full size<p style="line-height:1.7em;margin:0px 0px 0.7em"> But first, a quick note for XP users: Sorry that my original instructions didn't work in your operating system. Try this: Right-click a photo and select<em style>Properties. </em>Click the <em style>Summary </em>tab. Type your caption in the Title field.</p> <p style="line-height:1.7em;margin:0px 0px 0.7em">Now back to the main issue: How to make the contents of your caption visible.</p><p style="line-height:1.7em;margin:0px 0px 0.7em">As I mentioned in the previous article, the two most popular free photo-organizing programs, Microsoft's<a href="http://windows.microsoft.com/en-us/windows-live/photo-gallery-get-started" style="color:rgb(37,167,215)">Photo Gallery</a> and Google's <a href="http://picasa.google.com/" style="color:rgb(37,167,215)">Picasa</a>, recognize the contents of the Title field as the photo's caption. But only Picasa really makes use of it. When you view a picture full-screen, the caption appears in tiny letters below the photo.</p> <a class="zoom cboxElement" href="http://images.techhive.com/images/article/2013/04/0418-picasa-caption-100032996-orig.jpg" style="color:rgb(37,167,215)"><img alt="" border="0" height="411" src="http://images.techhive.com/images/article/2013/04/0418-picasa-caption-100032996-large.jpg" style="box-sizing: border-box; border-width: 0px; vertical-align: middle; width: auto; height: auto; max-width: 100%; float: left;" width="580"></a>Click for full size<p style="line-height:1.7em;margin:0px 0px 0.7em"> It also shows up--with bigger text--in a Picasa slideshow.</p><img alt="" border="0" height="279" src="http://images.techhive.com/images/article/2013/04/0418-picasa-slide-100033000-large.jpg" style="box-sizing: border-box; border-width: 0px; vertical-align: middle; width: auto; height: auto; max-width: 100%; float: left;" width="501"><p style="line-height:1.7em;margin:0px 0px 0.7em"> You can also use Picasa to add captions to your photo screen saver. Inside Picasa, select <em style>Create>Add to Screensaver.</em> This will bring up Windows' Screen Saver Settings dialog box, with the Google Photos Screensaver already selected. Click the<em style>Settings </em>button, and make sure <em style>Show captions </em>is checked.</p> <img alt="" border="0" height="566" src="http://images.techhive.com/images/article/2013/04/0418-picasa-screen-saver-100032994-large.jpg" style="box-sizing: border-box; border-width: 0px; vertical-align: middle; width: auto; height: auto; max-width: 100%; float: left;" width="580"><p style="line-height:1.7em;margin:0px 0px 0.7em"> But what if you want the caption visible every time you view the photo? For that you need a photo-editing program. I've yet to see one without a tool for adding text. In fact, you can use Paint--the image editor that comes with Windows-provided you're using<span style="line-height:1.45em"> Windows 7 or 8. Early versions of Paint have some odd quirks with text entry.</span></p> <p style="line-height:1.7em;margin:0px 0px 0.7em">Third-party image editors, many of them free, also offer this capability.</p><img alt="" border="0" height="155" src="http://images.techhive.com/images/article/2013/04/0418-paint-100032992-medium.jpg" style="box-sizing: border-box; border-width: 0px; vertical-align: middle; width: auto; height: auto; max-width: 100%; float: left;" width="300"><p style="line-height:1.7em;margin:0px 0px 0.7em"> With just about every one of these programs, click the tool with a big letter on it (usually <strong style>A</strong> or <strong style>T</strong>), then drag across the part of your photo where you want the text. This creates a rectangle in which you can type or paste the appropriate caption. You'll want to adjust the font size and color to make the text visible.</p> <p style="line-height:1.7em;margin:0px 0px 0.7em">I strongly recommend that you select your editor's <em style>Save As </em>option when you're done, and give your photo a new name (perhaps the original name plus the word <strong style><code style="font-family:monospace,serif;font-size:1em">caption</code></strong>). That way, you'll always have the unchanged original.</p> </span>

How to add permanent captions to your photos, Part 2: Making them visible (and make them in XP)

Srinivasan was the first of many readers who complained about this, and I have no one to blame but myself. Although I intended to offer ...

Read more »