Computers were originally built to last forever. If you have a really old computer, really old meaning that it was built about two decades or more ago, then you probably have discovered that in most cases that computer was still in working condition when you retired it and it is likely that it never had any serious problems throughout its useful life. Those computers were built strong, the bodies were strong, the merchandise that was used to make them was strong. In some cases they used really super heavy duty hard drives. The first hard drives were made by Winchester, the same people who make guns and bullets and they were tough.
We can’t say the same about today’s computers. As time went on computers began to be mass produced and there was a drive to make the computers cheaper and cheaper and as a result the merchandise and mechanisms were made in ways which were cheaper and they were not intended to last for a long time.
It is safe to say that today’s computers are built to last for only about 3 years under normal conditions, although for home use the computers might be able to last for up to five years. From the manufacturers point of view I’m sure that they would explain that since the software keeps changing, the newest software won’t be able to run on the oldest computers. That may well be the case but not everybody necessarily needs the latest and the greatest software. If all you’re going to be doing is preparing documents, for example, you don't really need to have all of the features of the latest version of your particular word processor.
We therefore have this conflict between the manufacturers who rationalize producing the production of shoddy merchandise today versus the consumers who are not happy about having to spend extra money unnecessarily each time a new product to keep on upgrading or buying new computers. From a commercial point of view this concept of built-in obsolescence is clear: manufacturers want to be able to keep on selling new computers, to be able to work with their new merchandise, but I am going to be writing this from the point of view of the consumer who does not necessarily want to waste money on a regular basis to buy new computers but he is put in a position in which he has no choice.
I must explain before I do this that I do spend part of my time as a computer consultant. As such, I try to represent the consumer’s point of view, and I myself do not sell computers. I also have difficulty trying to recommend a good place for people to be able to buy their computers. But at a certain point everybody does ask the question: When should I retire my computer? When is it the right time for me to be able to buy a new one? And that’s what this article is indeed about.
There are several guidelines which I might be able to give as far as retiring the computer.
When your computer has reached the stage in which you have to put in a significant repair, then you should start asking serious questions. If the computer is several years old and it is no longer under warranty and you would have to put in $300 or more to repair it, then you might ask some serious questions. The computer now is going to cost $300. After you pay those $300 you will have a working computer which is not going to be in top condition because it already got several years of use. It’s going to be a tired old computer which is not going to be able to run the latest software.
Now of course you might say that you don't need to run the latest software, but let’s keep on thinking about the pros and cons of this issue. If you buy a new computer at this point you will indeed have to spend more than $300. This assumes that you are only going to buy the computer box itself and if you can keep the monitor and the other items. The other items, by the way, do not add substantially, such as the mouse and the keyboard, do not make a substantial dent in the price of the computer. If you just add on a minimal amount, a few hundred dollars, then you will have a brand new computer which if it doesn’t work properly at least has a warranty of from one to three years depending on the problematic parts.
In other words, you know that this investment that you just made is going to be an investment which is not going to require other investments together with it in order to keep it going. Whereas, if you repair an older computer there is no way of being sure that things will keep on going wrong with it.
In many cases it means eliminating everything that is on your hard drive – that means all of the data that you have collected, all of the programs, and starting from scratch. This in itself is a complex issue which does require quite a bit of time. Your serviceman will determine whether it’s a good idea to simply copy the old data directly on to your new computer or whether to reinstall all of the software. If it is simply copied on to the new computer, then it will certainly be cheaper in the short run.
However, in the long run we have to realize that everything that is copied the information which is copied includes any potential problems which you may have had on your old hard drive. If you have a virus, the virus will be copied. If you have a problem with the Windows registry which is the section of your Windows which records the basic operating data about the program, then that will also be copied on to the new computer, and so on. If you have files which were corrupted or partly corrupted then they will remain corrupted in the new program. If you had conflicts to certain devices, those conflicts will remain, and will be copied over.
For this reason, I usually recommend to my own clients that they start off with a fresh slate. This means that there is a greater initial investment in the computer but after they start off with this fresh slate, everything should work properly assuming that the computer itself is in good condition.
This concept of starting with a fresh slate can work only if you have all of the necessary programs and drivers and other disks that should have come with the computer. If they are unavailable, then they can be retrieved from the Internet and the software can be repurchased but this involves time and money and it might tip the scales in the other direction. However, after you have put everything back by a skilled professional on to your computer, it should work reasonably well from that point on.
However, computers are made of parts each of which has a limited life. After using your hard drive for some time, the hard drive is not as efficient as it was in the beginning. A hard drive is a mechanical devise with a motor that keeps on turning. It spins all the time. If your hard drive has been spinning for several years, then the motor is obviously not in the same condition as a brand new one. The same goes with many of the other devices in the computer.
So, by repairing an older computer which is not built to last for a long time at any rate, which is made with the concept of a built-in obsolescence rate of about 3 years. That means that you are pushing the life of the computer beyond that which was intended or tested by the manufacturer. If this is the case, then you might be able to make the computer work even perfectly at this point but this does not guarantee that the computer will continue to work long enough to warrant using the old computer. It might mean that you would have to replace parts too soon.
Replacing parts is a problem with older computers. The technology changes, the parts themselves change, which means that in older computers it becomes increasingly difficult to find the right parts that will work with that computer. If you can picture that the computer has plastic cards which fit into certain slots inside the computer and then you realize that these slots themselves have changed over the course of time, so that an old card just won’t fit into a new computer, then you begin to realize that the basic concepts themselves are changing.
In order to make the slot fit properly, you can’t put in a new slot. You would have to buy another larger card called the motherboard. This motherboard is an expensive upgrade and once you have done this then you may have to think in terms then you would certainly think whether you would have to think twice about whether it is a wise investment to make.
Other possible upgrades are as follows: You might want to replace to upgrade your memory. Your computer has say 64 MB of memory and you wanted to work with 128 MB which is a reasonable amount to expect with today’s programs and software. In order to upgrade that memory it is important to be able to match the original memory. You have then the following possibilities. Either to try to find a match in which case it might be expensive because you’re going to have to find just the right part which is not readily available as it used to be when the computer was manufactured or else you remove the existing memory and replace it with all new memory which matches each other. In which case you have thrown away the memory which you originally had. Either way it’s certainly not as cost effective as just adding gasoline to your car in which the new gasoline mixes with the old and it doesn’t matter which gas station you get it from, you just basically have to match up the pumps. In this case it’s much more difficult to match up the memory and it might be questionable as to whether it’s worth it.
Certain upgrades are possible and feasible. A monitor upgrade, for example, is not necessarily related to your computer and it might be possible to maintain the same computer you have and to just add on a better monitor or larger monitor. However, do ask important questions when if this is the case. In some cases by adding more memory, you would have to in turn in order to get the in order to add the better monitor you would have to in turn change the monitor card in order to get the best use of that monitor. That monitor card itself might be expensive and it might not be worth it. Alternatively, the monitor card might make other demands of the microprocessor or of the motherboard in which case you would have to possibly upgrade those as well. This ripple effect of purchases in which you have to get one thing in order to get another thing in order to get another thing might make it worth forgetting about the whole enterprise and just getting a larger computer or it might make it worth it to just get a larger monitor or a better monitor but not to improve the other hardware within the computer itself. By so doing, you indeed will not get the most out of your spanking new monitor but you have limited the ripple effect which is caused by trying to make things get better and better and better.
As you may have guessed I am often doubtful as to the benefit of upgrading computers with small exceptions such as the monitor. Perhaps if there is a problem with that is diagnosed as coming from the power supply which is the box which handles the electricity when it comes in to your computer and sends it over to the other sets of electrical parts, if you a simple replacement of that power supply could make the difference and your computer could have some extra life and assuming that it is not a difficult job to replace it, it would certainly be recommended. Also small upgrades such as a keyboard or mouse or another small peripheral or perhaps a printer or a scanner would have no bearing on the computer itself – go ahead and upgrade them. However, you might want to think twice about upgrading other parts of the computer box itself which would have a ripple effect or which are so expensive that it’s just worth spending the additional amount and getting a new computer box.
Other ways to think about it are as follows: What is that computer worth today? If the price that you would get for that computer is negligible at this time, then it’s also not worth upgrading it. The upgrade is not going to make the computer worth more when you sell it except that you will have added more money to it. It might be worth getting a new computer if your old computer can’t be sold for a if you would have difficulty selling the old computer. Perhaps you can use it as a tax write-off by giving it to a charitable institution or to a Gemach.
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A serious problem with the computer which might definitely make it worth replacing is if there are errors. If you try to use the computer and it does not do what it is supposed to do and it does not do what it used to do, such as when you click on a program when you try to save data, if it saves only partially or in an incomplete way and you get gibberish in it, this might require heavy work by your technician so that it will work properly. It may or may not be able to be fixed just by reinstalling all of your software, but it certainly will not work by reinstalling the software in the original format as it is in now. Thus, it may be a waste of time to be able to work on that.
If the CD does not read properly you may also decide to make the options of whether you should replace that CD.
Click here for problems in CDs being able to read their data.
Although this is usually not a sufficient reason for replacing the entire computer you should be quite confident that your computer does the basic functions that it’s supposed to be doing. It should be able to get through to the outside world by modem without being disconnected for any reason other than problems with your phone line itself and you should be able to write and record data without any difficulty and be confident that the data will remain on your computer.
This does not mean that you should not make backups. You should take the necessary caution, even with a brand new computer.
Click here for an article about creating backups.
However, those backups should be an additional step to guard against problems. It should not be a necessity because a problem already exists. If the problem already exists that means that you are working with a defective computer and that is certainly not recommended.
With all of these issues it is perhaps important to be able to clarify with your computer technician if the difficulties are based on problematic hardware or problematic software.
If the problem is problematic software then you may be able to reinstall just the problematic software at a minimal expense and then you will be able to continue working on your computer for a long time to come. If the problem is the hardware, however, and your poor technician will have to match up hardware that will work with your ancient computer, then you may want to think twice about the options which you have.
Does it run the things you need? I assume that the computer worked properly when you originally bought it for all of your needs at that time. However, your needs have changed over the course of time and now you may question whether you still want to use the computer whether there is any advantage to using the computer for your work. Do you need to use newer programs? Do those programs work on your computer right now? The important part of your computer please keep in mind, is not the computer itself but it is the programs that you run on it. If those programs run well and will continue to run well and the computer will allow them to run well without any difficulties then please do continue to use your computer. If however, it is difficult for you to use these programs and they run either inefficiently or not at all using your existing system, that may be a reason for you to replace it at this time. Even so, you may want to keep the original computer as a backup and it can run some of your older programs without any difficulty. You will then have the benefit of a newer computer plus a backup computer.
Next, does your computer require frequent repairs? If the computer has to keep on going to the shop for repairs, possibly at an average of $100 or more per repair, then you would certainly have to think twice about it. First of all this means that it’s not reliable. Second of all it means that every time you’re sending it in for repair you are putting in more money which can be collected and which can be applied to the new computer. You will then have, as we stated before, a new computer which has a one to three year warranty and this might be sufficient for your needs and there might be no justification for you to which will serve your needs better. You may then question why you should have to sink good money into a bad computer. A basic fundamental principle of economics is Gresham’s Law. Gresham’s Law says that it not a wise idea to throw good money after bad, meaning that if you have something which is not that useable and you can keep throwing new money into it all the time to keep it working, then you are being foolish. It’s better to have a good working thing which does not require you to keep on putting good money into it in order for it to keep on going. All of these considerations should determine whether you should replace your old computer.
In my case, as a computer consultant, I often tell people after looking at their computer that I could fix it, and in many cases I can, for several hundred dollars, and I tell them instead don't give me the money. Give it instead to the computer store. In so doing I lose several hundred dollars from each customer because I don't get the job and I give that money instead to a stranger who sells the computer supplies. However, I believe that it is more fair and honest for them to replace a computer which deserves to be replaced than for me to take the money, to fix something which should no longer be fixed.
Some suggestions as far as fixing your own computer.
Click here for other articles about maintaining your computer.
Those are those disks and diskettes that came with your computer. The first thing that you should do when you get a new computer is to have a skilled professional come over and to see that you got everything that you’re supposed to get. One of the things that he'll check is to make sure that you have all of the drivers that you will need for the time when the computer will break down.
I say when it will break down and not if it will break down because there is no doubt in my mind there is no question that as beautifully as it runs now, over the course of time its quality will deteriorate and the computer will indeed break down. When that happens, a skilled professional is going to have to work on your computer. He will be able to succeed much more easily, rapidly, and cheaply if he has all of the necessary disks and diskettes at his disposal at the time that he is trying to fix the computer. If they are available then you can give them to him in order to help him repair your computer. These disks should come with the computer.
However, as a typical consumer you probably do not even know what to expect. Ask a computer consultant to check this out. That computer consultant will charge you for checking it out. That additional payment is well worth it to you because then you know that you have all that you need. In some cases with my special clients I try to keep these drivers myself because most people do not realize the importance of them and when the time comes that the computer has to be repaired the drivers are no longer available or the drivers for one computer are mixed up with those from another computer or many other problems exist or the drivers have not been handled properly and they are not in the proper condition anymore. For this reason it is very important to keep them in a safe place and possibly to let your computer professional keep these drivers or a copy of those drivers.
Again, your computer professional may charge you to make a copy of those drivers, but in the end this is a wise investment because then you will be able to fix it. These drivers are usually all available on the Internet but that means an investment in time and it means a sometimes difficult search on the Internet in order to track down hard-to-find drivers. In some cases it is very difficult to know even which driver to use because it is not labeled properly on the computer. That means that you will not know what you have to your computer consultant with all of his skills might not be able to find just the right drivers.
I have seen cases in which people had to replace computers because they did not have the drivers and there was no way of finding out which drivers were needed and the computer consultant, in most cases it wasn’t myself, said that for the time that it would take to track down and to try to determine which drivers were needed the time is not worth investing in this thing. Go ahead and buy yourself a new computer instead.
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