Corrupted PC's Find New Home in the Dumpster

NYT reports Add personal computers to the list of throwaways in the disposable society. On a recent Sunday morning when Lew Tucker's Dell desktop computer was overrun by spyware and adware - stealth software that delivers intrusive advertising messages and even gathers data from the user's machine - he did not simply get rid of the offending programs. He threw out the whole computer. Mr. Tucker, an Internet industry executive who holds a Ph.D. in computer science, decided that rather than take the time to remove the offending software, he would spend $400 on a new machine. He is not alone in his surrender in the face of growing legions of digital pests, not only adware and spyware but computer viruses and other Internet-borne infections as well. Many PC owners are simply replacing embattled machines rather than fixing them. "I was spending time every week trying to keep the machine free of viruses and worms," said Mr. Tucker, a vice president of Salesforce.com, a Web services firm based here. "I was losing the battle. It was cheaper and faster to go to the store and buy a low-end PC."

I don't blame him for buying a new machine, but why did he have to put the old one in the dumpster. He could have given it to a computer refurbishing project like HelpingTulsa, and it could have been refurbished, with all of the spyware and adware removed, and given to someone who can't afford the $400 for a new machine. This item is datelined San Francisco, so I dont blame him for not driving all the way to Tulsa to give us the machine, but he could have contacted National Cristina Foundation to find someone in his area (HelpingTulsa is registered with NCF), or he could have checkedTechSoup which shows that San Francisco Bay Area is one of the largest nonprofit hubs in the country - over 24,000. While there’s a wealth of local technology resources available to these nonprofits, our years in the field have shown us that many Bay Area organizations don't know where to turn for technical assistance. With TechSoup Bay Area, we’re helping local nonprofits and schools find the technology resources they need: up-to-date information on Bay Area technology assistance providers, sales, services, community boards and more… And even if he had not lived in one of the three areas with special Tech Soup pages (the other two are Los Angeles and New York, Donate Hardware shows nonprofit and school-based recyclers, which are ideal for donating working equipment less than five years old (HelpingTulsa takes machines even older than 5 years), and commercial recyclers, which are more appropriate for older or non-working equipment, based on Region, or Zip Code (HelpingTulsa is listed on this database). I don't know what his Zip Code is, but if it is 94103, there are 27 refurbishing groups within 10 miles of that Zip Code.