This issue, Jonathan Parkyn explains how to make use of (or cash from) your old computer’s components
Turn internal drives into external drives
Your old XP PC may have given up the ghost, but give it a closer look before you drive it down to the dump - you may be able to rescue useful components, including the hard drive.
Your old PC’s hard drive and DVD drive can both be removed and reused, either by installing them in another computer or by converting them into handy external devices.
In either case you'll need to make a note of the connection they use. If the cable that attaches the drives to your motherboard is a wide, flat ribbon type, then this is an older IDE connection. A thinner flat type cable means it’s a SATA connection (www.snipca.com/16219). You can reuse the cables themselves while you’re at it.
Installing the drives in another PC basically involves screwing them into a spare drive bay and connecting the power and data cables as you found them in the old computer.
To turn your drive into an external hard drive or DVD drive, you’ll need an enclosure. These are usually quite cheap - from about a fiver on Amazon (www.snipca.com/16146) - and easy to fit, though you’ll need to make sure you get one that’s the right size and which has the same data connection (Sata or IDE) as your drive. Laptop hard drives and DVD drives can be removed and converted into external devices, too.
Check if you can reuse memory
In an ideal world you’d be able to whip the memory out of your old PC and pop it into your new one for an instant speed boost. But computer memory tends to age badly, and modules used in older PCs often don’t work in newer ones. Check before you throw the old memory away, though.
To find out what type of memory your new computer uses, run the free online Crucial System Scanner (http://uk.crucial.com; click ‘scan your system’). Make a note of the results, then look at the memory modules (or 'chips’) slotted into your old PC’s motherboard (like the one pictured left). The modules should have basic specifications printed on them. If they match the memory type in your new PC, then you’re in luck.
All is not lost if your old and new memory don’t match. You could still consider selling the memory' modules from your XP PC, either separately or as part of a motherboard/ processor ’bundle’, as explained below.
If you can't reuse it, sell it
Not all of your old XP PC’s innards are worth rescuing. The motherboard will probably be too old to have any resale value. Equally, an older processor is unlikely to have much appeal. CPUs are difficult to remove and repurpose. And there’s not much point in doing so, as an XP-era processor (such as a Pentium 4 or Pentium D) isn’t going to be terribly fast.
One thing you could consider doing, however, is to remove the motherboard, CPU and memory, clean them up a little (a can of compressed air is good for this) and sell them as a package on eBay. When we looked, we found several sellers offering older Micro-ATX motherboard, memory and Pentium 4 processor bundles for around £16-25. Even if you no longer have any use for components like these, someone else might.
If you used your XP computer to play games, it may have a decent graphics card. It may not be compatible with a brand new PC, but if you have another older computer, you could transplant the graphics card into that. Or you could sell it online - we found ageing AGP graphics cards selling for up to £40 on eBay. Other potentially valuable parts include TV tuners and sound cards.
Once you’ve emptied everything from inside, don’t forget about the case itself. A PC case won’t fetch much money if you try to sell it but, depending on its shape and condition, it could be a great starting point if you're considering building your own PC.