DIY Life

My fabulous new laptop is all set up and running beautifully. My old laptop has been consigned to its temporary new home: the garage. There it shall stay until I get an opportunity to take it to an electronics collection event, which my city periodically holds. (It's the green way, people.)

Anyway, I may have been a bit hasty taking it straight to the garage. According to stuff I've been reading online, you should always retire your old computer. That is, before you toss it, recycle it, sell it, give it away, donate it to charity--whatever--it's recommended you carry out some basic steps first.

The following computer retirement tips come courtesy of everyone's favorite software behemoth, Microsoft:

Now why would anyone want to kill an innocent laptop? Simple. The current technology is better, faster, and quieter. Affordable, too. Yet maybe you can't justify shelling out for a new machine while your old one continues to perform as slowly and faithfully as an old dog. Or maybe you can justify it, but your Significant Other argues it's beyond the family's means. Yes, it's an evil plan to be sure. Put your laptop out of its misery today, and tomorrow you can merrily trot out and purchase something better. No one need ever know the truth! (Evil laughter)

The best starting point comes courtesy of the UK paper The Register. This publication's website has two handy articles on the subject worth checking out. First up: "Ten ways to kill your laptop." Second: "102 ways to kill your computer." The suggestions here are good for entertainment value and maybe inspiration, but they're not the most subtle. For instance, I'm not sure my Significant Other would believe it if I told him my trusty yet aging Dell died due to my accidentally dropping it off a bridge or down a stairwell. You, too? Okay, so now we turn to the definitive resource: "How to destroy your computer," on the site Dan's Data. This is where you'll find the evil advice you seek: how to off your computer in a way that won't be detected by your (non-techie) loved ones. Muahahahahahaha!

These old analog gauges were in a one-dollar junk box at the market. Before there were LCD screens in everything, before LEDs, data was shown on these.

In a sort of retro mash-up, we'll make a USB device that displays PC status info on these gauges. The gauges can show CPU and memory usage, processor voltage -- just about any numerical data typically displayed on small HD44780 based LCD character displays commonly used in PC case mods.

You'll find all the details and project files after the fold. Check out the podcast for an overview of the project.

If your computer recently puked on you, I sure hope you didn't throw it away. There are so many things to do with retired, puked out pc's, all of us should have salvaged every part of our computers and been able to make something wonderfully geeky.

Instructables user albetcha took the magnets out of some ancient hard drives, was left with some platters, and decided to turn those hard drive platters into a clock. His instructions and pictures are clear, concise and easy to follow. Using those ancient hard drives, some epoxy glue, and other items you should have laying around the house, you can easily salvage your computer hard drives and turn them into nerdy clocks too.

If you need a clock kit, check out Gary's post on how to build a clock out of almost anything. If you are really eager to get going on this outstanding fab project, you can purchase a clock kit at your local craft store. You could even take apart an ugly clock and use the nice mechanisms that clock had. Either way, there is only four days to Christmas, so if you are looking to give your new hard drive clock as a Christmas gift, you'll need to get busy this weekend.

So you thought that once a PC was retired from data service it just went to the junk heap to be melted down and reincarnated as a Wii controller? Well, that's not what happens all the time. Some computers and their peripherals get a full make over and go on with their lives in the form of something new. Have you ever heard of a computer mouse turned Chia pet? Well, believe it or not, I found one.

A hilarious if not artsy gallery of images resides over at Techlicious.tv , and I'll bet that you will be greatly amused with what you find there. The creations displayed are made from the parts of computers just like the one you might have sitting on your desk. The best part might be that these projects all look like just about anyone could make them if given the right tools and glue. Take a look at the video display which was converted into a hamster cage. Now there's some ingenuity for you!

I guarantee it will be worth your time to take a little look. My favorite entry in the whole group would have to be the tower case hibachi. Please feel free to tell us about PC reincarnations that you have created and tell us how you go about building these things!

Choosing new flooring? Experiencing painful indecision? Well, I sympathize. In fact, I just about tore my hair out last spring while trying to decide what should replace the disgusting cheapo vinyl in our kitchen. Here's why it's so stressful: a new floor is a big commitment, and you'd better choose correctly. Wish you'd gone with the hazelnut hardwood instead of the java bean laminate? Too late! Unlike a coat of paint, you can't just redo your floor in an afternoon. Then there's the expense factor. Phew. Flooring is darn expensive, especially if -- like us -- your sub-floor is uneven.

Before you give up in frustration, check out a really awesome interactive design tool. Flooring manufacturer Mannington's My Virtual Decorator is free and it's compatible with both PCs and Macs. It's easy to use and the photos look pretty real. Best of all, while the basic Virtual Decorator can be used online, the My Virtual Decorator program can be downloaded to your hard drive. Once it's on your computer, you can click in your own photo for use in mock-up designs. To get the proportions right, though, you'll need to use a photo that incorporates some special tags that you can print out from your home printer.

The photo of my kitchen (above) shows what correct tag placement looks like. Once it's up you can decorate the scene however you like, changing the color of the walls, and, of course, trying out all the different flooring types and colors.

Although self-contained digital picture frames are cool and all, the limited functionality of some of these units has compelled many folks to create their own digital picture frames. If you're looking for transition effects and other neat touches to spruce up a whole directory of photos from that wedding or summer vacation, why not build your own?

A disclaimer: this project requires some decent knowledge of desktop computers and some finesse working with PC components. Additionally, you better have a knack for tearing down a desktop PC system. The only prerequisite here is an extra desktop PC (yes, an old one will work) that you can convert into a display-centric picture server, if you will. If you have one of those PCs-on-a-board systems, this project will flow ever nicely.

Ever tried to perform complicated spreadsheet calculations with that puny 17" LCD monitor? How about keeping your email program up 24/7 while having a web browser and a word processor open all at the same time as well? For many journalists and people with computer-oriented occupations, maximizing screen real estate is a top priority.

That is why many of us either have large computer monitors (preferable LCD flat screens) or a dual-monitor setup. Even if you have a few monitors hooked up to your PC, are you using both of them in the most efficient manner? I'll be honest and say that I couldn't function with just a single computer monitor any longer. The efficiency gains by having a huge amount of screen real estate are enormous.

So, if you have a few monitors but are just "stretching" your desktop environment on both, that may not be the best way to get the optimum usage from both monitors. Perhaps you day trade and need 10-12 windows open at all times. Even if not, check out some of the great tips here and really see if you are getting the maximum utility from all those monitors.

Okay, you're back from your summer vacation and have an ample amount of digital camcorder or camera (or both) footage sitting on a shelf or desk waiting to be spruced up into a menu-laden DVD that you can burn for friends and family. The effort to get all that footage into something worthy of a movie studio DVD may be easier than you think.

Even to technology neophytes, just possessing a newer computer with Windows Vista Home Premium or the newest version of MacOS X (along with a DVD burner) will get you off and running. If you have a digital camcorder with a FireWire connection -- and your PC has one -- you should be set. But what about mixing in still photos along with your camcorder footage? I recently had this problem and found a pretty decent solution.

In my many years of IT and Help Desk work, and being the resident geek for everyone, I have had many a relative or friend ask me what to do about a Windows-based computer (not sure if Macs do the same thing) that turns on and acts just fine and then inexplicably shuts off minutes later, for no apparent reason. It is a common problem for many PC desktop users, incredibly aggravating, and more common than you might think.

The problem is that this seems so sinister. You saunter over to your desk, flip on your PC, and everything looks peachy when it starts up. Then a few minutes later, in the middle of watching yet another YouTube video on who knows what, you PC decides to take the law into it's own hands and shut-down with no notice, no warning, and you don't have a choice.

Why, for the love of Steve Ballmer, why? Well, since I have had a long history with many a PC, let me explain the scenario I have seen most often. When the PC shuts down abruptly like that, it is doing it for your own good. No, seriously, please believe me, put down the sledge-hammer, don't even think about doing your own DIY PC demolition just yet.

The PC has a built-in safety mechanism that turns off the PC if the power-supply gets overheated. The power-supply is that big portion of the PC case that generates and coverts voltages for you and has the power cord plugged into it. You'll notice that in general, the PC will have a giant fan on the backside of your system right near the power cord socket. This is power-supply fan. When this fan stops working, the power supply overheats and shuts your computer down. Here is what to do about it.

I need a new computer. While Apple, Dell and Hewlett-Packard all make fine machines, I want something made just for me. I want a custom machine which will serve all my needs. It needs to be fast, quiet and powerful. It needs enough on-board memory so I never have to worry about memory availability again. It needs the capability to duplicate a CD or DVD. It needs to be outfitted for web-casts, video production, digital image editing and all those other things which a home / small business computer is depended upon. Oh yeah, and it must be virtually indestructible. A self-cleaning function would be nice too, but I think that might be asking a bit much. Now here's the angle: I want our DIY Life readers to help me assemble my component package. I want your input about the parts I will need to assemble this top-notch machine.

My first consideration is my power feed. I don't mean the interior power source for the machine itself, I'm talking about the power management unit I plug my computer into.

Not everyone thinks about this, but your computer gets dirty just like the rest of your house. Like most machines will tell you, a clean computer is a happy computer. That doesn't mean you can just wipe off the outer case of your PC and clean the screen on your monitor. Those tasks are fine to do but if you want to keep a computer happy, you'll need to go a little deeper inside. The cooling capacity of your computer is crucial to its health and performance. Additionally, a build up of dust within the sensitive components of your computer can actually leech performance every millisecond your system is operating.

You may want to start the project by taking a few digital pictures of your system from all sides. You may be detaching numerous cables and it's nice to have a diagram when it comes to putting things back together.Taking pictures of your system is a good idea anyway, in case of unforeseen mishaps leading to insurance claims. Take your pictures, print them out and then prepare to clean that computer using the following outline.