Need help here

[Rac80]

Update: thus far three of my friends have helped me "re-purpose" 7 laptops and 3 desktops for a halfway house for troubled youth in Indy. We didn't want to buy new - why ask for a break-in. But all have been wiped (I did use Darik's book and nuke) and reloaded the original software on them using the original recovery discs. They are dinosaurs but will do the work the kids need (help with homework and job hunting) and now another half-way house (rehab) is asking us for help. Naturally this is all with donated laptops/pcs on our own time- but what the heck- the computers would just end up in a landfill otherwise. So thanks for all of your great advice & help!

 

[Gate_Boarder]

Update: thus far three of my friends have helped me "re-purpose" 7 laptops and 3 desktops for a halfway house for troubled youth in Indy. We didn't want to buy new - why ask for a break-in. But all have been wiped (I did use Darik's book and nuke) and reloaded the original software on them using the original recovery discs. They are dinosaurs but will do the work the kids need (help with homework and job hunting) and now another half-way house (rehab) is asking us for help. Naturally this is all with donated laptops/pcs on our own time- but what the ehck- the computers would just end up in a landfill otherwise. So thanks for all of your great advice & help!

I might be blowing smoke out of my ears, but you might be interested in this program if no one has given you a hint about it.

http://www.techsoup.org/
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In the old days if you were donating or refurbishing old computers, MicroSoft use to donate a legal copy of the windows license so that schools and such would have the opportunity to garner abilities in the computer fields.

Techsoup.org must be the default name for Techsoup/USA. There must be tens of thousands of computers going to waste, out there in your neck of the woods. They have a large operating forum, so there might be a chance to connect with other like minded people in your world. Now, if you could find businesses-s-s- who would be so generous in paying the $24.00 license fee for a Office Suite then you would really be on your way.

 

[Overmind One]

Update: thus far three of my friends have helped me "re-purpose" 7 laptops and 3 desktops for a halfway house for troubled youth in Indy. We didn't want to buy new - why ask for a break-in. But all have been wiped (I did use Darik's book and nuke) and reloaded the original software on them using the original recovery discs. They are dinosaurs but will do the work the kids need (help with homework and job hunting) and now another half-way house (rehab) is asking us for help. Naturally this is all with donated laptops/pcs on our own time- but what the ehck- the computers would just end up in a landfill otherwise. So thanks for all of your great advice & help!

I used to do this EXACT same thing. I was a mentor for troubled youth (I have mentioned it several times here and also at SGUS). I stopped doing it, but I used to do the same thing. We would get donated computers and then re-load or re-purpose them. I did that for several years. Very very rewarding, especially when you hear one of them thanking you for your part in their successes. And equally as sad when one of them falls between the cracks and goes bad or gets killed in a gang.

Is this a church associated thing or a school/city program? Are you a volunteer? I worked with more than one, but my favorite was Volunteers of America http://www.voala.org/services/youth.htm . I stopped when the neighborhood group I had chosen in South LA to help suddenly became all Hispanic. Language and culture barriers made it impossible to do the work, plus many of them had resentment because I was not Latino.

 

[Rac80]

I used to do this EXACT same thing. I was a mentor for troubled youth (I have mentioned it several times here and also at SGUS). I stopped doing it, but I used to do the same thing. We would get donated computers and then re-load or re-purpose them. I did that for several years. Very very rewarding, especially when you hear one of them thanking you for your part in their successes. And equally as sad when one of them falls between the cracks and goes bad or gets killed in a gang.

Is this a church associated thing or a school/city program? Are you a volunteer? I worked with more than one, but my favorite was Volunteers of America http://www.voala.org/services/youth.htm . I stopped when the neighborhood group I had chosen in South LA to help suddenly became all Hispanic. Language and culture barriers made it impossible to do the work, plus many of them had resentment because I was not Latino.

this started as a personal project- many of the schools here lease laptops to the kids- but in the troubled schools that does not happen (too many laptops going missing!) so it's hard for the kids to access a computer for classwork. many teachers now require homework be emailed, etc...putting troubled kids at an even bigger disadvantage. We have a group here called the 10-point coalition (founded by local ministers) which works with city & state groups trying to help these kids. When I had the bright idea to do this as a work-service project (we are encouraged to give 10 hours a week to charitable works-- these are out of work hours) I contacted the 10-point coalition to ask for suggestions - we actually have about 5 half-way houses for troubled youth that can use these computers. SO I talked to a few co-workers who were also looking for projects and off we went. We are trying to convince Eli Lilly Pharmaceuticals to donate used laptops to us. If we can outfit all of the half-way houses in the city that should help the kids. Then we'd like to move onto Gary, then some of the poorer rural districts in the state.

 

[Rac80]

update: several of the laptops have only one working USB drive and one of my coworkers introduced me to this little guy: http://www.amazon.com/Kikkerland-US006-USB-Hubman-white/dp/B000YHBCJC

talk about a lifesaver! I love the hubman - even bought one for myself. They aren't very pricey- you can get a generic one at walmart for $4.95. The kids say they work great.