apartment update: the de-computering

I’ve been working on books, which includes The Old Laptop only because it was in a box with books. (Not to be confused with my current laptop, which is also old, but not Old.)

The Old Laptop actually came in super handy last winter, when I was working from home during a snowstorm and needed a second screen. (Now I am lucky enough to have a genuine work laptop, with the added bonus that it doesn’t need to sit up on risers to assuage my fear of catching the table on fire.)

Anyway, The Old Laptop is on my list of things to figure out this year. As in, what the heck do I do with it?

1. For kicks, checked a couple of ‘sell back your old computer’ sites. Not surprisingly, the Dell Inspiron 600m is not a hot commodity.

2. Decided to turn it on and see if I can de-authorize iTunes. (First had to see if I could *open* iTunes. While delayed by the computer deciding it was a great time to run an anti-virus scan, it did eventually open.) The last time I used iTunes on The Old Laptop was March 19, 2010. It won’t let me de-authorize without a password and a connection to the iTunes Store. (Gosh, I hope that step wasn’t important!)

3. Attempted to reset to factory default.

4. Attempted to reset a different way.

5. Googled for a third option. Ctrl+F11 during boot-up seemed to do the trick.

6. Of course after the reset it wanted me to go through the setup process again. Come on, buddy, work with me here!

7. Did a hard quit, aka holding the power button down until it turned off. Deep breaths.

What an adventure! Anyway, I am planning to take advantage of Dell’s mail-back program (you can get a free FedEx label to send back a Dell laptop). Just gotta pack it up in a box and drop it off at the local FedEx (aka Walgreens).

[Thanks, Old Laptop. I still remember unpacking you from the box waaaaaaay back when, with your oh-so-snazzy snap-on blue cover. You were a staunch companion and I appreciate you!]

Mirrored from The Marci Rating System.