Alternatives include Microsoft's own trade-in scheme, which can net you up to £478 for a top-spec 2015 15-inch MacBook Pro, and Laptops Direct, which accepts working laptops running Windows 7, 8 and 10, as well as MacBooks.ĬeX (WeBuy) also accepts a wide variety of laptops, and you may get a better deal than Currys PC World if you just want cash and don't want a voucher. Alternatively, you'll get £150 off a MacBook using the trade-in deal.Ĭurrys PC World is the most consistently available trade-in scheme, but other retailers may offer them from time to time. If you pass the checks, you'll get at least £50 off any laptop purchase (at the time of writing), with the offer rising to £200 if you spend over £1,000 on an HP laptop. There are some terms attached to trading in devices, including the level of damage allowed for a laptop to be considered 'working'. Unfortunately, the company doesn't accept devices that are over seven years old, but that still includes some of the later-generation Windows 7 laptops sold after 2012. Looking for a new laptop on a budget? Find out the best laptop deals for you.Ĭurrys PC World is almost always running some form of trade-in discount scheme.
Other options include DonateAPC, which puts donors in touch with charitable organisations looking for free IT equipment, and ReCOM, which accepts donations of working computers and sells them at a reduced rate to charities. It's an easy way to wash your hands of your devices without dumping them on the environment. Simply fill out the form on the Weeecharity website, and you'll be sent a correctly sized, prepaid parcel to send back to them. People who are out of work or need training carry out the refurbishment or dismantling of the computers. It says it reconditions and resells the ones that are usable, and responsibly recycles the ones that don't make the grade. One is Weeecharity, which accepts electronics in any condition. While most charity shops probably won't accept old laptops, some charities that specialise in handling old electronics do exist. And don't forget that both Firefox and Google Chrome have Linux versions, so you'll easily be able to run your favourite web apps, such as Google Docs or Office Online, much like a Chromebook. For your documents, try OpenOffice or LibreOffice, and try GIMP for image editing. You won't get access to the same programs as you do on Windows, but the upshot is that most are free and open source.
Some require a bit of experience with a 'command line', where you enter commands using text instead of simply clicking.
Where they differ is how you install programs. At the most basic level, though, programs in Linux open in windows that can be moved around the screen, resized and minimised, and most of them have a desktop in the traditional sense. Ubuntu is another common choice that's also worth looking at.ĭepending on which distro you choose, it could be quite similar or very different. The fact that Linux is much less common than Windows makes it a much less obvious target for nefarious would-be hackers than Windows.
There's detailed online documentation on how to install and use it, including how to create USB/DVD drives (known as installation media), so you can try it out without having to commit to it.Īnd while security is never guaranteed, it does appear to be updated with security fixes. It's frequently updated, and will look familiar to anybody who's used to Windows. One particularly easy-to-use distro is called Mint. Many are so simple and lightweight you can simply run them off a DVD or USB without having to replace Windows on your device.
It's completely open source - therefore free and developed by a community - and comes in a variety of so-called 'distros', or versions. Linux is an alternative operating system that can be installed on practically any computer. If you'd prefer to go back to Windows 7, you can do so by searching for 'updates' in the start menu, then clicking on 'Go back to Windows 7'.Ģ. If your Windows isn't activated, you'll need to buy a licence.
Search for 'activation' in the Start Menu and click on it to see whether your Windows 10 licence is activated. Follow the instructions, and when Windows 10 has been fully installed you can check whether you've managed to get it for free or whether you'll need to pay to activate it.
Then head to the Windows 10 download site to get the installation started. Otherwise, it may end up being painfully slow. Check your PC exceeds the minimum requirements here.