Computers from a skip!

[telstarbox]

I found two tower computers in a skip at work today (along with a load of keyboards, cables , furniture etc - no idea what happened but looks like a whole office in there). So I've rescued them to see if I can get them working.

They appear to be Windows 7 from the case stickers so might still have some use ) upgradability. I gave them both a gentle shake and couldn't hear any loose parts.

From my dim recollection you used to be able to format computers from the BIOS and install Windows cleanly - is that still possible in the Software as a Service era?

TIA

[rusky]

You won't be able to format them from the bios, those days are long gone (even when you could, you had to make sure the drive settings were correct).

If it's a branded PC (HP etc.) you may find it has a recovery partition that will get it back to factory otherwise it's a case of getting a Windows CD that can be used with the key on the sticker and installing it from that.

[ian]

As a random insertion (I may as well be famous for something), back at the terminal end of my PhD I was faced with the prospect of writing a large volume documenting my demented progress in the world of irradiating plants. A prospect compromised by my lab position between Scotland's dourest Scotsman and Ms Cheltenham Ladies College. Plus by that point, I was sure that it wasn't just the plants that were radioactive.

One fine morning, I glimpsed outside, and saw a battered IBM PS/2 sitting in a skip outside the building. This was back in the days when the lab had shared computers. What the hell, I skip-dived and took my computer booty inside. It booted up fine despite looking like it had spent the previous evening pogoing at CBGBs, which gave it more street cred. I did this in an empty office by the department reception. Empty office. Computer. So I set everything up and moved in. Every time someone asked how I got an office and computer, I'd just blag it. Six months and no one evicted me despite having no permission from anyone.

[lissotriton]

Check if they actually have hard drives. They might have pulled them out before skipping them. And maybe worth upgrading to SSD anyway.
For formatting them, you boot from a CD or USB stick, then use some sort of formatting tool. eg Medicat USB. https://medicatusb.com/

You can download Windows 10 installer from free, then boot that from a USB stick. If the PC had a Windows licence previously, it might activate again.

[HTFB]

One fine morning, I glimpsed outside, and saw a battered IBM PS/2 sitting in a skip outside the building. This was back in the days when the lab had shared computers. What the hell, I skip-dived and took my computer booty inside. It booted up fine despite looking like it had spent the previous evening pogoing at CBGBs, which gave it more street cred. I did this in an empty office by the department reception. Empty office. Computer. So I set everything up and moved in. Every time someone asked how I got an office and computer, I'd just blag it. Six months and no one evicted me despite having no permission from anyone.

At the end of my PhD I was evicted from my perfectly nice bloodstained desk and sent down to the study area to slum it with the MSc oiks. There was never really any problem getting a desk in there: it's astonishing how crusty you can become while writing up. On the other hand my actual typing had to be done in the computer room out the back, and the creatures who hung out there had been fairly crusty to begin with.

[telstarbox]

You were right - hard disks had been removed. Easy enough to pop in a SSD though.