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Software Hardware

Inventorying Miscellaneous Computer Junk? 113

Posted by timothy from the bane-and-blessing-of-extra-bits dept.
drewhearle writes "I'm sure lots of Slashdot readers act as technical support to friends and family. I do a lot of this myself and have collected all sorts of miscellaneous computer hardware over the years, such as cases, power supplies, older memory, hard drives, cables and the like. If you're like me, you have to dig through everything and look in various closets, drawers and boxes whenever you need something. What do you use for keeping track of your inventory? Is there a full-featured open-source or freeware package out there that actually works?" Read more for what he's looking for -- sounds like a useful niche.

drewhearle continues "Ideally I'd like an open-source solution with the following features:

A web-browser-based system (or something else with LAN connectivity) that would allow me to access the inventory from multiple computers

Something to indicate where each part is, i.e. "under bed" or "behind bookshelf" :)

A way to attach one or more photos to each item

Category organization, like "hard drives," "memory," or "cables". Subcategories would be nice too.

A "notes" field for each item, to save misc. information

Search functionality, so I could search by category or text-search any field.

I'm probably asking too much, but if there isn't [widely available] software out there like this, maybe somebody has developed something similar for themselves and would be willing to share."
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Inventorying Miscellaneous Computer Junk? More

Inventorying Miscellaneous Computer Junk?

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  • First Post (Score:5, Informative)

    by AntiGenX ( 589768 ) on Monday May 24, 2004 @02:04AM (#9235268)
    I call what you're looking for a spreadsheet. A small database will work if you need more complexity.

    Not to sound snide or anything... It's just, if you are a geek, then you should know how to work one of those thing-a-mabobs.

    • Well, to me, anyway. Obviously also to you. Oh, and half a dozen other posters down the thread.

      Hmm.
    • Actualy if you want simplicity, stick with a flat database. It's designed for that kind of thing. Searches are simple when the index is set up.

      Don't overlook using the barcode on many items. Knowing which IBM drive was removed from service due to random loss of formatting is good. If you are like me, you might have a few marginal parts that you just can't seem to part with because they mostly work.

      Keep a comments section in your database. Notes like temporary loan to patch XXX helps recover lost inve
      • Try a labelmaker. Put any relevant notes right on the hardware itself.

        I prefer the Brother labeling units. The per-unit cost of the labels is cheaper than the Casio models -- same razor/blades and printer/ink argument.
        • I prefer the Brother labeling units. The per-unit cost of the labels is cheaper than the Casio models -- same razor/blades and printer/ink argument.

          I saw the razor/blade model and decided to use Labels Unlimited and Avery labels. I can add my own graphic from my clip art collection and can print all the popular barcodes. I can print labels up to full sheet in size. I can create an inventory list and do a batch printing job. I can create my own layout for any un-supported label stock I find surplus. Th
    • Hm... which spreadsheets are accessible via a browser?

      • Excel. I know we all hate microsoft, but the Web API is fairly trivial... OF course you need write permissions so you will need a good host.
        • For me, it isn't about "hating MicroSoft". (I don't care enough about the company to hate them...)

          Excel doesn't run on Linux... and, I run Linux.

          • Re:First Post (Score:3, Informative)

            by arcanumas ( 646807 )
            Well, you could always set up MySQL and read/write from a Calc (openoffice) spreadsheet.
            Then you can use somthing like PhpCodeGenie [sourceforge.net] to create some simple webforms for view/change/delete etc.
            Maybe tinker with them a little so that they do the job...
            But obviously, this is far from trivial (although not at all difficult for a Geek).

  • works for me.. (Score:5, Funny)

    by hookedup ( 630460 ) on Monday May 24, 2004 @02:09AM (#9235284)
    my wife.

    explaining it like "a green thing, with metal on one end, and little things sticking out of the green part" would gets me close to a nic/video/sound card, i can do the rest myself :)

  • hardware solution (Score:5, Insightful)

    by yarbo ( 626329 ) on Monday May 24, 2004 @02:09AM (#9235287)
    I use filing cabinets. Each drawer has a label on the front (drives, cables, fans, etc...). Each item goes in the designated drawer when I receive it. Cases go somewhere else.
    • Absolutely, I also drop by the Dollar store/Target/Walmart and buy those plastic drawer sets then spray them with anti static spray. It is amazing how much easier it is to find things now .. If I had a db or spreadsheet I would have to maintain it. this way I open up the drawer full of drives and I can see what I have all organized and sorted by capacity speed and manufacturer.
      • I got some wierd square boxes, think like a milk crate without holes but with a door. I got a bunch of smaller cardboard boxes and classified my computer equipment by type, ide & scsi cables in one box, mice and perhiprials in another, PCI cards (in static wrap in another. Works pretty well, but my collection is pretty small. Some friends did something similar with their linen closets.

  • I have a simple solution. (Score:5, Funny)

    by Bob Cat - NYMPHS ( 313647 ) on Monday May 24, 2004 @02:11AM (#9235291) Homepage
    Throw it all out. You aren't going to use those 256MB hard drives, or the 1MB SIMMs, or that ISA SCSI card that only works with the HP SCSI scanner that only works with that card.

    Now I have only to take my own advice. Anyone need a hundred ISA cards? v.32bis modems, AUI NICs, coax repeaters? How about power cords? I have about 50. Phone cords? 10 year old LaserJets with some toner? No?
    • Anyone need a hundred ISA cards? v.32bis modems, AUI NICs, coax repeaters? How about power cords? I have about 50. Phone cords? 10 year old LaserJets with some toner? No?
      Yes. Feel free to send it all to me:

      920 Delaware St. #3003
      Minneapolis, MN 55414

      That goes for anyone else too. Also, this would solve the problem posed by the submitter. Where's your stuff? I have it!
    • This is the whole point of Ebay!!
    • Throw it all out.

      When you need an old piece of hardware, its nice have it on a shelf. 256mg harddrives are good for firewalls, so are those older 486's. And of course those 486's need memory and maybe a couple ISA nic cards.

      Or maybe you want a old 486 with a soundblaster card, old modem, and printer to be a fax machine.

      BTW, box of 3 foot phone cords dont do much, but with a couple extenders can become a time saver. Even something as simple as an old floppy drive can be a project saver.
      • Hell yeah, it is nice to have a relatively low power computer to be a permanent fax server for the home network. Just make sure it is not on the wireless network, if I saw that while wardriving, well heh.

      • No, really... In the days of 3ghz Pentium 4s, there really isn't much use for a 66mhz 486 in the western world.

        Anyone who has a spare 486 is also likely to have a spare Pentium, P2, P3, Duron, or something with a bit more horsepower.

        If you have a 486, donate it to someone who needs it, or get rid of it.
        • Why not donate the spare Pentium or whatever. That is more likely to be useful to someone. These days a 486 is pretty much useless except as a firewall, router, fax machine, etc. The local charity places here will not accept anything less than a P2, it just isn't worth their time and effort.
          • a 486 pc is no less useful for, say, word processing, than it was when it first came out - the same software (in the same versions) runs on it now as did then, and the same printers attach to it as did then, etc.
            • Except for those same printer's toner/ink/ribbon cartridges are becoming hard to find. And I'm sure many kids will appreciate being taught how to word process using WordPerfect 5.1 and ProfessionalWrite. Text based Lotus 1-2-3 will also help them out in case their slide rules break.
            • a 486 pc is no less useful for, say, word processing, than it was when it first came out - the same software (in the same versions) runs on it now as did then

              Nah, it does get slower. The only time a 486 remains a 486 is when your brain isn't aware that there's anything faster out there :-)
    • So you're the guy that's got all my power cords! I was wondering how it is that, whenever I look for one, I've always mysteriously run out. ...And I was putting it down to the odd sock fairy
    • How about power cords? I have about 50. Phone cords?
      If you travel, keeping those things can be quite nice, so you can trade them. This is how I now have a US powercord for my laptop: I traded it in Japan...
    • How about power cords? I have about 50.

      Be careful with those little buggers. They multiply if you keep them in a box together. I always seem to have about 10 times as many power cords as I do equipment which needs a power cord.

      • There are good power cords (12ga and heavier; 12ga extenders; anything 3m and longer; anything 50cm and shorter; the IBM power cables that don't block the plug; right angle connectors) and then there are the run-of-the-mill crap you get with everything you buy -- 16 or 18 guage, between 1.5 and 2 meters long)

        If you buy a rack from Sun, it comes with power in it... but they insist on sending you one or two power cables for each item that goes in it. So you buy a 36U rack, you're probably going to be getti
    • Go ebay, and post the links, I need a coax repeater... preferably with a 10baseT translator. and some coax cable would be nice.

    • Throw it all out. You aren't going to use those 256MB hard drives, or the 1MB SIMMs, or that ISA SCSI card that only works with the HP SCSI scanner that only works with that card.

      If you live in the SF Bay Area, there's always the Computer Recycling Center [crc.org], with drop-off points in Santa Clara, San Francisco, and Petaluma. Yes, they will take those cables and cards, and maybe in the end someone will be able to make use of them (donation list [crc.org]).

      (Although I have a hunch they don't really want my S-100 bus

    • ...not funny. you really *aren't* ever going to use that stack of ISA crap in the corner, or those funny PSUs that only work in some desktop last on sale when flares were in fashion. Keep a small number of genuinely useful bits (say an ISA network card, a few old EDO RAM sticks, etc) and just chuck the rest.

  • OpenOffice (Score:3, Insightful)

    by BrookHarty ( 9119 ) on Monday May 24, 2004 @02:12AM (#9235298) Journal
    I don't have that much software, but Openoffice should work. Just a simple spreadsheet.

    Myself, I have a metal rack I bought. I keep a few boxes with cables on the middle racks, separated in 3 boxes by power/converters, misc, computer cables. Bottom rack has computer cases, routers. Top rack has HD's, CPU's, add in cards, modems. Works for me. And the rack only cost me 75 bux at the hardware store. Openoffice is free, so was the boxes.

    Come to think about it, doing something native in Openoffice would be cool. Maybe use it's mysql db interface with openoffice. Could be quite the little learning experience.

    • Use a Wiki (Score:2, Insightful)

      by KlaymenDK ( 713149 )
      There have been several suggestions on how to manage the physical side of it. Me, I just put it where I have room for it (and where the wife won't object).

      The inventory management, though, is rather easy. Use a wiki! That's what I do.
      I have a drawer in my desk for all the small stuff (HD or smaller) and a big box in the attic. Then I use my family's TWiki site to maintain a table of what I have and where it might be -- along with a rather long list of who in and outside my family have which computers, and

  • Simple (Score:2, Insightful)

    by Zurd3 ( 574979 )
    Why not just using openoffice spreadsheet for it ? I mean, if it's just for home, it's all good.

    If it would be for a business, a little mysql database with php would still be real simple to implement.

  • I'm a karma whore! (Score:5, Funny)

    by NanoGator ( 522640 ) on Monday May 24, 2004 @02:17AM (#9235306) Homepage Journal
    Why must you use modern technology when you have the ancient pen and paper that obviously wasn't enough for a lot of people in the 20th century? Not only are they cheap, but they're y2k compliant and they even work when the power is out! You can't do sorting like you can with a spreadsheet, and formulas would have to be done by hand, but it's a tried and true technology!

    *Here's hopin the mods have a sense of humor today.*

    • I would suggest a PDA that can do some sort of XML database that you can just use any device with an XML viewer on. Paper becomes overwhelming too quickly. I have inputed over 200 poems for instance that I have written in the past 12 years and now when I want to bring one up I just type in a few 'choice words' and boom it is there and I am reliving those emotions again. Instead of paging through notepad after notepad looking for this or that scribbled 4 line piece.

      I'm trying to be completely paper free

      • "I'm trying to be completely paper free by Fall semester, and will not accept any paper from my professors, they will be requested to somehow give me the electronic version of the document."

        Um, yeah, good luck with that. I'd love to see a student refuse to accept a paper handout from a prof, followed by the student "requesting" an electronic version of the document. Twenty bucks says he'll be "requesting" you to leave the class.

        • Re:I'm a karma whore! (Score:1)

          by Anonymous Coward
          Yeah, really. He'd better have some really nice professors.

          If I were him, I'd just accept the paper, scan it into a computer, and recycle the original. End result is the same, and you don't end up being known as the whiny student who wants everything his way. ;)
    • even work when the power is out!

      You ever tried writing in the dark? :)

  • I have just what you need (Score:5, Funny)

    by eggstasy ( 458692 ) on Monday May 24, 2004 @02:19AM (#9235320) Journal
    I've recently come across a great piece of software that lets you organize your old junk.
    TrashCan[tm], made by DumpsterCorp(r), enables you to quickly and easily file away each and every one of those things you think might have some use in the future, but never actually do. Retrieval, unfortunately, is a little bit difficult, but I hear they are working on that.
    Marriage[tm], from your friendly neighborhood software house, "Wife, Inc.", also helps you sort your old stuff by using a rule-based decision support system with natural language support:
    " IF (you havent needed it for the past 5-10 years)
    AND (you dont want me to file for divorce)
    THEN (you must get rid of your silly junk)
    AND (make room for sissy, pastel-colored baby gear)"
    I have found that after using these two great pieces of software to help organize my inventory, I have recovered such an amazing amount of space, it's as if I never had an inventory to begin with!

    • Re:I have just what you need (Score:4, Funny)

      by Txiasaeia ( 581598 ) on Monday May 24, 2004 @03:23AM (#9235504)
      You forgot where to purchase said software! Lucky you, I have a brand new TrashCan sitting right here, unused and unopened... it cost $1000, but I'll let it go right now for $200, free shipping. I've also got Marriage, but it's an older version. Tell you what, you pay for shipping, it's yours absolutely free.

      • I've also got Marriage, but it's an older version. Tell you what, you pay for shipping, it's yours absolutely free.

        Come on, you know Marriage is not available for purchase - it's available for licensing only. Note that even though the license is often advertised as perpetual, my experience has been that it must be renewed on a regular basis. Critical updates are labeled "birthday" or "anniversary", and these are not installed automatically, so there is a high likelihood of software crashes if you ig

  • Why spreadsheets? (Score:5, Insightful)

    by Dibblah ( 645750 ) on Monday May 24, 2004 @02:23AM (#9235329)
    Why oh why is everyone's first reaction a spreadsheet?

    Spreadsheets == handling of numbers
    Databases == handling of data

    Spreadsheets are not originally designed for searching or indexing. Spreadsheets have no good concept of interrelations.

    Use the right tool for the job, for a change.

    • Re:Why spreadsheets? (Score:5, Informative)

      by baywulf ( 214371 ) on Monday May 24, 2004 @02:45AM (#9235394)
      Here are some reasons people use a spreadsheet:

      * There are no complex interrelations to the data. Not complex enough to normalize. Maybe just a bunch of key/attribute relationships.

      * Many databases are client/server with a server always running in the background. Why run yet another service when you do something infrequently.

      * The user interfaces to many databases are not user friendly. Spreadsheet allow for ease of entry without any coding. Many will auto-expand what you type with similar text above it. Many will provide pulldown menus to do basic queries.
      • What's the problem with you guys? You must have some terrible software. I came home the other day and my wife had made a database of potential baby names with a little field to rate them. She had no help from me. She's not even a geek.

        She just used the simple database program that came included with her Mac.

        You don't need to learn SQL to set up a little database for things like this! Use spreadsheets for numbers!

        Okay, so I'm a little bitter after having to convert hundreds of ever-so-slightly differently

    • Re:Why spreadsheets? (Score:5, Insightful)

      by adolf ( 21054 ) <flodadolf@gmail.com> on Monday May 24, 2004 @02:59AM (#9235426) Journal
      Databases are cool, but they're almost useless by themselves. Are we supposed to grok SQL statements every day just to locate a SCSI adapter?

      What front-end software would you suggest be used for a home-oriented inventory control system?

      Or is learning Perl, Tcl, PHP, HTML, and/or C, along with SQL and the different various features of available engines a prerequisite for organizing one's computer cruft? What a weighty project to undertake.

      I maintain a good bit of inventory/stuff at home. Here's how I do it:

      A cheap medium-size (~4 foot) rollaway toolbox. Individual components (resistors, caps, LEDs), in one drawer. Fasteners get their own drawer. Bundled cables in one. Small PC-card based items like RAM and CPUs get their own drawer. Add-on cards in another. Large items (fans, odd case hardware) get their own drawer. Power supplies and the like end up in the cabinet in the bottom of the box.

      When I run out of space in one of these compartments, I start throwing things away, in order of age. An interesting side effect of this is that other things tend to disappear at the same time - a 12" amber monochrome monitor is a lot less useful after you toss the 15-year-old full-length ISA control card for it.

      • Databases are cool, but they're almost useless by themselves. Are we supposed to grok SQL statements every day just to locate a SCSI adapter?

        Linux is cool, but it's almost useless by itself. Are we supposed to grok cryptic commands every day just to fix stuff that ought to work?

        Databases are like UNIX, they are powerful for those who understand them, magical (or even scary) for those who do not. And yes, there are GUI interfaces to help manage both, but it's still the apps that make it really useful.

        Bu

    • Re:Why spreadsheets? (Score:4, Funny)

      by Associate ( 317603 ) on Monday May 24, 2004 @07:46AM (#9236315) Homepage
      You are absolutely correct. I'm going to do mine in Power Point.
    • Spreadsheets are not originally designed for searching or indexing. Spreadsheets have no good concept of interrelations.

      Spreadsheets store data. Databases store data. ASCII text files store data. Use whatever you want, but don't go overly complex just for something as simple as cataloging a list of old crap. Tons of my "databases" are ASCII text files that I've just added onto over the years and search through with grep. Databases are a PITA to setup properly and a poorly setup database is no more ef

    • Re:Why spreadsheets? (Score:3, Insightful)

      by jayayeem ( 247877 )
      Maybe not originally designed that way, but modern spreadsheets are very servicable flat databases. I've been enamored of the relational database model ever since I learned about it, but it is not the only one out there. For data without complex relationships, a flat file database, such as IMS or a spreadsheet is fine.

      Personally, though, if there is no calculation to be done on the data I am putting in my flat file, I use the tables feature of whatever my word processor happens to be. Or just commas, se

  • Check SourceForge (Score:5, Informative)

    by christopherfinke ( 608750 ) <chris@efinke.com> on Monday May 24, 2004 @02:25AM (#9235339) Homepage Journal
    Upon searching SourceForge [sf.net] for "inventory", 4 out of the top 5 matches appear to do what you want. I didn't check them all real close, but none of them appear to have the ease of use that they should, but here's what I'm thinking:

    This wouldn't be all that hard to put together with PHP and MySQL, and I've got a lot of code laying around that could be reused to put this together pretty quickly. Anyone want to help with development? Contact "chris at efinke dot com" to pitch in.

    • [...]
      I've got a lot of code laying around that could be reused to put this together pretty quickly.
      Me too. Except I'm not sure where I put all of it. I was thinking of getting together some kind of inventory system to help me keep track of it... Oh, wait...

  • I think the solution you are looking for is the common notebook. No, not a notebook computer, like actual pen and paper notebook.
  • inventorying old comupter stuff is always hard for me, i can't let go of things althrough i can forsee that won't ever use them again. like for an example i believe i still have an 8inch floppy disk from the 80-s back at my home. these were massive items :)

    as for book keeping over the computer stuff that you own, i believe a good shelf system in the attic is one of the best choices. as for companies, i think they should give up the old hardware to opensource programmers who are quite often in need for a

  • Interesting (Score:4, Insightful)

    by obeythefist ( 719316 ) on Monday May 24, 2004 @02:43AM (#9235385) Journal
    While this sounds like an interesting project, I feel this is one of those things where a filing cabinet or a chest of drawers or any other combination of cupboards, carboard boxes or cheap plastic containers, a bit of masking tape and a marker pen would probably do a better job.

    I'd say most hardware types, myself included because I have this problem, would only keep enough stuff that a bit of organisation would do wonders for.

    Get all your ISA cards and put them in one drawer, and label it "ISA Cards". Same for the stack of old IDE hard drives. Repeat until done. What I find handy is to also label each drive with a set of parameters in one uniform place (don't cover the little airhole thingy).

    Neaten up the cables you want to keep and wrap them in masking tape. Write the specifications on the tape if you like - "CAT-5, 5M". Put them all into the one drawer/bucket/cupboard.

    Making a database or using an application to handle the database sounds like a pretty complex operation, I think it would just be one more thing to worry about. Better to keep your stuff organised logically, which in turn would make you more organised. Adding a database into the equation will just complicate things even more.

    Sometimes the low tech fix is the best fix.
    • Neaten up the cables you want to keep and wrap them in masking tape. Write the specifications on the tape if you like - "CAT-5, 5M". Put them all into the one drawer/bucket/cupboard.

      I find that using sealable freezer bags to bundle similar cables/plugs together helps to avoid stuff being lost/tangled up.
      • Especially for smaller cables. Those 20M CAT5's you run into can be a bit troublesome though.

        Also cable ties have worked out nicely for me, the wire ones with the flat plastic coating. Neat bundles for all the kettleplugs helps them fit into a nice box.
    • Not masking tape!!! I absolutely abhor putting tape on my cables/wires/etc. Few things are worse than pulling a cool "retro" box from the garage or attic and finding tape-that-became-goo all over your cables (especially if it's a hard to find specialty cable that you HAVE to use). Electrical tape tends to be the biggest culprit of goo-residue, but I digress...

      I also tried the tie-wraps but if you need to get to a cable and you don't have your utility knife/boxcutter (*shudder*), your cable will be limit
      • Masking tape uses less adhesive than most other tapes so it will come off with much less goo. And you can write on it. Also you have to be careful if you use any tape on electronic components that you don't put the tape directly on the electronics.

        wire ties are also excellent however for keeping cables in bundles.

        Elastic has a habit of cracking after a long duration. The hair ties might do better because they have the cotton around them.

  • As already noted... (Score:4, Interesting)

    by rusty0101 ( 565565 ) on Monday May 24, 2004 @02:47AM (#9235402) Homepage Journal
    ... a spreadsheet is a lousy way to keep track of this stuff.

    It's ok if you are going to do a pure text data entry, but don't store it as a workbook, export it to a cvs file that you can import into a database that you build to handle the things that do not work well in a spreadsheet. You know, things like the photos of the equipment in question.

    Spreadsheets also do not handle web access very well. There's two big requirements that are unmet by the spreadsheet method.

    You could probably throw together a quick gui in glade or qt to access a posgres, mSQL, mysql, or other database for stuff like this, or throw together a vb interface as well. Nothing wrong with any of that except that on their own they do not meet the web accesability requirement. For that you are probably going to want to use either perl or php.

    Nothing radical here, at the same time, nothing really generic enough to be a large enough project for most people to want to use.

    Questions to ask are do you want to keep track of purchase date, serial number and prices for warrenty information? Are you going to keep the receipt filed someplace else? What are you going to say when your SO reads that your webcam is stashed under your last girlfriend's bed? Are you going to code remote locations some way different from the closet? How about a storage container, or garrage?

    How easy will it be to update? The nic you pulled out of that system you retired a year ago was in the garage under the workbench until you installed it in that system you built for your neighbor last week. Is the database updated with it's new location? Or will you be looking under the workbench next month?

    But then you are probably aware of all those questions, so forget I ever asked...

    -Rusty
  • Do we need a whole application to every thing we do?

    Just keep the list in a plain text file. That's how I manage contacts, appointments, movie db, and many other data.

    For web access, just keep the .txt file in your webpage (possibly in a hidden directory, like http://my.page/my/stuff.txt, depends on how private you want it to be). Use can use a .html instead if you really want the photos.

    All other requested features are there already! It's just a matter of organizing the text and using a simple text sear

  • The ideal solution would be... (Score:4, Interesting)

    by darnok ( 650458 ) on Monday May 24, 2004 @03:12AM (#9235475)
    the mate with a really big, empty garage.

    If a bunch of us could cart all our crap over to this hypothetical garage, and we had a gentlemen's agreement between all of us that we were all free to dip in to the big pile at any time for any reason, that would be ideal. I wouldn't particularly mind if someone nabbed one of my 14.4k modems, as long as I was free to nab one of their Soundblaster AWE-64 cards in exchange.

    We may need to get a bunch of big boxes and label them "modems", "LAN cards", "memory chips", "sound cards", "power cords" and so on, but that's the limit of the management that would be required.
    • From each according to his lack of space/clutter management, to each according to his need/ hardware specifications...
    • Actually, a friend of mine set this kind of deal up once. I never actually participated, but he would rent out a large storage room, and stuff would go in there. Certain piles/areas were things that were off limits to all but original owners, other things were free-for-all, and then there was the "library" section - where you would sign out books (every geek has a large collection of old computer books). He would collect rent for the space each month, and each person would get a key. Depending on your share

  • Christ on a Cracker (Score:3, Interesting)

    by limekiller4 ( 451497 ) on Monday May 24, 2004 @03:14AM (#9235478) Homepage
    This is directed at the original poster. Since I'm sure he'll read even -1 stuff, mod down all you like. Here goes:

    If you have so much excess old hardware that you want to stuff it into some sort of database, and you're not an eBayer or a retailer, you have issues. Big, expensive issues.

    And not only because you feel the need to turn to a computer for what could be a very simple solution; two piles. One labeled "stuff I will never use or will likely never use" and one labeled "stuff I might someday use." Feel free to have several boxes! Maybe one is for cables, one is for HDs, one is for FDs, etc.

    I've have never engaged in the "this question is too stupid for Slashdot" flamewars but I tell you, I don't mind if I start right now because if any post ever deserved it, it's this one. If you have so much outdated, unmarketable stuff that you need a db, a db isn't your solution. A garage sale or eBay is. If that doesn't work, try the trash.

    I'm sure 95% of the replies are going to be in this vein but Christ, I really don't mind driving the point home Just That Little Extra Bit.
    • I'm going to have to agree with you on this. I've got a similar situation, and I simply tuck away all the shit into some 40gal bins and shove them in the closet of my "office" at home. The stuff that may break (cards, HDDs) are in separate boxes in my filing cabinet next to my main PC.

      Whatever's not in there that I need, I simply go to our local Goodwill Computer Store, and roll the dice in hopes of finding something that works for they have no systems to test with an a NO RETURN policy - the bastards. For
  • I like to use pen and paper to write down when i have and where i keep it. Cost of paper- 1c Cost of ink- 2c Cost of not having Windows crashing and not losing all files- priceless

  • eBay!! (Score:3, Funny)

    by vbrtrmn ( 62760 ) on Monday May 24, 2004 @03:27AM (#9235519) Homepage
    I'm selling a lot of my old junk on ebay, you should buy it [ebay.com]!

  • Plone product (Score:4, Informative)

    by Bazman ( 4849 ) on Monday May 24, 2004 @05:45AM (#9235918) Journal
    You could write a nice little product for the Plone web-system, using the 'Archetypes' framework, to do this.

    * A web-browser-based system (or something else with LAN connectivity) that would allow me to access the inventory from multiple computers

    - plone works through the web, so thats no prob.

    * Something to indicate where each part is, i.e. "under bed" or "behind bookshelf" :)

    - you just define your Archetype with 'location' as a field - it can either be a free text field or you could make it a choice of items.

    * A way to attach one or more photos to each item

    - that's just an Image field in the Archetype.

    * Category organization, like "hard drives," "memory," or "cables". Subcategories would be nice too.

    - that's another simple 'choice' type field.

    * A "notes" field for each item, to save misc. information.

    - a text field - do you want structured text, plain html, ReStructured text, or uploaded files? Easy.

    * Search functionality, so I could search by category or text-search any field.

    - plone catalogs the content and there's a search box.

    With Plone and Archetypes, all the forms for editing and adding content are built for you. You can use the default view, or write your own view templates.

    www.plone.org for all your plone needs. Python skills useful.

    Baz

  • Semistructured data? Use a search engine. (Score:4, Informative)

    by Bazzargh ( 39195 ) on Monday May 24, 2004 @07:34AM (#9236249)
    While a lot of folk might suggest a database, structuring data is difficult, especially when you're spanning the gamut from "bits of green wire" to "Cray XMP, Serial no 700l33t4u", with and without photos, etc.

    A simpler, scalable solution is to see all of this stuff as semistructured or even unstructured data - and point a search engine at it. (lots of people are heading this way - see eg ReiserFS [namesys.com], WinFS [microsoft.com].

    To create your data, just make web pages and get the search engine to index them. You can even make the whole process very simple by using a Wiki with built in full text search like MoinMoin, or just go for a proper search engine like lucene [apache.org]/

    There are disadvantages. In the most basic setup you will not be able to search for "green things" because until you move from unstructured to semistructured data, there are no properties for the search engine to pick on. Even once you do add properties, you won't be able to ask "add up the cost of all my junk" which is easy in SQL. But the speed at which you can add stuff to your inventory is some compensation.

  • Alright now.. (Score:3, Funny)

    by Thyamine ( 531612 ) <.thyamine. .at. .ofdragons.com.> on Monday May 24, 2004 @07:55AM (#9236360) Homepage Journal
    This isn't your wife you're talking to. We're all geeks here and we know that 3/4 of that stuff you're keeping 'just in case'.

    The first step is admitting you have a problem. ;-)

  • Don't organize, obliterate!

    Beyond the normal trash, broken, and consumed stuff that should be thrown away anyway...

    1. Every year, sell, give away, or throw away 1 jumbo-sized garbage can worth of stuff.

    We're talking the big can that you drag to the curb. It might even have rollers on it.

    Looks like you, like me, are over due. Maybe make it 2 cans of just equipment?

    Where does it go? To your friends, your local LUG, sell it on Ebay, in second hand stores, library book drive, or toss it in the rec

  • Earlier posted about here on Slashdot, I think Freemind may be just what the poster needs. [sourceforge.net]
  • - dump in box,
    - take a photo of each layer (i.e. digital)
    - seporate each layer with card
  • (currently in the middle of an 8-year purge)

    The day I need a database to keep track of my crap is the day I call the dump and rent a 2 ton bin again.

    If you haven't touched it in a year or two, ask yourself if you really even need the stuff, and give it away or donate it to a charity for a tax break if you don't.

    Personally I just:

    Box of sh1t #1: label it cables
    Box of sh1t #2: label it cards
    Box of sh1t #3: label it hard drives/etc.
    Box of sh1t #4: label it "???"
    Box of sh1t #5: label it "trash" and toss i

  • Better yet (Score:4, Funny)

    by dnight ( 153296 ) <dnight@lakkad o o . com> on Monday May 24, 2004 @11:10AM (#9237948)

    Get married. She'll tell you what to do with it all.

  • Parents' House (Score:2, Interesting)

    by Krezel ( 91860 ) *
    Like everybody else, I've accumulated a lot of random old computer hardware (Yes, I really do need those old ISA video cards. I've also decided that if left in the same box long enough cards breed. I now have 3 original SoundBlaster Live! cards when I've only bought one).

    Last summer I went to California for 8 months to intern. While I was gone, my father inventoried all my old hardware for me. Sent me spreadsheets full of listed items so I could decide what to keep, what to sell, and what to donate. All t
    • You're never going to need it. Ebay stuff as soon as you realise you haven't used it in a few months. If it's worth forty quid now it won't be worth anything this time next year. If you need it again, buy another one (probably for less than you sold it for).

    • So a single Soundblaster is able to breed!? Or did it mate with some 3Com NIC and they had babies. Like 2 Soundblasters and 3 NICs... Maybe it's even possible to breed entirely new cards this way. I could use an extra MIDI port on my NIC...

      and what would happen if you put ISA's and PCI's together in one box?

  • Large plastic bags in cardboard boxes.

    Label the large plastic bags ("RCA", "mini-jack", "ethernet", "keyboard adapters and extensions", "serial", "ribbon").

    Place large plastic bags (like those kinds that hold comfortors when you buy them brand new) in large cardboard boxes.

    Very easy.

  • Ok, this isn't really a reply to the original post but since a lot of people are talking about just chucking out unneeded computer stuff I thought I'd offer a warm & fuzzy, ethical alternative.

    Some folks I know have a charity that builds and sends PCs to education centres in the developing world. I won't give you the whole blurb on the organization because I won't do it any justice but you can check it out for yourself here [uconnect.org].

    Their information about hardware donations is a bit vague on the website but

  • Any records keeping is doomed to failu8re, because you'll poke around for "just a connector" and shuffle stuff and mix it up and not record this. It is ESSENTIAL to keep it all umbled in boxes. That way you have to look through all of it to find something, which (1) reminds you where everything is (come on, you KNOW you know which of a couple boxes a particular thing probably is in),(2) provides you with the opportunilty to mull through all your cool stuff admiring it and yourself for having gathered such a
  • It's now a week later, and I've developed a solution to the submitter's request. It's called anyInventory, and it's available at http://sourceforge.net/projects/anyinventory/ [sourceforge.net], and there is a test version for trying it out at http://anyinventory.sf.net/aI/ [sf.net].

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