Realtors spend a lot of time eyeing new technology with barely a second look at their old technology -- the ancient (meaning maybe three-year-old) computers, printers, scanners and modems piling up in the back office. Often, these dinosaurs are too valuable to sell or throw away (what if I need them as backup?), but after a year or two gathering dust, they're piled into a trash can and tossed aside like yesterday's newspaper. 

Stop right there. A better life awaits for many tech tools, especially computers.

Donate to charity 

Schools, camps, homeless shelters, religious groups -- the list of organizations that could use your dated high-tech equipment is endless. In many cases, a donation is tax deductible at the fair market value of the computer if given to a charity. (Check with your accountant for details.) 

Don't have time to research deserving organizations? Consider working through the National Cristina Foundation (http://www.cristina.org), a charitable group that exists to connect companies that have extra equipment to people with disabilities, students at risk and economically disadvantaged people. The Foundation's public service message summarizes its goals: Machines you can write off. People you can't. 

Microsoft also hosts a donation Web site that benefits education, though the Web site -- http://www.microsoft.com/Education/TenTips.aspx -- notes that computers cannot be too old or they lose their benefit. In addition, many donated computers lack the proper software or documentation to be useful or easily set up by schools, though the company's Fresh Start for Donated Computers program works with schools to supply both at cost. 

Many established charities such as Goodwill also accept used computers and allow you to deduct the fair market value on your income taxes. 

Build your community and business 

Any place where kids must wait -- while Mom and Dad are busy at closing, for example -- is the ideal spot for an older computer loaded with games. If you have a laptop computer you no longer use, take that along on home showings and keep children entertained -- and the parents free to concentrate on the home rather than their kids. 

Recycle 

For many new computer buyers, the easiest way to recycle an old computer and keep it out of local landfills is to give it back to the company that sold you new hardware. Most offer recycling information on a Web site. For example, some of the bigger companies with recycling Web sites are: 

• Dell: http://www1.us.dell.com/content/topics/segtopic.aspx/dell_recycling?c=us&cs=&l=en&s=dhs&

• HP: http://www.hp.com/hpinfo/globalcitizenship/environment/recycle/index.html

• Gateway: http://www.gateway.com/about/corp_responsibility/env_recycle.shtml

For other environmentally-friendly donating, visit a Web site sponsored by The Consumer Education Initiative (CEI) -- http://www.eiae.org. CEI exists to educate consumers on the benefits of recycling and offer information on opportunities to do so. While it doesn't usually cost anything to recycle a computer, you may have to pay shipping charges if you're not trading an older model for a new one. 

Another resource -- the Electronics Recycling Initiative (http://www.nrc-recycle.org/resources/electronics), part of the National Recycling Coalition -- offers a searchable database of recyclers and municipal programs that accept old electronic equipment. The Initiative offers a list of companies listed by state alphabetically or by zip code. 

Protect your information 

One note of caution when getting rid of an old computer: Protect your data. Backup important data onto external disks, and then delete it from the computer, taking care to remove all programs. If possible, remove everything after it's been saved and reinstall the operating system. If donating to charity, include original disks and all documentation that came with the computer, providing you don't plan to reinstall the software on your new computer.