Windows 10 End-of-Life: What to Do with Your Old Fleet's Memory?
All the refreshing is done. All the new PCs are sitting on desks. And in the parts room next to the door there’s a plastic tub filled with various sticks of RAM (what RAM is), a partially peeled asset tag affixed to its side.
There are DDR4 laptop SODIMMs, matching pairs of DIMMs, DIMMs that were yanked when we rolled out new laptops to another office in the region, and some ECC RDIMMs that used to be installed in retired servers. Before they can be tossed in a bin for e-waste recycling, there needs to be a way for the IT staff and facilities managers to sort the memory, and it needs to be robust enough to survive an audit.
Sorting Stations
Get a large table or desk, a Sharpie, and anti-static bags or plastic bins. A coffee stain isn’t the end of the world, but leaving unprotected DIMMs lying around a metal storage rack probably isn’t advisable. Make sure you have at least three workstations to store laptop memory, desktop memory, and server memory, respectively.
Once you’re ready, take your time to go through each stick of RAM individually and jot down the information from the label on each piece of RAM:
- Type/form factor, such as DDR4 SODIMM, DDR4 RDIMM
- Capacity and speed designation
- ECC or non-ECC
- Part number (if legible)
- Total count (grouped by like type)
It’s a good idea to photograph a nice row of RAM labels. You’ll thank me later once the green circuit boards begin to blur together. Do not rely on a label written on a cardboard box in permanent marker six months ago.
Memory Worth Keeping
Laptop SODIMMs can often be worth saving, depending on whether you still use older devices that require them. If you do, keep a small reserve and label each matching pair inside an anti-static bag by capacity, speed, and the make/model of the device it came out of. Just don’t write “old laptop RAM” on the bag.
Older desktop DIMMs may also be worth keeping if you still have older PCs in use in the field, or in waiting rooms, or in control rooms, or anywhere else. Check your asset tracking system to see how many are still in use. A few of these might be worth keeping if you want to avoid taking a DIMM out of a PC that you would rather leave alone.
If the older devices have been retired and you no longer need the memory as spares, consider whether you can sell used memory to a certified buyer rather than sending usable DIMMs directly for recycling.
This is not the case if all the older devices have been retired and you don’t have multiple makes and models of PCs in use.
ECC RDIMMs require their own box if you choose to keep any. They may be worth keeping as spares, assuming you still use a server that requires them. A lone stick tucked behind an unused power supply in the parts room isn’t much use if the rank/capacity/speed of the DIMM doesn’t match the installed DIMMs in the server.
Disposal Records
While it’s unlikely that the RAM itself holds any data once the computers are shut off, you still need to track the disposition of the memory. It’s less about purging the memory and more about having a clean record of equipment being retired. If you pulled the DIMMs from specific PCs or servers, note the batch and date they were taken out.
There needs to be a document created with at least the following information:
- Asset group/batch that the RAM was pulled from
- Type/category of DIMMs
- Total count of DIMMs
- Number of DIMMs to keep as spares
- Number of DIMMs to send for resale
- Receipt from the buyer
Number 6 is important in the event that someone asks what the box of DIMMs was doing outside the facility. Keep a copy of the completed tally sheet with your other records instead of tucking it in a desk drawer somewhere.
Resale and Shipping
DIMMs that have clear labels, undamaged contacts, and match other sticks of RAM in the batch are easy to sell. Any RAM with damaged clips, pitted contacts, or that has “BAD” written on it should be put aside immediately. Don’t try to sell a batch of mixed RAM and let someone else sort it out.
Group the matching RAM together. Ten matching 16GB SODIMMs in an anti-static bag are easier to document than ten individual sticks of RAM wrapped in printer paper. The same goes for desktop RAM and server DIMMs, if they’re going to be kept for resale. Try to keep the manufacturer’s sticker on the DIMM intact.
Once you’ve tallied the groups and the counts, find a reputable vendor who buys used RAM and is able to produce a receipt of purchase. According to the Global E-Waste Monitor, keeping usable electronics in circulation can help reduce unnecessary e-waste. It ensures that you keep usable RAM out of the scrap stream and you can track where the DIMMs were sent.
Final Box Check
Go through the checklist again and verify everything against the stacks of DIMMs on the table. Make sure that no DIMMs meant to be kept have ended up in the box of DIMMs for resale. Ensure that the server RAM didn’t get mixed in with the desktop RAM. Once everything is accounted for, seal the boxes and staple the tally sheet to the shipping manifest.