Previous Thread
Index
Next Thread
Print Thread
Go To
Off-Topic
Joined: Oct 2008
Posts: 1,259
Expert
OP Offline
Expert
Joined: Oct 2008
Posts: 1,259
I guess this is sort of a dumb question. Here I am with past years' ext hdd's, cd's, etc. I've never had any reason to go back and use any of this stuff--even from the bonus paks. My question is, What do I do with this stuff? I can't legally sell it or even give it away. I guess I could turn the drives in for electronic disposal to be green? (whatever that means in reality). What's everybody else doing? thanks.

Stan


Cornet Curmudgeon
Off-Topic
Joined: Oct 2007
Posts: 4,245
Veteran
Offline
Veteran
Joined: Oct 2007
Posts: 4,245
Quote:
I can't legally sell it or even give it away.


Did you just say "legally" in a digital world?

Off-Topic
Joined: May 2000
Posts: 38,502
M
Mac Offline
Veteran
Offline
Veteran
M
Joined: May 2000
Posts: 38,502
What prevents you from selling it?

I know of no laws here in the states that prevent a citizen from selling any hardware that they own. Not yet, anyway.

A good thing that we can do with old hardware is to donate to thrift stores, Salvation Army, Goodwill, etc. and you can also ask for a receipt to be used for income tax deduction purposes as well. There may be someone in need of that stuff that is older, never know.

With hard drives, though, I won't let one get out of my hands that hasn't been erased in full and run a program that rewrites all to zeros. Otherwise, I just drill a couple of 1/4" holes through the entire drive and through the platters, and dispose of it. This is to protect things like passwords, credit card numbers, personal info, etc. Don't let that get away from you, the baddies that will take advantage of such are everywhere, unfortunately.

--Mac

Off-Topic
Joined: Sep 2007
Posts: 3,921
Veteran
Offline
Veteran
Joined: Sep 2007
Posts: 3,921
Not so long ago I had to get rid of nearly a dozen dead or obsolete PCs. I hated the thought of putting them in the trash. I was fortunate to run across a Native-American-owned recycler in my area (Federal Recyclers, Marietta, Georgia) who specializes in computers and hardware. They reclaim the metals and as much else as possible. NOTHING goes into a landfill. He is also supremely ethical in the matter of hard drives, cell phones, and the like; he makes sure that no personal information gets loose. Look around for someone equally green--they're out there. And take Mac's advice on destroying the drives. You'd be amazed at what can be recovered, even from a notionally formatted HD.


"My primary musical instrument is the personal computer."
Off-Topic
Joined: Jan 2002
Posts: 7,913
R
Veteran
Offline
Veteran
R
Joined: Jan 2002
Posts: 7,913
Whenever I've trashed hard drives, which has been somewhat rare - I keep them on a shelf, I've used it as a lesson to my kids as to how they work (if I can get the case open in a reasonable time).

There is a bit of magic for them seeing the platters and the tiny little read/write heads on the arms - and telling them that all of the music, photos, school assignments, etc. actually exist as little magnetic deviations on the platters and the little arms are what put them there and read them off.

Then we take it out to the driveway and get the 2 lb sledge and I tell them to have fun beating the living daylights out of it! I tell them to make sure that each of the platters is bent all to pieces. I've done this with 2 of my 4 kids. They learn and then they have fun (hopefully the learning was fun also).

Off-Topic
Joined: Jul 2000
Posts: 25,800
Veteran
Offline
Veteran
Joined: Jul 2000
Posts: 25,800
Scott, you can also use this as an opportunity to teach your kids how to use an electric drill. Just punch a few holes right through the platters and that should do it.


BIAB 2024 Win Audiophile. Software: Studio One 6.5 Pro, Swam horns, Acoustica-7, Notion 6; Win 11 Home. Hardware: Intel i9, 32 Gb; Roland Integra-7, Presonus Studio 192, Presonus Faderport 8, Royer 121, Adam Sub8 & Neumann 120 monitors
Off-Topic
Joined: Jan 2002
Posts: 7,913
R
Veteran
Offline
Veteran
R
Joined: Jan 2002
Posts: 7,913
The sledge was safer at their ages. But yes, drilling works as well.

Off-Topic
Joined: Dec 2009
Posts: 416
Journeyman
Offline
Journeyman
Joined: Dec 2009
Posts: 416
I also have 3 "spares" now ...

I used one to make a backup of my 2013 BIAB/RB external

Number 2 is used as working RB data drives ..
I store my working SEQ files on there.

Number 3, The last one is used as a backup library of all my recorded SEQ's and BIAB files , like an archive.

I had one or two scares with my notebook and NEARLY thought I had lost all my arrangements ....


I'm doing allright for Country Trash ....

I used to care, but things have changed (Bob Dylan)

BIAB 2022W + RB
M-Audio FastTrack C600, Rode NT2-A
Digitech VoiceLive 4

Epiphone Sheraton, Ibanez 12str, Washburn 6str, Cort 6Str Nylon
Yanagisawa Tenor Sax

Off-Topic
Joined: May 2003
Posts: 8,021
Veteran
Offline
Veteran
Joined: May 2003
Posts: 8,021
I believe that if you purchased the FULL version of BIAB on a HD you can indeed sell it to someone.


John
ESI Gigaport HD+
Lenovo Turion II /4 Gig Ram/ Win7x64 be
15.6" Monitor
"The only Band is a Real Band"
www.wintertexaninfo.com/BANDS/JohnnyD.php
Off-Topic
Joined: Jul 2000
Posts: 6,080
Veteran
Offline
Veteran
Joined: Jul 2000
Posts: 6,080
Rather than drilling holes in a used HD or smashing it with a hammer, use a program that writes 'random' zeros and ones over and over again.

There is an open source Windows app called "eraser": Eraser is an advanced security tool for Windows that allows you to completely remove sensitive data from your hard drive by overwriting it several times with carefully selected patterns. The patterns used for overwriting are based on Peter Guttmann's paper Secure Deletion of Data from Magnetic and Solid-State Memory and are selected to effectively remove magnetic remnants from the hard drive. Other methods include the one defined in the National Industrial Security Program Operating Manual of the U.S. Department of Defense, and overwriting with pseudorandom data. You can also define your own overwriting methods.

There is another I used for Mac, but I forget it's name.

After running a program like this, I can give the drive away to someone who can use it without fear of having my personal data revealed.

But I wouldn't give away or sell the drive with BiaB data on it unless I got written permission from Peter Gannon. It's a "do unto others" thing as well as a copyright thing.

Insights and incites by Notes


Bob "Notes" Norton smile Norton Music
https://www.nortonmusic.com

100% MIDI Super-Styles recorded by live, pro, studio musicians for a live groove
& Fake Disks for MIDI and/or RealTracks
Off-Topic
Joined: Jun 2003
Posts: 1,101
Expert
Offline
Expert
Joined: Jun 2003
Posts: 1,101
Originally Posted By: silvertones
I believe that if you purchased the FULL version of BIAB on a HD you can indeed sell it to someone.


In that case would you not also be selling your right to reduced upgrade pricing? I'm not sure that you can have your cake and eat it too.


Keith
2024 Audiophile Windows 11 AMD RYZEN THREADRIPPER 3960X 4.5GHZ 128 GB RAM 2 Nvidia RTX 3090s, Vegas,Acid,SoundForge,Izotope Production,Melodyne Studio,Cakewalk,Raven Mti
Off-Topic
Joined: May 2000
Posts: 38,502
M
Mac Offline
Veteran
Offline
Veteran
M
Joined: May 2000
Posts: 38,502
Originally Posted By: rockstar_not
Whenever I've trashed hard drives, which has been somewhat rare - I keep them on a shelf, I've used it as a lesson to my kids as to how they work (if I can get the case open in a reasonable time).

There is a bit of magic for them seeing the platters and the tiny little read/write heads on the arms - and telling them that all of the music, photos, school assignments, etc. actually exist as little magnetic deviations on the platters and the little arms are what put them there and read them off.


There is a rather popular hack that I have used with kids in the summer school program. All you need is an old hard drive, platter does not even have to be able to spin, because all that is used is the headarm and its magnetic motor movement. And a low level and cheap laser pen pointer.

Locate the two connections to one of the two coils that move the head arm, found at the end of the flexy, disconnect from the drive's electronics and connect to the + and - speaker terminals of any small audio amplifier.

Now the headarm will move in response to any audio or music played through the amplifier.

Attach a small piece of glass mirror to the head end of the headarm using superglue.

Figure out a way to mount the laser pointer such that it is pointing at the headarm mirror. I use rubber bands to do that.

And, with the lights dimmed, you have a laser lightshow:



More than just watching the pattern that music makes, if you hook up a small mixer and microphone to the amplifier, the kids juswt love to see the patterns they can generate with their own voice.

The one thing that they sometimes can't wrap around is that this is an ANALOG situation and not Digital. Great time to show the difference and explain. At my summer school classes, that's when we get to delve off into an old record turntable, a few old records, and our tone arm and amplifier becomes a sewing needle taped to the corner of a piece of printer paper handheld above the spinning record. And they hear the sound of the record. Then I use one of my laptops and SP/DIF output to let them hear the digital sound of an mp3 file using a song the kids love at the time, and let them hear the digital nasty instead of the actual sound. That leads off into their first delvings into the 1's and zeros thang.

ADULT SUPERVISION on this one at all times, you must ot let them ever try to shine laser light directly into their own or other children's eyes. I pocket the little laser pointer and also disconnect the leads from coil to speaker, taking the alligator leads with me. That way, they can't start it up without resorting to a rather lot of procurement and learning first, avoids that happening when I'm not around.

--Mac

Off-Topic
Joined: Dec 2009
Posts: 416
Journeyman
Offline
Journeyman
Joined: Dec 2009
Posts: 416
Originally Posted By: silvertones
I believe that if you purchased the FULL version of BIAB on a HD you can indeed sell it to someone.


You can, but YOU lose the right to keep on using it, even though you may still have a HD with a version on ....

Otherwise it is the same as an OKE bringing you a HD and you making a COPY for him ......


I'm doing allright for Country Trash ....

I used to care, but things have changed (Bob Dylan)

BIAB 2022W + RB
M-Audio FastTrack C600, Rode NT2-A
Digitech VoiceLive 4

Epiphone Sheraton, Ibanez 12str, Washburn 6str, Cort 6Str Nylon
Yanagisawa Tenor Sax

Off-Topic
Joined: Oct 2008
Posts: 1,259
Expert
OP Offline
Expert
Joined: Oct 2008
Posts: 1,259
Thanks for all the input. I don't think that I made myself clear. I'm only referring to my outdated PG Music drives and cds. I was hopefully thinking that maybe someone was recycling them. I don't think that I have any personal info on them. I run the main pgm from the pc and have all the styles, rd's, and rt's on the little ext. hds. I also have some small ext. hds and one large one. I'm not getting rid of any of those. If I wipe the drives, I don't think that PG Music would care how they are disposed of. I'll look into wiping them though. There are some places that buy used electronic stuff. I could probably just give them away to friends and family.

Thanks again,

stan


Cornet Curmudgeon
Off-Topic
Joined: May 2000
Posts: 38,502
M
Mac Offline
Veteran
Offline
Veteran
M
Joined: May 2000
Posts: 38,502
For outdated pgmusic issued hard drives, I think you could safely just reformat and then sell or give away.

I have wiped a couple and use them for backups, transfers, etc.


--Mac

Off-Topic
Joined: Oct 2008
Posts: 1,259
Expert
OP Offline
Expert
Joined: Oct 2008
Posts: 1,259
Originally Posted By: Mac
For outdated pgmusic issued hard drives, I think you could safely just reformat and then sell or give away.

I have wiped a couple and use them for backups, transfers, etc.


--Mac


Thanks Mac. That sounds like the most practical solution. For the disks, a couple of times I bought some top kits and turned some parts on my lathe for tops. They actually spin pretty good, too.


Cornet Curmudgeon
Off-Topic
Joined: Dec 2003
Posts: 8,987
Veteran
Offline
Veteran
Joined: Dec 2003
Posts: 8,987
Originally Posted By: silvertones
I believe that if you purchased the FULL version of BIAB on a HD you can indeed sell it to someone.


I recently asked PG Support and was told that there is an IMPLIED license with the purchase of PG software, so selling the product(s) terminates your relationship with PG. I use the old drives for specific archival storage such as OTR (Old Time Radio) and mp3 music archives..

Off-Topic
Joined: May 2003
Posts: 8,021
Veteran
Offline
Veteran
Joined: May 2003
Posts: 8,021
Originally Posted By: Don Gaynor
Originally Posted By: silvertones
I believe that if you purchased the FULL version of BIAB on a HD you can indeed sell it to someone.


I recently asked PG Support and was told that there is an IMPLIED license with the purchase of PG software, so selling the product(s) terminates your relationship with PG. I use the old drives for specific archival storage such as OTR (Old Time Radio) and mp3 music archives..

Agreed. Just having a hyperthetical discussion here.
let's say I bought 2012 EP for Full price $569 and I sold it for $400. Yes indeed my relationship with PG is over. I no longer have the software. I then take my $400 & add another $169 to it and again buy a full 2013 version for $569. The new version in essence only would cost me the $169 and I do not believe I'd be in violation of anything.It costs $399 to upgrade from 2012 to 2013 if you don't get in on the early sale.The sale is $199.
I wouldn't want to bother with this but I think you legally could.


John
ESI Gigaport HD+
Lenovo Turion II /4 Gig Ram/ Win7x64 be
15.6" Monitor
"The only Band is a Real Band"
www.wintertexaninfo.com/BANDS/JohnnyD.php
Off-Topic
Joined: Dec 2009
Posts: 416
Journeyman
Offline
Journeyman
Joined: Dec 2009
Posts: 416
Originally Posted By: silvertones


Agreed. Just having a hyperthetical discussion here.
let's say I bought 2012 EP for Full price $569 and I sold it for $400. Yes indeed my relationship with PG is over. I no longer have the software. I then take my $400 & add another $169 to it and again buy a full 2013 version for $569. The new version in essence only would cost me the $169 and I do not believe I'd be in violation of anything.It costs $399 to upgrade from 2012 to 2013 if you don't get in on the early sale.The sale is $199.
I wouldn't want to bother with this but I think you legally could.


I agree with this scenario as you are essentially buying a NEW full system/version and not upgrading your (now sold and no longer your's) license .....

Last edited by CountryTrash; 08/19/13 02:23 AM.

I'm doing allright for Country Trash ....

I used to care, but things have changed (Bob Dylan)

BIAB 2022W + RB
M-Audio FastTrack C600, Rode NT2-A
Digitech VoiceLive 4

Epiphone Sheraton, Ibanez 12str, Washburn 6str, Cort 6Str Nylon
Yanagisawa Tenor Sax

Previous Thread
Next Thread
Go To

Link Copied to Clipboard
ChatPG

Ask sales and support questions about Band-in-a-Box using natural language.

ChatPG's knowledge base includes the full Band-in-a-Box User Manual and sales information from the website.

PG Music News
Band-in-a-Box® 2024 Review: 4.75 out of 5 Stars!

If you're looking for a in-depth review of the newest Band-in-a-Box® 2024 for Windows version, you'll definitely find it with Sound-Guy's latest review, Band-in-a-Box® 2024 for Windows Review: Incredible new capabilities to experiment, compose, arrange and mix songs.

A few excerpts:
"The Tracks view is possibly the single most powerful addition in 2024 and opens up a new way to edit and generate accompaniments. Combined with the new MultiPicker Library Window, it makes BIAB nearly perfect as an 'intelligent' composer/arranger program."

"MIDI SuperTracks partial generation showing six variations – each time the section is generated it can be instantly auditioned, re-generated or backed out to a previous generation – and you can do this with any track type. This is MAJOR! This takes musical experimentation and honing an arrangement to a new level, and faster than ever."

"Band in a Box continues to be an expansive musical tool-set for both novice and experienced musicians to experiment, compose, arrange and mix songs, as well as an extensive educational resource. It is huge, with hundreds of functions, more than any one person is likely to ever use. Yet, so is any DAW that I have used. BIAB can do some things that no DAW does, and this year BIAB has more DAW-like functions than ever."

Happy Easter! Holiday Hours...

2024 is well underway - it's already Easter Weekend!

Our Customer Service hours this weekend are:

Friday, March 29: 8-4
Saturday, March 30: 8-4
Sunday, March 31: closed

Regular hours resume Monday, April 1st - no joke!

Convenient Ways to Listen to Band-in-a-Box® Songs Created by Program Users!

The User Showcase Forum is an excellent place to share your Band-in-a-Box® songs and listen to songs other program users are creating!

There are other places you can listen to these songs too! Visit our User Showcase page to sort by genre, artist (forum name), song title, and date - each listing will direct you to the forum post for that song.

If you'd rather listen to these songs in one place, head to our Band-in-a-Box® Radio, where you'll have the option to select the genre playlist for your listening pleasure. This page has SoundCloud built in, so it won't redirect you. We've also added the link to the Artists SoundCloud page here, and a link to their forum post.

We hope you find some inspiration from this amazing collection of User Showcase Songs!

Congratulations to the 2023 User Showcase Award Winners!

We've just announced the 2023 User Showcase Award Winners!

There are 45 winners, each receiving a Band-in-a-Box 2024 UltraPAK! Read the official announcement to see if you've won.

Our User Showcase Forum receives more than 50 posts per day, with people sharing their Band-in-a-Box songs and providing feedback for other songs posted.

Thank you to everyone who has contributed!

Video: Volume Automation in Band-in-a-Box® 2024 for Windows®

We've created a video to help you learn more about the Volume Automation options in Band-in-a-Box® 2024 for Windows.

Band-in-a-Box® 2024: Volume Automation

www.pgmusic.com/manuals/bbw2024full/chapter11.htm#volume-automation

Video: Audio Input Monitoring with Band-in-a-Box® 2024 for Windows®

We've created this short video to explain Audio Input Monitoring within Band-in-a-Box® 2024, and included some tips & troubleshooting details too!

Band-in-a-Box® 2024: Audio Input Monitoring

3:17: Tips
5:10: Troubleshooting

www.pgmusic.com/manuals/bbw2024full/chapter11.htm#audio-input-monitoring

Video: Enhanced Melodists in Band-in-a-Box® 2024 for Windows®!

We've enhanced the Melodists feature included in Band-in-a-Box® 2024 for Windows!

Access the Melodist feature by pressing F7 in the program to open the new MultiPicker Library and locate the [Melodist] tab.

You can now generate a melody on any track in the program - very handy! Plus, you select how much of the melody you want generated - specify a range, or apply it to the whole track.

See the Melodist in action with our video, Band-in-a-Box® 2024: The Melodist Window.

Learn even more about the enhancements to the Melodist feature in Band-in-a-Box® 2024 for Windows at www.pgmusic.com/manuals/bbw2024upgrade/chapter3.htm#enhanced-melodist

Forum Statistics
Forums66
Topics81,399
Posts732,550
Members38,442
Most Online2,537
Jan 19th, 2020
Newest Members
danielsk, Mark Morgan, zagrajbarke, Ernest J, Izzy
38,442 Registered Users
Top Posters(30 Days)
MarioD 199
Al-David 132
DC Ron 115
rsdean 85
dcuny 83
Today's Birthdays
(charlie), WobblyGstring
Powered by UBB.threads™ PHP Forum Software 7.7.5