Scrapping used laptop?

I would take the hard drive out especially if it has failed as even if you format it properly if its developing faults you may find it hasn't erased all the data. as you sometimes see with memory sticks when they are reformatted the usable size decreases and data can still be on the unused unformatted space.

As for destroying it thats up to you, how ever you decide to do it be careful, I recommend just popping a few nails through it then just the trash, other people may suggest burning or smashing it to pieces,

as for reusing the laptop maybe consider ebay thats what I would do, i'd think you would get a fair amount for it but remember to list it with out a hard drive and operating system. if you dont like ebay,

try something like http://www.computeraid.org/ gives laptops to poorer nations they will give you free postage then fix it up and ship it off, I dont know what country your in but a quick google search for "laptops to charity" will find you a charity that works in your country.

Depending on how outdated it is, you may just have to recycle it. I know Best Buy will take them. Go ahead & pull the hd, drill a hole thru it and recycle it too. When I bought my Dell desk top, they sent a prepaid sticker for a free pickup to recycle my old desk top. Since the XP days, there have been upgrades to Windows 7 and it's not likely you can get that in an outdated pc to work correctly. Most places don't want a donated pc w/o the hd. You could try to put in a new one, but you'll still need to upload an operating system. Lots of cheap Vista programs still available.

IF it boots as far as the welcome screen, the HD has NOT failed.

It sounds more like a corrupted OS or a virus problem.

Try SAFE mode and a virus/ malware scan and/or repair options.

IF it was "preloaded" there SHOULD be a recovery option available; in which case recovery to factory defaults, formatting the "C" drive in the process, should remove your data.

IF NOT preloaded, use a cd/dvd os to delete the HD partitions and either leave at that point or format the HD for a "clean" install.

You might try a senior center in your area for donating, BUT it would need to be complete including HD.

It does NOT need to have an OS installed.

When purchasing online from sites like http://www.laptopoutlet.com/ , reputable sources have a history of providing quality goods and will have high feedback ratings. Nowadays you should be able to pick up a new hard drive for most laptop systems. But you have to make sure that it works with the laptop in question. And you have to remember that laptop hard drives cost several times more than those that go in desktop computers. When purchasing offline, you'll want to purchase a used laptop from someone who is knowledgeable with computers, as they will know the quality of the device better than someone who knows very little.

goodwill