How long do you keep your laptops, netbooks and computers for before replacing them, either because they got slow, got broken or became outdated?

Different issues and assuming regular use…
Notebooks and laptops eventually become victims of their own heat generation. Two or three years of regular use and they are cooked.
Work stations might make it 6 or more years.
A server about five years.
My experience anyway.

2–3 years it seems. My current laptop I’ve had for almost three years (since summer 2012). Before that, I had one for 2 years. I get new ones for various reasons, but I got this one because I wanted something more powerful and my previous one had a faulty trackpad that had already been replaced twice.

The first computer I had lasted for just over a year before getting a deadly virus that wiped out the hard drive. This one I’ve had since 2011 and it works OK. Nowadays, the battery goes out quicker on this one and I think it’s because the fan is constantly running (another recent occurrence).

I bought my first laptop 9 years ago. It still runs, but the screen is almost completely covered in vertical lines, and software runs too slowly. So I’ve uninstalled almost everything but VLC, and I use it to play video files on an external monitor (basically, it’s my TV).

I’ve had my second laptop for 7 years; it needs to have the fan cleaned or replaced, but otherwise, it’s fine. It’s still running Windows XP, so I don’t use it often – mainly for travel.

My current workhorse is 4 years old. It has been a lemon since the day I bought it, but I haven’t been able to afford to replace it, so we’re stuck with each other at least until the next Windows OS comes out. At that point, I’ll probably invest in a new one. This laptop has been serviced a few times, but since I didn’t pay for it, I’m still ahead of the game.

Overall, my expectation is that a laptop should last a good 4 years without serious incident. As @josie said, heat is probably the worst problem for laptops, and the more I’ve become aware of this, the better care I’ve taken with my machines. There are some tasks that I relegate to a desktop computer, because they just generate too much heat for a laptop. It’s something I’ve learned the hard way. I also don’t leave laptops running on soft surfaces anymore, for the same reason – it prevents them from shedding heat.

Oh goodness, I’ve had my laptop for about 8 years.

My family’s first laptop has stayed with us for 11 years now. It is now horrible, running as slowly as a snail. But mom still keeps it so that she can watch movies sometimes. I myself don’t want to throw it away either. I still remember the first time it came to my home. It was some kind of a God sent to me and although it was my father’s work tool, I often played with it while no one was looking. Sweet memory.

I keep them until they die. I am on my second iMac in 9 years; the first one’s video went out through gradual problems.

My Sony Vaio netbook lasted 7 years until it just died. Same with a netbook I bought after that. I’m still using my iPhone 4s I bought three years ago next month.

If I stay away from Windows products, I generally don’t have to worry about being outdated.

And if @jca doesn’t mind me adding to her question, how do you get rid of them?

My last laptop lasted 9 years. I think I could make it work again by replacing the power jack socket, but when it blew I found a great deal on a used 2-year old laptop.

Performance was fine on the 9-year old for 90% of my needs. For the rest I have a desktop (circa 2009 with lots of upgrades over the years).

@chyna re: Disposal – Everywhere I’ve lived in the past 15 years has had city or county electronic waste disposal. Either a few days a year when you could drop stuff off, or a permanent facility that accepted electronics.

Since 2006 I have bought three computers. One is a iMac happily chugging away cheating at a game right this very second.

Second is a Hackintosh. Basically buying normal computer parts and building it myself and forcing it to run Mac OS X. I built the Hackitosh around 2007 and slowly migrate through parts. It is all new now but some part has is only a few degrees away from my original build. Around every three months I put 100 bucks into it to upgrade. Works great.

I also bought a Acer Chromebook C720 about a year ago. Great little laptop for 130 bucks. It runs Ubuntu as well as you would expect for 130 bucks. No real complaints.

@chyna :: My work involves dealing with old computers and what to do with them. I donate to a place that will clean them up and give them to poor kids that need them. The internet and Office works fine on a 10 year old computer when that is your only option.

I have a ACER 3610 that was new in 2006 running XP and still going but it is VERY slow, the internal fan quit ,so it sits on a cooling pad, and the battery lasts for only about 45 minutes, we don’t use it much now a days but I still can’t bring myself to chuck it.

And an Acer aspire net book bought new in 2010 running windows7 and still going strong.
WE bought a Mac mini last year and LOVE it, our next Lap top will be a Mac.
But will keep a net book going for windows.

My current laptop is 6.5 and still runs like a charm.
It has Windows Vista and it seems fine. Don’t fix or replace what’s not broken.
It still has the original battery that holds a charge for over 2 hours too. haha

Not bad, not bad at all.
My previous was destroyed at 3 years when I tripped over it and fractured the screen.

I’ve got one laptop that’s four/five years old. I updated some of things in it and it’s fabulous. I also have a work laptop and that’s expected to last me three years. Plus I bought a netbook last year. I had a Sony Vaio previously and it was fine for about three years, but became quite slow and it was outdated.

@chyna, my son has my old personal laptop and did some repair work on it and as far as I know, it’s still going strong. I kept my old work laptop so research assistants can use it in my office when necessary. So, I haven’t got rid of a laptop for a long time.

Mine are cheap – Acer, usually. Costco, less than $300.

I have not disposed of my old ones. They’re floating around my house.

Netbook – Only had one, an 8.9” Acer Aspire One lasted me well for a couple of years, gave it to my cousin (then 13) when I got a laptop, and it lasted another year with him. For what it was, and given that this kid broke enough cellphones that the carrier cancelled his phone insurance, I’d say it held up well.

Laptop – Also only had one, a Toshiba T135 that still does what I need it to do. It’s about 5 years old now, and aside from losing ~5–10% of it’s battery capacity, it’s just fine. It’s a bit weak, but I got it for light-duty stuff anyways, so it’s still adequate.

Desktop – I’ve been through a few, but my current one is the longest-lasting I’ve had. My previous boxes were mostly “Frankenbuilds” of salvaged parts that only lasted a year or so before being superceded by a better find. My previous two systems were hand-me-downs from friends who upgraded, the second one (a Pentium 4) lasting it’s previous owner four years and me another two before being passed on when I upgraded to my current system.
The box I have now is about four years old. I upgraded the power supply to handle the addition of a decent video card, then added the card (a GTX465), but it’s still going strong, and the i3–530 is still surprisingly competent/relevant despite it’s age. I did have to replace the hard drive in it, but so long as it still runs the games I want at >30 FPS, I’m keeping it until it breaks.

@jca

“I have not disposed of my old ones. They’re floating around my house.”

Are you saying that you’ve tossed them into your moat with the intention of electrocuting any potential interlopers? ;-)

I’m currently using 4 yeas old laptop. Still working perfectly.