About Keep Things Working

A printer can work perfectly well for years, then suddenly become unusable with a new computer. A smart device can lose its functions when the manufacturer closes an online service. In both cases, working equipment can end up being replaced simply because the software it depends on is no longer supported.

We think people should have more choice over how long they keep using the devices they own.

Keep Things Working helps people find practical ways to keep older equipment useful. Our aim is to make existing fixes and workarounds easier to discover, understand and use, so that more people can avoid unnecessary replacements, save money and reduce electronic waste.

Making solutions easier to find

Around the world, individuals and communities are developing ways to keep older devices working. They create replacement drivers, adapt software, revive discontinued services and find new uses for equipment that manufacturers no longer support.

The trouble is that these solutions can be surprisingly difficult to find. They may be tucked away in a GitHub repository, buried in a forum discussion or shared on a personal website. Even when somebody has solved exactly the problem you're facing, you might never come across their work.

Our first priority is to bring these solutions together in a searchable directory. We explain what has stopped working, how the solution helps and what you need to do to get started. We link to the original projects and instructions, and make sure the people behind them receive credit for their work.

We prioritise free and open-source solutions, but also include useful commercial software where it offers a practical alternative to replacing equipment. A solution can restore familiar functions or make equipment useful on another platform, such as Linux.

Helping people use solutions with confidence

Finding a solution is only the beginning. People also need to know whether it will work with their particular device, what it can do and how difficult it might be to set up.

We review the available documentation and reports to help answer those questions. Where possible, our listings explain which devices and operating systems have been tested, what functionality has been demonstrated and what remains uncertain.

For example, a developer may have successfully tested a replacement scanner driver on one model and expect it to work on several others. We want to make that distinction clear, so people can make informed decisions rather than assume every listed device has been verified.

We also want to make solutions easier to follow. Alongside written guides, we hope to develop video demonstrations showing how to get older equipment working again. These could be contributed by people who have successfully tried the solutions themselves, helping others through unfamiliar installation steps.

Our aim isn't to certify every project or guarantee that every workaround will work. It's to make useful information more accessible and give people a clearer understanding of the available evidence.

Building on the work of communities

Many of the solutions we feature began with somebody trying to solve a problem with their own device. By sharing their work, they made it possible for others to benefit too.

We want to help that process grow.

If you've tried one of the solutions in our directory, your experience could help another owner. Perhaps it worked on a different model, needed an extra step or didn't work as expected. Sharing those details helps build a better picture of compatibility and can identify opportunities to improve the original project.

We also welcome contributions from people who can improve instructions, test equipment, make captioned videos, provide translations or develop new fixes. Over time, we'd like Keep Things Working to become a place where people can connect around these shared problems and help develop solutions.

The original developers and communities remain central to this work. Our role is to help their projects reach more people, encourage useful contributions and give proper recognition to those who created them.

New possibilities through AI

One reason we're starting this project now is the growing potential of artificial intelligence.

Developing a replacement driver or adapting software for an unsupported device has traditionally required specialist programming skills and considerable time. AI tools are beginning to make some of this work more accessible, allowing people to investigate technical problems, experiment with solutions and develop software that they might not previously have been able to create themselves.

Our first project is an example. With AI assistance, we developed and tested a way to print from a Samsung SCX-4200 printer on a Windows 11 ARM computer, where the original manufacturer software was no longer suitable. We then published the solution for other owners to use.

We expect AI to make it increasingly practical for individuals and small communities to develop fixes for specific devices, including problems that might otherwise attract little commercial interest. Testing and maintenance remain necessary.

But creating a solution is only part of the challenge. It also needs to be found, understood, tested and shared. That's where we think Keep Things Working can make a useful contribution.

Keeping technology useful for longer

There is a wider ambition behind all this.

Devices shouldn't have to become waste just because a manufacturer stops updating their software, closes a service or decides that an older product is no longer worth supporting. People should have more opportunities to maintain, adapt and continue using equipment they already own.

Keeping devices working can reduce waste and the environmental impacts of manufacturing replacements. It can also make technology more affordable and help people retain control over the things they have bought.

For now, we're starting with something practical: finding good solutions, making them easier to use and helping people share what they've learned.

We hope that, as the directory grows, it can also help more people solve the problems that haven't yet been tackled.

Browse the solutions · See our Samsung printer project · Contribute to Keep Things Working