So your machine is getting a little old. Maybe it can’t handle Vista, maybe it’s just bothering you that it’s so ancient. Maybe you just got an upgrade and you don’t know what to do with the old one? PC Magazine has a number of ways to make your old PC new again and find a new use for it! At worst, if you can’t find a decent use for it, they have some suggestions on how to dispose of it properly.
A lot of people assume that you can just donate your old PC to a school or library, and leave it on their doorstep and they’ll give it a good home and put it to use. Not so much – even schools and libraries today need up-to-date technology for their classrooms, terminals, and computer labs. That old 286 sitting in your basement just won’t cut it, and they’re just as likely to try and get rid of it as you were. So what then, do you do?
Well, PC Mag has a number of suggestions to breathe new life into your old machine, ranging from the easy and simple to the remarkably challenging. I’m a fan of things like starting a Linux lab, so you can play around with alternative operating systems (especially if it’s Vista that’s got you wanting to find a new use for your machine – you’ll find that even up-to-date Linux distributions will scream on old hardware!), or turning your old machine into a media center where you can hook it up to your TV and play your music and movies, or to create your own home media server where you can store and share out your music across all computers in the house. If that doesn’t work for you, think about downloading an app like Folding@Home or SETI@Home and using your old PC’s processor cycles to help find cures for cancer or intelligent life beyond Earth!
If all else fails, you can always make it an appliance, like a super powered firewall, or if no uses work for you, recycle it or donate it. There are a few good links available too, so you know that when you recycle it that it’ll be disposed of properly, or when you donate it it’ll go to a good home and be used to its fullest. Either way, there’s a ton of suggestions that might breathe some life into your old machine (although it might kick up your power bill a bit) before you have to kick it to the curb.