Don't know what to do with your old PC?

Don't know what to do with your old PC?

Vishnu K. Mahmud, Contributor, Jakarta

You probably have an old PC or two in your garage, just
rotting away. Those 386 or 486 processors just don't stand a
chance against today's Intel Pentium or AMD Athlon chips that are
currently leading the market today.

Some say that these machines are next to worthless. They could
barely run Microsoft Windows 3.1 (the forerunner to Windows 95,
remember?) and you certainly can't surf the net with it.

Or can you?

You can actually put these old machines into service. The
secret lies in software. You don't really need the latest,
greatest release if the first version works fine. The basic
requirements for running these old computers are that:
* It is relatively easy to set up and maintain.
* It helps you complete all your required tasks well.

So thinking outside of the box (and the wishes of the software
industry), here are a few things you can do with your old,
dilapidated, personal computer.

File Server: Ever dream about home networking? Want a secure
external backup for your PC's data files? You can use old 386 or
486 boxes (the latter recommended) as a file server, for storing
computer data from your PC or for sharing them over the network.

Junior no longer needs to give you a floppy disk that contains
his homework for you to check, all he has to do is save it into a
folder on the server. You can then collaborate on the document
together as you would in the corporate world.

You can also use the server to store your MP3 music so you can
access it via the home network. There is specialized digital
music players such as the AudioTron (audiotron.net) that can play
your entire MP3 library, nonstop, at the push of a button.
Simply connect it to the network, attach high-fidelity speakers
and play.

In addition, you could share printers, scanners and other
peripherals via the network. Instead of running downstairs to
print the color copy of your document on your children's
computer, you can simply route it via the server so everyone on
the network can share the facilities.

It may take some studying, but you can use the Open Source and
freely downloadable Linux Operating System to network your home.
A small distribution of Linux (such as Vector Linux at
ibiblio.org/vectorlinux/) would be ideal for old personal
computers.

Internet Server: Want to connect 2-3 computers into a single
Internet broadband connection? You can use the old computer box
to network your computers and channel them to your Internet
connection. You would probably need 2 network cards (one to
connect to the Internal network and the other to your cable
modem) and specialized software, some of which is downloadable
from the Internet.

You can also set up a web-&-mail server with these old
computers if you have a relatively permanent connection to the
web. Although Internet Service Providers generally frown on this
practice, it is technically feasible.

A working PC: Really! You could use these old computers to
type letters, connect to the Internet or play games. There is
still a treasure trove of old DOS (disk operating system)
programs that can still be used today. If you can't find those
old DOS disks, download an Open Source alternative, such as
OpenDOS (deltasoft.com/opendos.htm) or FreeDOS (freedos.org)

You can even use a graphic user interface (GUI) system, such
as GEM (deltasoft.com), which has paint, mail and word processing
applications. These programs are enough to use for a small home
office.

If you want to share files between different operating
systems, make sure you use a common file type, such as text files
(.TXT) for documents that can be opened by almost every kind of
word processor. Avoid using proprietary file formats (such as
Microsoft Word's .DOC format) since you may have problems opening
them with an alternative software application.

Donate it!

If you can't find any use for it, a lot of nongovernmental
organizations would probably love to have your old PCs. Try and
have the computer ready to use (providing the true meaning of
plug and play) so they can immediately use it towards their
organizational goals.

You've seen the new ads in the paper or various magazines
introducing the latest and greatest computer processors: "Buy now
with more power and memory!". The problem is that most of us
don't really need these fast and furious machines. Unless we are
editing high-intensity graphics or videos, playing the latest
games or designing a building, the old Pentium 1 PC should be
enough for our own needs.

Don't be surprised to find that some computer hardware has a
very long operating life. The computers in the Voyager and
Pioneer space probes that were launched in the 70s are still
running today. Remember, your digital wristwatch probably has
more computing power than those of the space explorers combined!