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!