What else can I do with an over 10 year old computer?

[Windidugo]

What else do you guys think I can do on an old 256mb computer other than install a tiny Linux distro? I want to be creative here.

 

[groze]

What else do you guys think I can do on an old 256mb computer other than install a tiny Linux distro? I want to be creative here.

Puppy Linux, Windows 95, windows 98se, windowsME, Depending on your hard drive space and drivers needed. Windows xp will run on some system with that low of Memory.

 

[Lady Fitzgerald]

Target practice?

 

[Digital Life]

A Router and wifi extender

 

[M1GU31]

Linux sounds good, could be used to type out papers and such if you have a printer that supports it. Or maybe a Boom box if it can play media files like music without lagging heh.

 

[frapper]

LXLE Linux is great for aging computers. Very Windows-like. I have it installed on a stick and use it on a netbook that came with Win7.

LXLE download | SourceForge.net

start - LXLE Linux Wiki

 

[rvcjew]

A Router and wifi extender

+1 ^

 

[z3r010]

Landfill.

 

[Layback Bear]

You could box the old computer up and save it.
Years from now you could open it up and show your grandchildren how things use to be in the computer world.

 

[Lady Fitzgerald]

You could box the old computer up and save it.
Years from now you could open it up and show your grandchildren how things use to be in the computer world.

Now, there is a thought!

 

[Lady Fitzgerald]

Landfill.

A recycling center would be better. Computers have small amounts of hazardous materials.

 

[wasnotwas]

A recycling center would be better. Computers have small amounts of hazardous materials.

Recycling ain't all that cool.

I saw a TV prog a few years ago where containers of used circuit boards were being shipped to 3rd world countries to extract the gold etc. A typical family would have a big tank of acid in their yard, and everyone (kids included) was scrubbing the boards with brushes - their bare hands in the toxic liquid and no breathing masks. Every few weeks a truck would come to swap the tank out, so the precious metals could be extracted from the 'soup' and re-used back in the 1st world. This was the families only source of income.

A quick search came up with -
After Dump, What Happens To Electronic Waste? : NPR
High-Tech Trash - National Geographic Magazine

Sure made me think about the real price paid for our pc's, TV's, phones - and the rest.

 

[groze]

A recycling center would be better. Computers have small amounts of hazardous materials.

Recycling ain't all that cool.

I saw a TV prog a few years ago where containers of used circuit boards were being shipped to 3rd world countries to extract the gold etc. A typical family would have a big tank of acid in their yard, and everyone (kids included) was scrubbing the boards with brushes - their bare hands in the toxic liquid and no breathing masks. Every few weeks a truck would come to swap the tank out, so the precious metals could be extracted from the 'soup' and re-used back in the 1st world. This was the families only source of income.

A quick search came up with -
After Dump, What Happens To Electronic Waste? : NPR
High-Tech Trash - National Geographic Magazine

Sure made me think about the real price paid for our pc's, TV's, phones - and the rest.

Those articles are interesting.





circuit boards have gold in them? I have an old computer and an old vhs player, could I take the boards to the gold dealer and get some cash?

 

[ThrashZone]

I believe they are mostly silver not gold.

 

[BrightBlessings]

A recycling center would be better. Computers have small amounts of hazardous materials.

Recycling ain't all that cool.

I saw a TV prog a few years ago where containers of used circuit boards were being shipped to 3rd world countries to extract the gold etc. A typical family would have a big tank of acid in their yard, and everyone (kids included) was scrubbing the boards with brushes - their bare hands in the toxic liquid and no breathing masks. Every few weeks a truck would come to swap the tank out, so the precious metals could be extracted from the 'soup' and re-used back in the 1st world. This was the families only source of income.

A quick search came up with -
After Dump, What Happens To Electronic Waste? : NPR
High-Tech Trash - National Geographic Magazine

Sure made me think about the real price paid for our pc's, TV's, phones - and the rest.

Those articles are interesting.





circuit boards have gold in them? I have an old computer and an old vhs player, could I take the boards to the gold dealer and get some cash?

Electronics industry uses 320 tons of Gold,7500 tons of Silver annually

Process of Gold Extraction from Motherboards (18 pics)

 

[derekimo]

Process of Gold Extraction from Motherboards (18 pics)

That's a neat walk through.

From this,

You get this,

 

[ThrashZone]

That is pretty wild and breaking bad

 

[Laith]

You could use it as a test subject.

 

[cyclops]

Give it to a child who is less fortunate.

 

[Qwertyfish01]

You can wait a bit and sell it or sell it now (Is it like an Intel 386 or 486 or even Pentium?) What version of Windows did it come with? If it is MS-DOS (Of any sort), or Windows 3.1, 95, or 98, you can sell it to me or on Ebay for like $350, (or 228 Pounds, which is 317 Euro)(If you are selling it to me it has to be in working condition, have a monitor, keyboard, and mouse and has all the cables to hook them up, and also it's free.)