What are the ways to reuse an age old computer. Options other than selling or donating

Old computers are always nostalgia. We all wish we could use our computer forever. But that is not possible. Why! The reason is clear. Technology is advancing at the speed of light. It is thus causing e-wastes. But how to cope with it! A new technology comes before we can even become a master in the old one. The same goes for computers. I am sure you are no longer using the old school computer. But what to do with an old computer! Does it become a useless box for donation or for selling? No, there are ways you can reuse an old computer. I will be discussing the ways here. But not all is going to work for you. Why! It all depends upon how old your computer is. But the ways to reuse your old computer that I will be mentioned here will be applicable to almost all the old computers.

So without further delay, let’s get started.

What to do with old computers that still work?

Here are few ways to recycle or should I say reuse your old computer whether it is tower desktop PC or a laptop.

Use as home media or file server

Are you fond of watching shows? Or have a number of old mp3s, videos files and movies on your computer! Use it as a media server. With the help of that, the media files on your computer can be accessed on all your devices. The feature is supported on Windows. But if you are looking for an easy you to set up your home network, you can use Kodi. Kodi makes file sharing a lot easier. Moreover, it is open source and cross-platform. Thus, you can stream the contents on almost all devices.

You can even use your old system as a file server or NAS. With the help of that, you can get access to all your files from a central location. It will be accessible on kinds of devices. If you have multiple devices, tablets smartphones, laptops, etc., a central file server can be handy for you. You will no longer have to worry about data loss from your laptop or smartphone, as all your files will reside at a central location. Isn’t that a great idea!

Network printers are common nowadays. It is handy as well. Copying the files to a flash drive and attaching it to the computer for printing is a tiresome task. Use your old computer as a printer server instead. All the devices connected to your home network can request prints with the help of that.

Even very old computers can give you a fairly good performance for all the above tasks.

Home entertainment system

Are you fond of watching TV! Do you spend hours, watching YouTube videos! If so, use your old computer as your home entertainment system. Add a TV tuner card if you want to watch TV shows. If you are fond of watching videos online, even that is not necessary. You can even go for a home theater and a big screen LED TV. It can give you a multiplex like an ambiance. Home entertainment does not require a high-end computer. Thus, your old computer can favorably cope with all your home entertainment requirements. You can even play your old movies on CDs and DVDs if you have a CD or DVD drive on your computer. Most old computers had CD and DVD drives.

Use it for a different experiment

Are you a geek! Make your primary computer unstable by installing new programs every day! Your old computer can be a Guinea pig for all your fancy experiments. Want to get comfortable with a new operating system like Linux? You can even install a lightweight distro of Linux on your old computer. It can help you learn it properly. That too without hampering your everyday activities on your primary computer. I am sure most users want to become hackers. Installing Kali Linux on the old computer can help you get started with hacking. In a single word, want to test anything? Use your old computer for it.

Use it for old-school gaming

Fond of playing Roadrash, Contra or Mario? Unfortunately, it is no easy to run them on newer systems. That being said, you can use your computer to play old games. Just install an old version of Windows like 98 or XP to get started. Those games do not even require any GPU or extra hardware. For playing DOS-based games, you don’t even need DOS Box. Old computers can handle 16-bit programs at ease, unlike the new ones which require DOS Box. Rejuvenate your old school memories with those fun games on your old computer.

Give it to your parents

Computers are a fascination for our old parents and grandparents. Give your old computer to them. Let them learn the basics of computing or whatever they need. They can use it with great comfort. If your computer is not that old, it can also be used for surfing the internet and ticket booking. If your CD and DVD drive is working properly, it can also become a truly high-end DVD player for them.

Is your computer too old? Can’t even do the tasks mentioned here! It is better to recycle it. There are places, where you can give your old computer, and get some cash out of it. They will recycle it just the way, they deal with other e-waste.

Do you have any further ideas about reusing your old computer? I am sure you have. It’s all about how much you think for giving your old computer a new life. Let me know your ideas in the comment section down below.