Avoid the Trash Heap: 16 Creative Uses for an Old Computer

Demand for PCs surged during the pandemic, as people shifted to work-from-home setups, which left a lot of older computers sitting alone and unused.

You may be tempted to just junk your old PC. But if that laptop or desktop was created within the last decade, you’d be surprised by how much useful life you (or others) can get out of it.

You may need to make some light upgrades; adding more RAM and a big new storage drive could benefit some (okay, probably all) of these projects. In many cases, the PC requires access to the internet and/or the ability to access software written to a USB flash drive for installing it on that old junker. Here are just some of the options.

1. Experiment With a New, Lighter OS

Do you like to try new things? Nothing’s newer than a freshly installed operating system on your old PC—even a downright elderly computer will feel young again.

Most alternative OSes (translation: neither Windows nor macOS) are based on Linux, which comes in a variety of options called “distros.” Popular examples include Ubuntu, Mint(Opens in a new window), elementary OS(Opens in a new window), and Manjaro(Opens in a new window). You’ll find interfaces similar to Windows, and they come with software packages such as LibreOffice (a free, open-source equivalent to Microsoft Office). Most work well on PCs with 4GB of RAM or more, but check the necessary specifications.

You might also want to try creating your own version of a Chromebook. That’s usually a laptop that runs Google Chrome OS; it makes the Chrome browser and Google cloud services and storage the center of the OS. You can download and install Chrome OS Flex(Opens in a new window) onto old PCs or even old Macs(Opens in a new window); it even runs from a portable flash drive.

Even if you’re a streaming service addict, you probably have hours of music, podcasts, and videos stored locally. And you want to access it all on PCs, game consoles, tablets, and phones. For that, you need a media server.

“Theater software” such as Kodi makes this possible. Install the server software on any device running Linux, Windows, or macOS; jailbroken iOS devices; rooted Android devices; and even a Raspberry Pi; there are “remote control” apps for iOS or Android users not willing to go for broke(n).

Plex (above) has most of the same features. The server software can install on PCs running Windows, macOS, Linux, FreeBSD, and even on NAS devices. The playback software is available for about every device you can imagine. Plex even offers some live TV options.

To get the best performance, put server software on your old PC with a clean OS install, and dedicate the system to playing media—nothing else.

3. Turn Your Old PC Into a NAS Home Server

A network-attached storage device is a server for your home or small-business network used for storing files you share with all the PCs on the network (or externally, via the internet). Prices vary from a pittance to hundreds. But if you’ve got an old PC with lots of storage, you don’t need to buy a NAS: You can make one. Free, usually open-source software for doing just that is easily available. TrueNAS Core(Opens in a new window), Rockstor(Opens in a new window), FileCloud(Opens in a new window), XigmaNAS(Opens in a new window), and others can put your old PC into the center of its own version of the cloud.

4. Hack Together an Anonymous PC

Everyone’s worried about privacy—as we should be. Many tools can make your working computer into a more anonymous workstation for surfing the web. But if you have a long-in-the-tooth PC that needs new life, turn it into a dedicated privacy PC with The Amnesic Incognito Live System(Opens in a new window) (TAILS).

Based on a Linux distro called Debian, TAILS can run off a USB flash drive, SD card, or DVD, so you can take it with you. It routes your internet traffic and requests through the Tor network. All the integrated applications are preconfigured for security, including the office suite, IM client, email software, and of course, the browser. Other privacy- and anonymity-focused Linux distros include Whonix(Opens in a new window) and Qubes OS(Opens in a new window).

5. Fire Up a Hotspot

Nothing’s worse than limited wireless-network access. So turn that old PC into a hotspot for sharing an internet connection via Wi-Fi. Naturally, you’ll need a PC with Wi-Fi capability.

To be honest, this job is better left to a router. It’s why routers exist, after all. But the option to connect via an old PC does exist, thanks to Connectify Hotspot(Opens in a new window). If you’ve already got a router with Wi-Fi, run Ethernet to the laptop, and with Connectify, create a secondary network using the same internet backhaul connection. Connectify Hotspot Pro currently costs(Opens in a new window) $14.99 for lifetime use on one Windows-based PC; the company offers a 30-day money-back guarantee.

With Windows, you could also turn the PC into a hotspot that shares your home internet without extra software.

6. Create a Starter PC for Distant Family

(Credit: PCMag)

Everyone has a family member who just can’t handle technology. Worse, they ask for your help. All the time. You may not even live in the same state, or the same country! Troubleshooting over the phone is headache-inducing, so what do you do?

Take your old laptop, nuke the drive, and reinstall Windows. Then lock it down so the person you’re giving it to can’t install any software without your permission. Go into Settings > Accounts > Family & other users, and click Add someone else to this PC. The goal is to make an account for you, the Administrator, and one for your loved one, a Standard User who can’t mess with settings (much). Set the User Account Control for the account (type UAC into the Start menu to launch it). If UAC is off, the Standard User can act like an Admin. Turn it up too, though, far and all the warnings can get annoying. You have to figure out the right balance.

To really limit your family member’s activity, literally treat them like a child. Under Family & Other users, click Add a family member, and you get the option to Add a child. (Even the child account needs an email invite for some reason, but you can create a quick one for them on Outlook.com.) Give your phone number for password backups in case your user (child or not) forgets. Turn off the advertising and promos, and you’re almost set.

Visit account.microsoft.com/family(Opens in a new window) for an overview of what everyone on your Microsoft Account has been doing. Here, you can block websites, select games and applications, and more.

Want to really lock it down? Set up a feature on the account called Assigned Access(Opens in a new window), which puts Windows in Kiosk Mode—as when you encounter a PC at a public place that can access just one thing. For example, set the user account to have access to a browser only. That’s pretty limiting, but it’s better than answering endless tech-support questions.

Before you send that PC off to live with your loved one, install a remote-control program such as TeamViewer, or set up the PC to use Microsoft’s Remote Desktop Connection (if it’s supported), so you can occasionally take over that system to perform updates. Better yet, use it to show your family on their own screen how to perform basic functions. When using the computer remotely, create restore points for future restoration of the PC when it inevitably gets screwed up.

7. Whip Up a Guest or Kitchen PC

Depending on the size of your old computer, it might be just right to hang onto for occasional use only—say, when you need a recipe onscreen in the kitchen, or when guests are spending the night and need to look something up. A lightweight Linux distro such as Zorin(Opens in a new window) could work well for this setup, as it mimics the look of Windows and macOS quite well, so there’s not much of a learning curve.

8. ‘Make’ a Tablet

(Credit: mkarvonen at Instructables)

Have some mad DIY skills you want to put to the test? Take a down-on-its-luck laptop apart and convert it into a “tablet.” Depending on the system, you’re not going to get a touch-screen-quality experience. The smarts of the system typically still reside with the keyboard, which you’ll have to tether to the screen in some way. Take a gander at the website Instructables(Opens in a new window), and you’ll find many step-by-step lessons on how to pull it off, including one that will turn any screen into a touch screen(Opens in a new window). Honestly, it’s probably cheaper, and definitely easier, to simply buy a tablet…but where’s the fun in that?

9. Turn That PC Up to 11

This is for a select few, the string-strummers: Turn that ready-to-be-abandoned PC into a guitar amplifier. You need a special cable to hook a guitar up to the PC via a USB port (try Ubisoft’s Rocksmith Real Tone Cable(Opens in a new window), which works on Windows and macOS PCs as well as game consoles) and a demo copy of Guitar Rig(Opens in a new window), an amplifier modeling program. For $199, the Pro version(Opens in a new window) does it all, including 21 amplifier emulations for guitar and bass plus all the distortion effects.

10. Create Your Own Security Cam

(Credit: Rawpixel)

If that old laptop has an integrated webcam—and most of them do—or you’ve got a stray webcam you can attach, put that extra eyeball to use. Reinstall the OS and download a copy of Agent DVR from iSpy(Opens in a new window). Once it’s set up, access your camera(s) via a web interface in the browser—no fiddling with router settings required. Setting out a PC as your camera is not as subtle as buying one of our top home security cameras, but it’s a lot cheaper, since this is free for personal, local use. You can also do this with a smartphone.

11. Go Old-School Gaming

Older PCs can generally handle older games, and plenty of old-title ports work on the PC, as they work on your nostalgia. With a fresh install of Windows, you’ll be ready to turn an older PC into a dedicated gaming system. Where do you get old games? Steam is always an option, but GOG.com(Opens in a new window) also has plenty. Here are five sites where you can download old PC games(Opens in a new window).

If you run into problems, read How to Run Old Games on Your Modern PC. Grab an emulator for old systems such as the Nintendo 64 to get up and running with really old games on a PC or Mac.

12. Contribute CPU Cycles

Even the oldest, crappiest PC has plenty of computing power that’s unused in its idle moments. Distributed-computing projects—where software ties together a huge number of internet-connected PCs to work on computationally massive problems—can put that power to good use.

For example, you’ve probably heard of [email protected] (the Search for Extra-Terrestrial Intelligence), a distributed-computing project that went back to the 1990s. It was spawned at Berkeley and used volunteer PCs to analyze signals from space. SETI no longer needs our help, but other projects do.

Visit BOINC(Opens in a new window), which is the backbone for several projects you can choose from. Or use [email protected](Opens in a new window) to help scientists who are fighting to learn more about the COVID-19 virus and others. Set it up on that old PC, and let it run in the background as a citizen scientist.

13. Save It for Zoom

A laptop or desktop can be dedicated to one function—say, video conferencing. A fresh install of the OS will do the trick. Any browser works with services such as Zoom and Google Hangouts. Mac users also can use FaceTime to talk to people on iOS or iPadOS devices. Either way, you get instant access to everyone’s face, and you can keep it on that old PC, while you get real work done on the newer one.

14. Tear It Down to Build It Up

(Credit: Zlata Ivleva)

If you have an old-school desktop-tower or mini-tower PC, it can give you a good opportunityto learn what it takes to build a PC. So take it apart. Put it back together. See if it still works and try to figure out why. Better yet—buy a new motherboard and some components, and Frankenstein that aged PC into something new and aliiiive. You’re essentially using an old chassis rather than buying a new case to save all of $100, but the learning experience is worthwhile.  

15. Turn PCs Into Art

Even if you can’t find a useful way to put the PC to use, consider cannibalizing it for something else. You’ll see some interesting ideas on Pinterest under a search for “computer repurposed(Opens in a new window).”  

16. Serve Up Some Games

(Credit: Getty Images/Jakub Porzycki/NurPhoto)

Playing them isn’t all you can do with games: You can also serve them up. With a game server, you can create a multiplayer spot just for you and your friends. The server stores all the game info such as players’ locations and activity, but it doesn’t have to serve up graphics—that happens on players’ local client systems—so the host server doesn’t have to be high-end. That’s a perfect job for an old PC, as long as the system can handle being turned on and networked full-time. It’s easier when everyone plays on the same network in the same location, but to work remotely, you may need a dedicated static IP address for the PC.

You’ll probably want to use a Linux distro on your game-server PC. Then grab the dedicated server software for the game in question. Some games that support this are DOTA 2, Ragnarok, Counter Strike Global Offensive, and or the kids: Minecraft.

This isn’t a newbie project, but dedicated gamers of any age will gladly turn into network engineers overnight if it means they can get a little more screen time thanks to that old junker PC.

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