How to Make an Old Computer New Again

Accept an quondam computer gathering dust in your basement? Why not put it to use? A backup auto could come in handy if your primary computer fails and yous want to exist online with a larger screen than your smartphone. Or it could act as a cheap secondary computer shared by the family. You could even brand it into a retro gaming box.

You can take whatever figurer upwardly to a dozen years one-time and—with the right software—perform many of the same tasks you can with new machines. Open source software is the key.

I've refurbished computers for two decades, and in this article, I'll share how I do it. We're talking about dual-core laptops and desktops between 5 and 12 years old.

Verify the hardware

Footstep one is to verify that your hardware all works. Overlooking a problem here could cause you lot big headaches after.

Dust kills electronics, so open up the box and clean out the clay. Compressed air comes in handy. Be careful that y'all're grounded whenever you affect the machine. And don't rub anything with a cleaning fabric. Even a static shock so pocket-sized y'all won't feel information technology can destroy circuitry.

Then close the make clean computer and verify that all the hardware works. Examination:

• Memory
• Deejay
• Motherboard
• Peripherals (DVD drive, USB ports, audio, etc.)

Run any diagnostic tests in the figurer'south boot panels (the UEFI or BIOS panels). This list tells y'all which program office (PF) key to press to access those panels for your reckoner.

Free resource kits similar Hirens BootCD or Ultimate Boot CD enable you to test what your boot panels don't. They comprise hundreds of testing programs; all are gratis, but not all are open up source. Y'all don't have to install annihilation to run these kits because they'll boot from a USB thumb drive or DVD drive.

Be thorough! Run the extended tests for retention and disk—not just the brusk tests. Let them run overnight. That's the only way to catch transient (sporadic) errors.

If you detect problems, my Quick guide to fixing hardware will help you lot solve the near mutual hardware issues.

Select the software

The key to refurbishing is to install software appropriate for the hardware resources yous have. The three essential hardware resources are:

1. Processor (number of cores and speed)
2. Retentiveness
3. Video memory

You can identify your calculator'due south resources in its boot-time UEFI/BIOS panels. Write downward your findings so that you lot don't forget them. Then, look up your processor at CPU Benchmark. That website gives you groundwork on your CPU plus a CPU Marker that indicates its operation.

Now that yous know your hardware's power, you're prepare to select software that it can efficiently run. Your software choices are divided into four critical areas:

1. Operating organisation (OS)
2. Desktop environment (DE)
3. Browser
4. Applications

A good Linux distribution covers all four. Don't be tempted to run an unsupported version of Windows like 8, Vista, or XP just because information technology's already on the computer! The risk of malware is too great. Y'all're much better off with a more than virus-resistant, up-to-appointment operating organization.

How about Windows 7? Extended support ends January 14, 2020, meaning you go security fixes merely until that appointment. Later that, zilch. Now is the perfect time to migrate off Windows vii.

Linux's big benefit is that it offers many distros specifically designed for older hardware. Plus, its blueprint decouples DEs from the OS, so you lot tin can mix and match the ii. This is important because DEs heavily impact low-end organization operation. (With Windows and MacOS, the Os version you run dictates the DE.)

Other Linux advantages: Its thousands of apps are free and open up source, so y'all don't have to worry about activation and licensing. And Linux is portable. You lot can copy, motility, or clone the Bone and applications across partitions, disks, devices, or computers. (Windows binds itself to the computer it'south installed on via its Registry.)

What tin can your refurbished computer practise?

Nosotros're talking dual-core machines dating from about 2006 to 2013, specially Intel Core 2 CPUs and AMD Athlon 64 X2 family processors. Most accept a CPU Mark of between 1,000 and iv,000. Y'all can ofttimes selection upwards these machines for a song, all the same they're nevertheless powerful enough to run lightweight Linux software.

One circumspection: be certain your computer has at least 2GB of memory. Upgrade the RAM if yous have to. End users on my refurbished machines typically use between 0.5 and 2GB of RAM (exclusive of data buffering); rarely practice they go over 2 gig. So if you can bump memory to 2GB, your system won't be forced to bandy, or substitute disk for retention. That's critical for good performance.

For case, I removed 1GB RAM from the decade-old rebuild I'm writing this article on, which dropped memory down to 1GB. The machine slowed to a crawl. Web surfing and other tasks became frustrating, fifty-fifty painful. I popped the memory stick dorsum in and, with 2GB RAM, the desktop instantly reverted to its usable self.

With a two gig dual-core computer, most people can practise whatever they desire, then long every bit they run a lightweight distro and browser. Yous can web surf, email, edit documents, do spreadsheets, lookout YouTube videos, bid on eBay auctions, mail on social media, listen to podcasts, view photo collections, manage home finance and personal scheduling, play games, and more.

Limitations

What can't these older computers practice? Their concurrency is less than country-of-the-art machines. Then run a fast browser and block ads, because that's what slows down spider web surfing. If your virtual private network (VPN) can block ads for y'all and offload that work from your processor, that'south ideal. Disable autoplay of videos, Flash, and animation. Surf with a couple of tabs open rather than 20. Install a browser extension so y'all can toggle JavaScript.

Direct the processors to what you're working on; don't keep a ton of apps open or run lots of stuff in the background. High-finish graphics and video editing may exist slow. Virtual machine hosting is out.

How about games? The open source software repositories offering literally thousands of games. That's why I listed video retentivity equally ane of the 3 essential hardware resources. If your box doesn't accept a video card, it likely has only 32 or 64MB of VRAM. Bump that to 256 or 512MB past adding a video card, and yous'll find that processor-intensive games run much meliorate. Hither's how to see how much VRAM your reckoner has. Be sure to become a card that fits your figurer's video slot (AGP, PCI-Limited, or PCI) and has the right cablevision connector (VGA, DVI, or HDMI).

What about Windows compatibility?

People often ask about Windows compatibility. First, in that location'south a Linux equivalent for every Windows program.

2d, if yous actually must run a specific Windows program, you lot tin usually practice that on Linux using Wine. Wait upwardly your application in the Vino database to verify it runs under Wine and larn any special install tricks. Then the auxiliary tools Winetricks or PlayOnLinux will help y'all with installation and setup.

Wine'southward other benefit is that information technology runs programs from former Windows versions like Vista, XP, ME/98/95, and iii.1. I know a guy who fix a fantastic game box running his old XP games. You tin even run thousands of free DOS programs using DOSBox. I caution: if Windows programs can run, so can Windows viruses. You must protect your Vino surroundings within Linux but as you would whatsoever other Windows environment.

How about compatibility with Microsoft Office? I employ LibreOffice and routinely edit and exchange Word and Excel files without problems. You must, however, avoid using obscure or specialized features.

Which distro?

Assuming Linux is the Os, you need to select a DE, browser, and applications. The like shooting fish in a barrel fashion to do this is to install a distribution that bundles everything you need.

Remember that you can try out different distros without installing anything by booting from a live USB pollex bulldoze or DVD. Hither'southward how to create a bootable Linux from within Linux or Windows.

I rebuild computers for charity, so I can't assume any cognition on the part of my users. I need a distro with these traits:

• User-friendly
• Lightweight interface
• Bundles lightweight apps
• Big repository
• Solid rail record
• Large user community with an active forum
• Stability through long-term support releases (not rolling releases)
• Prioritizes reliability over cutting-edge features
• Configurable by a GUI rather than by text files

Many distros fulfill these criteria. The three I've successfully deployed are Mint/Xfce, Xubuntu, and Lubuntu. The outset ii use the Xfce desktop environment, while the latter runs LXQt. These DEs utilise less processor and memory resource than alternatives like GNOME, Unity, KDE, MATE, and Cinnamon.

Xfce and LXQt are very like shooting fish in a barrel to utilize. My clients have never seen Linux before, however they have no trouble using these simple, bill of fare-driven interfaces.

Information technology's vital to run the fastest, most efficient browser on older equipment. Many experience Chromium wins the browser race. I also install Firefox Quantum because people are familiar with it and its performance rivals that of Chromium. I toss in Opera considering it'southward speedy and has some unique features, similar integrated ad-blocking and a free virtual private network. Opera is free but not open source.

Whatever browser you utilise, block ads and trackers! Minimize browser overhead. And don't allow videos or Wink to run without your explicit authorisation.

For applications, I rely on the lightweight apps bundled with Mint/Xfce, Xubuntu, and Lubuntu. They address every possible demand.

Go for it

Volition you exist happy with your rebuild? The computers I've been using lately are both over a decade old. One has an Intel dual-core processor (eMachines T5274a) while the other features an AMD Athlon 64 x2 processor (HP dc5750). Both have 2 gig retention. They're as effective for my office workload as my quad-core i5 with 16GB RAM. The only office I miss when using them is the ability to host virtual machines.

We live in an amazing era. You lot tin accept a five- to 12-twelvemonth-sometime calculator and, with a little effort, restore it to practical apply. What could be more fun?

This work is licensed nether a Creative Commons Attribution-Share Alike four.0 International License.

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Source: https://opensource.com/article/19/7/how-make-old-computer-useful-again

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