What to do with an old comp?

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2[H]4U
Joined
Jun 12, 2001
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I have a Dell P 166 with 32MB of ram what should I do with it? I was thiking to play old dos games and games that will not run on my new comp. or learn linux what linux should I but on it?
Thanks
 
You could use it as a file server.

I don't have any idea but, is that machine capable of running linux?
 
at work, we just pulled apart about 25+ Pentium 166Mhz - 266Mhz we had taking up storage space...

putting the metal parts in one pile and plastic, floppy, MBs, PS in anothers.... one pile to the scrap yard the other to the BIG TRASH CRUSHER... smash, crunch, pop, grind... sad and fun at same time.

it was sad... so much old stuff that is not worth us selling or using. I would say in all 100+ sub 300Mhz PC have meet this fate over the last year.

The up side is... I have about 100+ 386, 486, P90, P120, P166, P200, and P266 CPU.. even a few P200 Pros. Maybe make a desk and inbed them into top !?
 
It will certainly be capable of running SOME version of linux or other. So many distributions are bloatware now, but you could find something slim for it.

Have several PC's in the house?

If so, it could make a good:

-router
-firewall
-file server
-print server

Also could be an adequate HTTP or FTP server.

If there are any places in your house where a PC would be handy and you haven't got one... well, there ya go, found the solution :). It'd make a decent web-station.

EDIT: And if you decide it's useless, strip it before you junk it. When I have systems I just 'can't use' anymore, I take them apart from all their screws, IDE cables, power-splitting cables, BIOS batteries, etc. An old CD-ROM can be handy in emergencies, too.

Erik
 
A) FOLD
B) File server
C) DOS Games
D) Music server (home stereo?)
E) LINUX
 
Originally posted by TekieB
A) FOLD
B) File server
C) DOS Games
D) Music server (home stereo?)
E) LINUX
Click to expand...

A. Won't turn in the WU fast enough, I think you need about a 300 mhz proc now.
B. Limited by storage of the mobo. It's not like your going to put a 250MB drive in that thing. Maybe, something of decent size with an overlay... maybe.
D. It'll barely play MP3s w/o CPU issues, that had better be all your doing, AND you had better add some ram to make it bearable to use to play them.

C. and E. are ok, but limited.

In other words, it's likely a boat anchor or something to pull parts form later. I would shelf it if you have the stroage.
 
I'd vote for turning it into a retro dos gaming box. Load it up with all the classic dos games, get it nice and tweaked out, stable, sound working in each game.

It'll be like your own retro console system.
 
Originally posted by Phoenix86
D. It'll barely play MP3s w/o CPU issues, that had better be all your doing, AND you had better add some ram to make it bearable to use to play them.
Click to expand...

Playing mp3's would be no problem at all, you can find mp3 players that will even work on 486's. Just don't run a bloatware media player.

And 'bearable' to use? A p166 with 32 megs of ram will run either windows 95 or windows 98 and be perfectly useable.I certainly don't recall people complaining that windows 95 --which will run just fine on a 486-- was unbearable to use on such rigs.

Seriously, running windows and playing mp3's is what people did with these exact machines back then. It's not like the computer is somehow getting slower than it original was just by virtue of age.

Erik
 
get creative...make a fridge or something out of it or anything eyecatchin. my friend and i are looking to build a fridge computer out of this butchered up old case...his first mod project. well it met it's fate and we killed a dremil doing it but it is ready for insulation and whatever else we may need. i just cant wait till we finsih it.

pics will be posted :)
 
Originally posted by Phoenix86
A. Won't turn in the WU fast enough, I think you need about a 300 mhz proc now.
B. Limited by storage of the mobo. It's not like your going to put a 250MB drive in that thing. Maybe, something of decent size with an overlay... maybe.
D. It'll barely play MP3s w/o CPU issues, that had better be all your doing, AND you had better add some ram to make it bearable to use to play them.

C. and E. are ok, but limited.

In other words, it's likely a boat anchor or something to pull parts form later. I would shelf it if you have the stroage.
Click to expand...

A. You are correct here.
B. A PCI IDE card would take care of the limited storage problem although I probably wouldn't use a system of this age for a file server if it's going to actually get a lot of hard use.
C. This is my suggestion.
D. It will have absolutely no trouble playing mp3z. I had no trouble playing mp3z on my old P100 until I did something CPU intensive. This was running Winamp.
E. It's very doable and only as limited as any other machine. If you're just wanting to learn a bit about Linux, then this should be a good box to do it with.
 
I know it will run mp3s, just barely, like I said. Sure a 486 will too, again, barely. I also qualified that statement with "that had better be all your doing" for a reason. It's all the CPU will do w/o choking. Also, adding RAM will make opening the OS/apps more bearable, you may be able to 'find' RAM for these things as opposed to buying some, depending one your sources.

Sure you can throw a drives and card in, just not sure if you wanted to add money to such an aged machine. So, unless you do, your limited to small drives, so file server=limited. Even then more RAM would probably be needed for decent I/O, unless you only have one user.

Sure you can learn Linux a bit on it, but if it's not performing a function (file server, router/firewall, whatever), your only learning so much.
 
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