what can i use an old pc for?

double b26

double b26

New Member
hey all, i have this old compaq desktop that's been setting in the closet for the better part of 1.5 years. it has (going from memory) a 2.5ish pentium 4, maxed @ 1gb ram, 80gb hdd, dvd burner... the basics. nothing fancy. it currently has windows 7 home basic installed. i have another desktop, a laptop, and a few other handheld devices that go online, etc. the compaq is just collecting dust.

so anyway, what's this thing good for?

i was thinking that i could throw some linux on there, since i've never messed with it, and it would be something new. but then you get into all the different builds and such... im lost! i think i need ubuntu for a pc... others for servers.

any ideas?
 
Linux is great idea with older hardware. Instead of going with Ubuntu go with something a bit lighter. Ubuntu is a bit heavy nowadays :'(

http://lubuntu.net/

Lubuntu is based off of the same core as ubuntu but has the lighter LDXE desktop environment rather than gnome.

Also look into Open SUSE, Linux Mint and Xubuntu (same thing as Lubuntu but with XFE not LDXE)

About your server part of the post. Cool thing about Linux is that you can just download the packages to host a server from most desktop versions. So if you want to host a server you can just research the proper packages to make it work.

Hope that helps a bit
 
A someone suggested, it would make a good server.

Or toss another ethernet card or two in there and build yourself a firewall appliance.
 
there are some good suggestions up there. i found 'the geeky projects' link to be pretty informative.

let me ask this: do i have to choose between one thing or another? is it possible that i could install some linux on there now to learn that, but then add on to make it a server also (say for hosting a website or two, perhaps an xbox connect server, or local media server). from the post above, i think you can 'add on' the server functions to linux, but can you make one computer a server for multiple sites/services? or is it going to have to be dedicated to serving whichever i decide to go with?

oh yeah, i only get a 5m download, and whopping .35m up (via road runner/time warner cable), so its not like i can do a whole lot of serving, and have bandwidth left over for what i want to use it for too.

something else... once i get it set up and running, how often would i need to mess with it? basically, im wondering if i'll need a monitor hooked up to it full time, or if the linux runs stable enough over days, weeks, or months, that i shouldnt have to touch it once up & running?

sorry if the questions are novice, but its new ground for me, and i like to ask a plethora of questions before jumping into anything.

okay, i am going to be leaving for work today, and probably wont be back on the forums until this weekend or early next week. when i get home ill check back in here, and probably pick a linux version to go with and start installing it on the old compaq.

thanks for the help!
 
ClearOS is a firewall/file/print server out-of-box, as it were. So you can certainly us a linux OS to have the computer do several jobs at once. It is a question of how many service you want to provide and whether the machine can handle the requests.

Most of the suggestions here for some type of server are for a local LAN (your home or office network), so uplink throughput is not a consideration.

My firewall appliance is headless-- no keyboard or monitor. The important thing is to make sure to change the settings in the BIOS to not stop on error (no keyboard or no monitor usually causes the machine to halt). Most BIOSes do require a video card, though. If I have to interface with my firewall (or determine why it didn't start up), then I can plug a keyboard and monitor is real quick.
 
alright, i've done a parallel install of Linux Mint 11 LDXE alongside whatever Windows 7 is on there (home basic, i think). its up and running, and so far i like it. seems snappy when i click between windows and what-not.

my first snag has been hit though. i have my desktop hooked up to my 40" samsung in the living room. its running at 1080p, but its too high for using from a distance. ive googled and found some 'fixes', but when i do the xrandr thing to detect compatible resolutions, it fails at some gamma test, and says that the min and max resolution is 1080p. i cant change it to 720p. my eyes are straining!!

can anyone help me out, or should i take it to a mint forum?

BTW, i installed wine, and the intel driver for the intergrated video chipset, but it didnt make a differnce. i tried a few add-ons for the linux (grandr, lxrandr), but they only show the 1080p option... nothing else. i tried changing the res via terminal, but got the gamma error and the min and max showing 1080p only.

the computer is a compaq presario 6454NX (desktop)
 
Last edited:
You could always up the font sizes of the system text-- Go to System/preferences/Appearance and click the Fonts tab.

Change the font size to something a little more reasonable such as 14.
 
NyxCharon said:
post your xorg file if you have one please. It's at /etc/X11/xorg.conf
Click to expand...

i dont see it in there. there are several 'X' folders and files, but not one that says "xorg.config"... or anything close to it.

Dngrsone said:
You could always up the font sizes of the system text-- Go to System/preferences/Appearance and click the Fonts tab.

Change the font size to something a little more reasonable such as 14.
Click to expand...

i changed the setting (to 14) and rebooted, but all the menus and stuff still look the same as default. web page fonts are tiny. doesnt look like anything changed!

i have another tv in the bedroom that i could try, but its really not going to solve this issue, since i dont use it as a monitor. plus its also a 1080p set, so i dont know if it would be any different than this samsung in the LR. i also have an old crt monitor in the closet that i used to use with this desktop, but its been beat around a lot, and may or may not work. guess i can drag it out if worse comes to worse... see if it'll turn on. my eyes cant take much more of the high resolution!!!
 
Dngrsone said:
In web pages, you can hold down the Ctrl key and Scroll with your mouse wheel to zoom into the page.
Click to expand...

thanks for the tip... works great, and will do the job until (or if) i get the resolution hammered out.
----------------------------------------------------------------------------

so why is it that, even with correct driver installed, this isnt letting me scale the resolution down. shouldnt the computer be able to downscale it regardless of the monitor. or does it depend on what the monitor says it will do, and cant be forced?
 
No worries. :good:

I have to do the same thing sometimes, like when I can't find my glasses.
mumble.gif
 
just noticed that when i booted windows 7 up on this machine, its not giving me any widescreen options, and the 4:3 are limited to just a few options. maybe i should start looking for a newer driver that's compatible with this old video set.

im guessing that this could be the problem. i suppose it still doesnt explain the errors when scanning the tv's supported resolutions... does it?
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Back
Top