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<\/a><\/figure>\n<\/div>\n\n\nThe playback software can be downloaded to almost any device, from smart TVs to games consoles. You can watch all your favorite locally stored videos or listen to music and podcasts from any device, and this type of software is designed to be lightweight, so it can be used even on old systems.\n<\/p>\n\n\n\n
2. DIY a Video Projector\n<\/h2>\n\n\n\n
If you happen to have both an old laptop and an old overhead projector just lying around, this is a pretty fun project. You can repurpose your old laptop into a video projector to watch all the movies stored on your Plex server. You\u2019ll need a device with a TFT screen (though it doesn\u2019t matter if the backlight is broken). This project takes some DIY skills, but a great video guide on YouTube<\/a> breaks things down step by step.\n<\/p>\n\n\n\n If you have your own website and currently pay for hosting, why not save yourself a few bucks by setting up your old PC as a web server to host your site? You could even host sites for friends and family too. Or you could set up your web server for FTP so you can share files over the web with friends.\n<\/p>\n\n\n\n There\u2019s nothing like a retro gaming session to give you all the nostalgic feels, so why not repurpose your old computer into a retro gaming machine? Installing an older OS will let you play retro games<\/a> like DOOM or Lemmings. \n<\/p>\n\n\n If you use Steam and DOSBox, you can emulate a legacy DOS environment. Also, if your PC is already running Windows 7 or 8, you likely won\u2019t need to install an older OS.\n<\/p>\n\n\n\n Tired of your family spending hours holed up in separate rooms checking email or browsing the web? Set up your old PC as a communal family machine in your living room so everyone can surf the web, check email, or complete homework. Networked storage is also a good idea here so everyone can access their files.\n<\/p>\n\n\n\n Wondering what to do with an old computer? You can use your old PC to display your photos if your laptop is still functional. All you need is a decent screen and a bit of know-how to turn it into a digital photo frame. If it still connects to your home Wi-Fi you could even use it to display your social media photos.\n<\/p>\n\n\n\n If you prefer gaming online with friends on Destiny 2 or Fortnite, you could set up your old PC as a dedicated game server. Most multiplayer online games support dedicated servers, but make sure you check your game of choice does. Because this type of server doesn\u2019t require a powerful system, even a really old PC makes a great dedicated game server.\n<\/p>\n\n\n Creating a wall-mounted PC is a great way to turn your PC into something that looks good and still functions. You\u2019ll need your computer\u2019s hard drive and motherboard, and a video tutorial<\/a>. You\u2019ll also require some basic tools and materials such as plywood and Plexiglas. Not only does this look pretty cool on your wall, but you can also use Wi-Fi sync to share files.\n<\/p>\n\n\n\n If none of these projects seem right for you, why not upgrade your computer? It\u2019s not possible to do this with all computers, such as those which have the SSD and RAM integrated into the motherboard. It\u2019s also not always worth upgrading an old laptop<\/a> due to the time and cost involved \u2014 and it depends on what you want it to do. With most machines, you can upgrade the RAM and\/or the hard drive, so you might get some more use out of your old laptop yet. There are also some pretty cool things you can do with old RAM<\/a>.\n<\/p>\n\n\n\n The final idea on our list is the best one yet. Stop wondering what to do with an old computer and turn it into a retro arcade machine! You can use an arcade emulator<\/a> like MAME, short for Multiple Arcade Machine Emulator to emulate arcade machine hardware. As long as you have the right computer and monitor for the job, it\u2019s easy to turn your old computer into an arcade machine<\/a>.\n<\/p>\n\n\n\n We hope this has given you some great creative ideas for what to do with an old computer. While you\u2019re here, why not check out some of our ideas for what to do with an old router<\/a> if you\u2019ve got one lying around?\n<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":" If your old laptop or PC is gathering dust, you might wonder whether to recycle it, give it away, or use it for a creative project. When it comes to […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":64,"featured_media":72311,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"_monsterinsights_skip_tracking":false,"_monsterinsights_sitenote_active":false,"_monsterinsights_sitenote_note":"","_monsterinsights_sitenote_category":0,"footnotes":""},"categories":[24],"tags":[10362],"class_list":{"0":"post-72310","1":"post","2":"type-post","3":"status-publish","4":"format-standard","5":"has-post-thumbnail","7":"category-how-to","8":"tag-hardware"},"acf":[],"aioseo_notices":[],"featured_image_src":"https:\/\/helpdeskgeek.com\/wp-content\/pictures\/2023\/07\/old-computer.jpeg","author_info":{"display_name":"Paula Beaton","author_link":"https:\/\/helpdeskgeek.com\/author\/pbeaton\/"},"aioseo_head":"\n\t\t\n\t\n\t\n\t\n\t\n\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t3. Set up a Web Server\n<\/h2>\n\n\n\n
4. Play Old-School Games\n<\/h2>\n\n\n\n
<\/a><\/figure>\n<\/div>\n\n\n5. Use it as a Family PC\n<\/h2>\n\n\n\n
6. Create a Digital Photo Frame\n<\/h2>\n\n\n\n
7. Game Online with Friends\n<\/h2>\n\n\n\n
<\/a><\/figure>\n<\/div>\n\n\n8. Turn it Into Art\n<\/h2>\n\n\n\n
9. Upgrade it\n<\/h2>\n\n\n\n
10. Turn it Into an Arcade Machine\n<\/h2>\n\n\n\n