Use of old Computer

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naresh

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hello friends,
recently I bought a new computer for myself but from that day I was thinking what to do with my old PC as I not want to throw it out, so do you have any idea how can I keep using it ,
actually I want to ask whether I can make a LAN connection using my newer PC ? or is it that easy that anyone with little knowledge of networking can make that , if yes please help me out ....

old PC configuration :
P IV 1.6 GHz ,Intel 850GB MB, 20 GB HDD, 128 RDRAM, CD RW, LAN Card
new PC configuration :
core2duo 2.2 GHz, 160 GB HDD, 512 DDR2 SDRAM, E4500

cheers !
 

oiwio

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take out the old hard drive and put it in the new one. free 20 GBs right there, otherwise just take it apart and mess around with it. thats what I do, salvage then destroy :lol:
 

Starshine

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hello friends,
recently I bought a new computer for myself but from that day I was thinking what to do with my old PC as I not want to throw it out, so do you have any idea how can I keep using it ,
actually I want to ask whether I can make a LAN connection using my newer PC ? or is it that easy that anyone with little knowledge of networking can make that , if yes please help me out ....

old PC configuration :
P IV 1.6 GHz ,Intel 850GB MB, 20 GB HDD, 128 RDRAM, CD RW, LAN Card
new PC configuration :
core2duo 2.2 GHz, 160 GB HDD, 512 DDR2 SDRAM, E4500

cheers !

Easy? Not sure. But it is possible. I have a brand new laptop ( Vista ) and 2 older computers ( One that currently has a unix OS and the other with Windows XP ) and I plan to try and network them all together.
 

oiwio

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dont you just need a router and hook up both of the computers?
 

FalseHope

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Yeah, I don't think it matters how old the PC's are.. Just run the Ethernet cords through the router.
 

HomerJ

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Networking is fairly easy. Just buy a cheap router and connect them. I would get a linksys WRT54G-derivative router. They are cheap and able to perform far more than most other routers. Plus they have excellent third party firmware.

If you can't get a router for some reason, set up your old computer as a router. There are plenty of linux distributions tailored specifically for this job and tons of documentation. You just need 2 NICs (or more) and a hub if you want to connect more computers. You could probably do this with Windows as well, I just have no idea how to.

A small problem: Pentium 4s are very power-hungry. You may not want to set it up as a router and leave it running all the time. Getting a cheap router will probably cost far less than the electrical cost of running a P4 all day.
 

sunils

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If you have only two pc why you need to have a router.
Use a point- to - point connection with a LAN cable. thats it.
Use google services to search for a pictorial representation to do do.
 

MaestroFX1

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Install *nix with high security configuration and use it as your gateway to internet, this way your new computer will not have to do tasks like scanning,etc
 

crisp

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IMO a 1.6ghz P4 is overkill for smoothwall, you could pick up a cheap PI/II/III for next to nothing for that. Why not use it as a development server, try out your latest code safely? Old school games PC? (think mame emulators, DOS games, old consoles etc) or even just as a run of the mill fileserver/networked storage device. The possibilities are endless.
 

bigguy

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Why not make a server out of it so you have a test bed to play around with for all your scripts and such. I have an old PC sitting beside me thats on the net as a server and I use it for testing purposes and stuff.
 

cstamper

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Well, here's what i did with my old pc. Its a Pentium II, 233Mhz w/ 128MB of ram and 20gb HDD.

It's running Fedora Linux in a closet somewhere, serving files, local email, web, FTP, and DHCP for my LAN.

So don't scrap it!
 

Audiolis

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If you want to connect only 2 PC over LAN (wired), you only need a "cross over" LAN cable.
I have an E6420 (Core2Duo) connected to a P3 (500MHz) and it works. You can try some Linux version.
If you have to connect 3 things... you can try to get a "Y" cable and connect them 3.
 

Smith6612

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There are loads of things you can do with an old PC. You can turn it into a router, File Server, Web server, game server, backup server, something to store around, a second computer for use in your house, experimental use, etc.
 

warlordste

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i use mine as a game sever and then a test sever but what i did was upgrade it when i had spare cash so it is a better computer then i swap them about and upgrade the one whats more rubbish i have 3 comps so am always updating one
 

Jesse

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If i would have a old computer, i would use it as a server ;)
 

Starshine

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Reading this thread has given me some ideas.
I have 3 computers ( 2 desktops, 1 laptop ) ... I'd like to use my older of the 2 desktops as a server of sorts. ( The machine that is connected to the net ... and connects to my other desktop )

I have a computer techie friend, but she is always too burnt out from work during the day to ask her how to go about doing it ( and what I may need, software, etc )

One desktop has Fedora Core 4 on it, but I hadn't used it in forever and forgot my login details. The other desktop has Windows XP Media Edition.

I can get Windows Server 2003 for free, but would like to ask the x10 community if anyone would be willing to help me somehow in setting up a small network.

  • One desktop asks as server. ( Possibly setting up as a personal e-mail service, file server / storage device )
  • 2nd desktop as a backup storage, file server / game server type thing.
  • A way to link my laptop to it all. Wirelessly or wired. ( As my modem has wireless ability ... )
I do have a KVM switch I use right now to share the desktop keyboard, mouse and monitor - but would like to find a way to connect it all together so i can start using what I have.

Any suggestions? ( Maybe PM me if you can )
 

bigguy

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Here is the software I use on my server. It is running Ubuntu Linux Server edition 7.0.4 I think it is. On top of that I use:

www.webmin.com

It works real sweet. :)
 

odexx

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I would reccomend getting a router, yea there are ways to make a pc to do it, but it's kinda a waste and you need to buy multiple nic's. Routers are easy to set up and they do their job.

As for software, i would check out xampp (http://www.apachefriends.org/en/xampp-windows.html). It's free, and portable. You don't have to do any install, you just extract and launch the control panel. It runs apache with php, ftp, and mercury mail. the apache and php run out of the box, but the mercurymail and ftp need a little configuration. I run it on windows xp no problem, it should run on server just the same. And if you ever want to move it, all you have to do is move the folder, and all your settings come with.
 
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