Use for an old laptop?

[dukenexus]

I was given a Dell laptop, which is very old, but it seems to be a shame to throw it away because it still works!
It is an Inspiron 4000model

Is there a practical use for this computer today? Can I use it for simple light web browsing? Open to ideas

 

[root]

Hey @dukenexus, and welcome to the site.

That really is an old machine - around 20 years old now - and I think you would be very limited on what you can do with it in terms of web browsing - it probably doesn't have wifi.

My best recommendation would be to try and get a copy of Windows 98 and turn it into a DOS gaming machine - it should play pretty much anything from that era without (too many) issues.

Alternatively load up a vintage office suite and it could be useful for typing or light office work without the temptation of modern internet distractions!

 

[dukenexus]

Hey @dukenexus, and welcome to the site.

That really is an old machine - around 20 years old now - and I think you would be very limited on what you can do with it in terms of web browsing - it probably doesn't have wifi.

My best recommendation would be to try and get a copy of Windows 98 and turn it into a DOS gaming machine - it should play pretty much anything from that era without (too many) issues.

Alternatively load up a vintage office suite and it could be useful for typing or light office work without the temptation of modern internet distractions!

Thats great, do you think if I put a Linux on the laptop it would run smooth? Searching on line Linux might run better but I dont know much about it

 

[root]

Thats great, do you think if I put a Linux on the laptop it would run smooth? Searching on line Linux might run better but I dont know much about it

I think running Linux could potentially help you eke out a bit more performance from this machine, but browsing the modern web will be a real challenge. You're going to be relying on a really old browser, and you'll likely need to try and get a PCMCIA wifi card that may or may not be compatible with a) Linux and b) your internet router.

Your best bet for this machine will be to use it for exclusively offline tasks.