Wat to do With MY Old PC??

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Ganeshkumar

Padawan
Hi eveyone

I have a 2 pcs one with celeron 366MHz 128MB SDram n 4MB graphics memory with win98se. How can i use that PC efficiently and for what purpose???

waiting for re guysss
:-|
 

Aberforth

The Internationalist
If you are the computer curious and adventurous type try running Sun Solaris 10 or some Linux distro which is light on resources like Ubuntu, Freespire, etc. You get a well running machine and learn a new OS.

If you feel like charity you can also give away one of your desktops to someone who needs a computer but couldn't afford it.
 

mod-the-pc

Back to School Mr. Bean !
Dispose the monitor. With that money,

Option 1
1. Make a WinLIRC receiver and get a IR remote ~Rs 100
2. Make a parallel port LCD ~ Rs 750 (LCD) + Rs 100 (Other components)
3. Install WinLIRC, Winamp, Winamp remote control plugin & LCD plugin
Now you have a MP3/WMA/WAV/Audio CD player

Option 2
1. Make a WinLIRC receiver and get a IR remote ~Rs 100
2. Get a PCI VGA/AGP card with TV out - ~Rs 1000
3. Install GeexBox.
4. Connect PC to your TV
Now you have a MP3/WMA/WAV/Audio CD/VCD+ Photo viewer
But your processor will not be able to play DVD/Divx/XviD I guess
 

mediator

Technomancer
1. U can try linux
2. U can make it a live FM station
3. U can use it to practise guitar like me and install all kinds of synthesizers, processors......that wud be total fun!
4. U can use it to test new operating systems
5. U can use it as a hardware firewall like @gx said!
6. U can use it as a file server for ur home!
7. U can use it as a http/ftp/ssh/telnet server with no domain name!
8. U can use it to share some project with ur friends so that all of u can work on it on the same machine!
9. U can back important data on it!
10. To play old dos games, incompatible with XP and VISTA!

I posted what I cud think of, U can do more innovative work with it! :)
 
OP
Ganeshkumar

Ganeshkumar

Padawan
anarchist said:
what does it mean 1 or 2 :confused:

if you wanna use it try increasing RAM. or donate/sell it to any school/typist

I have 2 and One PC with .... that configuration..
__________
24online said:
best one.. teach PC others...

Hi

It has been used in parallel for that purpuse only dude

Thanks byee
__________
mod-the-pc said:
Dispose the monitor. With that money,

Option 1
1. Make a WinLIRC receiver and get a IR remote ~Rs 100
2. Make a parallel port LCD ~ Rs 750 (LCD) + Rs 100 (Other components)
3. Install WinLIRC, Winamp, Winamp remote control plugin & LCD plugin
Now you have a MP3/WMA/WAV/Audio CD player

can u tell me in detail...

Thanks for ur re
 
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koolbluez

Šupər♂ - 超人
Us dabbe ko bech de...
Ya kisi aur ko muft mein de.

If u wanna use it, a media player is a viable option. Of u can use 2 monitors to simultaneously do work.

I'ld also advice u to look into last 2 months of DIGIT/CHIP magazines... prob DIGIT. There is an article on using ur old machine wisely. It's on the coverpage too. U can easily check out the covers to know which mag has it.
 
Hello bro there r manyt ways which u can use ur old pc for .I am telling some of them..I am telling u some points:-


:) :) :) :) :)

a>U can convert it inot a music player or say juke box.
b>U can convert it into a telivision by a tv tuner.
c>U can use it as a multimedia server.
d>U can use it as an internet router.
e>U can convert it into a data server.
f>U can convert it into a word proccessor by installing office suites into them.
g>U can use it for internet browsing.
h>U can use it for account management.
i>U can convert it into a printer manager.
j>U can make it a download manager.
k>U can convert into a knowledge center by installing encyclopedias like encarta or britanica in it.
l>U can convert it inot a software testing machine.
m>U can convert into a chatting machine.
n>u can use it as a mail server.
o>u can use it as a restricted internet zone.
p>U can convert it inot a cd or dvd burner.
q>U can use it as a security device.
r>U can use it as a training center.

If u want any points details u can ask me.

Source chip(this months)
 

mod-the-pc

Back to School Mr. Bean !
Quote:
Originally Posted by mod-the-pc
Dispose the monitor. With that money,

Option 1
1. Make a WinLIRC receiver and get a IR remote ~Rs 100
2. Make a parallel port LCD ~ Rs 750 (LCD) + Rs 100 (Other components)
3. Install WinLIRC, Winamp, Winamp remote control plugin & LCD plugin
Now you have a MP3/WMA/WAV/Audio CD player

can u tell me in detail...

1. Look at this thread for making your PC work with a remote control
2. Look at this page for interfacing the LCD to your PC.

Note : If you're not good at electronics have someone from local TV/Radio repair shops to do steps 1 & 2 for you.

3. Format your PC and install Win 98. Install all drivers. Then install Winamp
(v2.9 is fine). v5 will be too much for your PC. Disable bootsplash, scheduled tasks and other unrequired startup/backgrounds items. Add winamp to your startup items

4. Get the remote control plugin from here and LCD plugin from here. Install & configure them

Once you have all setup you can dispose the monitor. If you need to do some troubleshooting in future you can use the monitor of your new PC.

To play songs you can burn songs into a CD or create shares on your old pc and transfer songs to this share from your new PC !

Do let me know how this project goes about :p
 
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ApoorvKhatreja

Journeyman
Hmm..you can turn your old metal box into a Jukebox using GeeXBoX.

If you find yourself staring pitifully at a pile of metal, manufactured somewhere around (or even later) the dawn of the new millennium, then read on. The yellow computer case and the grandfather monitor that have been envying your relatively newer possessions can be used for more than simple museum decoration – you can make it your very own jukebox, and with no additional expenses at that.

Isn’t Winamp good enough?
Yes and No. Any jukebox software that runs over an external operating system uses its various services. The responsibility of detecting and identifying the hardware lies solely with the OS and not the jukebox software. Thus compatibility of such software across various PC configurations is never an issue. However, the overhead of running the mammoth <insert your favourite OS’s name here> is simply not desirable. The situation worsens when the available hardware is so ancient that finding backward compatible software, let alone using the latest codec, becomes a painstaking exercise.

GeeX World
GeeXboX, the stand-alone multimedia operating system, comes to the rescue. The mini jukebox can boot from a live CD or be installed to your hard disk. The space required for the install and the characteristic speeds of execution are first to take your breath away. At under 7 MB, the lightweight Linux based distributions ideal for small hard drives so that more space is available for music.
Since it uses the popular Linux based ALSA packages and the versatile Mplayer itself, files sporting diverse formats are easily handled. If your CDROM/RW has stood the tests of time, then you can enjoy audio and video CDs too. Again for newer hardware, there is some great news – the DVD playback part of GeeXboX comes equipped with a DVD menu unlike most other peers.
In most cases, TV Tuner cards are auto detected, though some hacking may be required to get Indian channels. What comes as a surprise is the corresponding remote controlled menu. It eliminates the need of a keyboard. For instance, you can use the remote supplied with the TV tuner card to navigate through GeeXboX’s menu unlike any other software available.
It is also possible to play back network streams from SHOUTcast. WebRadios, WebTVs or even RTP/RTSP streaming allowing you to watch any kind of network or broadcast stream from your own GeeXboX hub.

Get Going!
Setting up the system is not a difficult task at all. The following sections discuss the essentials.

Reload The Ammo
Officially, GeeXboX requires at least an x86 Pentium-Class CPU or above (P2-400 MHz should be quite enough) or Macintosh NewWorld G3 (G4 highly recommended). However, we found that it sustains fine even on a 300 MHz Zenith PC. The DivX video format is known to cause some genuine hiccups on the oldies though. 64 MB of RAM is generally recommended.


Fire!
Follow these steps to kick-start a fully functional system in almost no time.

Running off a live CD
Download the GeeXboX ISO image file from www.geexbox.org (Listed under downloads section). Next, burn the image, preferably to a Re-Writable CD, as you might want to add/remove features later. This can be done using your favorite CD toaster.
Reboot the computer and enter the BIOS setup (Generally, press [Delete], [F8] etc. key after you restart). Change the boot order priority to boot from CDROM/RW drive making it the first.
GeeXboX will automatically detect most hardware and auto-mount your partitions.
If everything works out fine, you should see a progress bar followed by a graphics boot screen. This will bring you to a menu that displays various options. (If it leaves you at a # prompt then something has failed; more on that later).
Don’t get alarmed when the CD drive’s tray pops out after booting. This drive is now free and can be used for playing your own media.
The keyboard can be used for navigation. The right arrow key is for moving forward and the left for back. Hitting [Esc] first and then pressing the down arrow key brings one back to the main menu. It is highly recommended that you exercise the Help option or keep a printout of the control key diagram as exhibited on the website under the Keys & Controls section.
If you choose ‘Open file’ from the main menu, the media devices and partitions are listed. Navigate to the directory where your goodies are stored and hit the right arrow key to start playing.

Hack it!
The vanilla ISO image you just ran may not showcase the best features of the system. It may not even run natively without a few hacks on some systems. The following guidelines will demonstrate how you can customize GeeXboX to suit your needs or to recover from a futile attempt at running it.

Get the GeeXboX ISO GENERATOR (not the earlier ISO) from the Web site. Uncompress the generator, which is in .tar.gz format. Linux users will soon discover the shell script they need to run while Windows people can cherish the blah.exe. The generator is designed for Macs too.
From the Remote Control Menu, choose your remote control manufacturer’s trade name. Many are supported, like the ones from ATI, Pinnacle, Creative, RealMagic, StreamZap, MS Media Center USB remote, to name a few. Once again, the best thing to do is to refer to the website for help figuring out the control keys.
After making the changes, click the Compile button. You may exit the generator after the status shows ‘Done’.
Notice that a new ISO image file is generated in the directory of the generator. This can now be written directly to the CDROM/RW like before.
Reboot the system and follow the usual steps. Now you can control the system with nothing more than your simple TV tuner remote control, sitting yards away from the jukebox!


Post Makeover
Your old box has been transformed into a fully functional jukebox. It outshines most of the other music playing software. What can you do to enhance the experience? You can start off by making your own themes. The GeeXboX forum branches into a step-by-step tutorial for the same. The list of features is virtually endless. But one thing is for sure, GeeXboX can surely bring that old smile back to your PC.



Source : Digit, October 2006.
 
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