What can you do with OLD computers?

I got an old computer (7 years now).
PII 266
64mb Ram
8Gb HD

Think it has win98 on it. It was my very first comp. Now its definitely outdated and just been sitting there idle and off. Seems such a waste. I am trying to figure out what can I make it into. And I am figuring out how to use it in such a way that I don't need to plug a monitor but instead use it using a remote software. First I will delete off Windows 98 that is on it and install Linux to increase perfomance hopefully.

Another ideas was if I added wifi PCi card (if that would be compatible with Win98) I could make it into a comp hifi or something. But adding a wifi card to it also does opens it up to so many other possibilities.

>>1
If you want performance, installing a real OS over Win9x will definitely help. You can install either Linux or Windows 2000, but you'll need to tune both to make sure you're not running out of RAM easily, remove shit, etc.

You can run servers and P2Ps in that computer, and perhaps leave that one working overnight instead of the newer, probably noisier one.

>>2
The only problem is that as a server/p2p thing its worthless cos my internet connection aint that great.

I could make it into a central home server and connect it to an external Hard drive via USB. But thats beats the point becuase I might as well just connect that external HD to my new comp which I do now.

Make a fileserver.

>>3
That's exactly why you want to keep P2P on at night. You can slowly download stuff while nobody else's using your intarweb. If you have 1mbps or better, you don't really need to leech in your sleep.

>>3
If you have older hard disks you don't use because you don't have enough IDE slots, you can always have them there and share stuff.

make m0n0wall lol

whats a fileserver and a monowall?

>>2
win 9x kicks the shit out of win 2000 with all the way's you're able to change the settings in the registry. but linux kicks the shit out of both of them with the ablitity to use smaller faster gui's.

Perhaps overclocking it in a fish tank of chilled oil might make a much larger speed difference than changing the OS.
http://www.hackaday.com/entry/1234000287041976/
http://www.hackaday.com/entry/1234000050050192/
there are many more, but I don't look around....

as far as uses, all I can think of perhaps dumpster diving for several more shit computers and hooking them up as a farm in order to....do.....stuff......?

>>8

win 9x kicks the shit out of win 2000 with all the way's you're able to change the settings in the registry. but linux kicks the shit out of both of them with the ablitity to use smaller faster gui's.

I lold. Either your sense of sarcasm > my sense of sarcasm, your troll rate > my troll rate, or your ignorance > my ignorance.

>>9 I meant in terms of optimizing for speed on low-end computers...although I should've said that, I forgot no one pays attention to context nowadays...

>>8
Yes, let's go to the expense and trouble of immersing a PC in oil to get it to run at a blistering 350MHz. Feel the raw power! For the amount of money you'd spend on squeezing that extra bit of performance out of landfill material you could build a whole new PC.

>>7

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/M0n0wall

You can use it as a giant paperweight?

You can use it as a giant paperweight?

I run Debian on my Pentium 2 to look at porn.. It sucks but it's alright for dual-screening a movie and a photo. Linux is an excellent porn viewing program.

As for "smaller faster gui's" LOLS. Linux uses a fucking internet service to move a Window, its shells suck shit.

Linux uses a fucking internet service to move a Window

Uh, huh...

As much as I enjoy bashing linux sometimes, you're clueless.

You can put old computers in real dolls. Wacky and disturbing case modding <3

>>17
Chii?

>>11
A very valid point indeed. The oil idea is mainly used just for show. You could go out and buy/build a computer  that runs at the same speed or faster than the one you have. But overclocking in such a radical way is a much larger accomplishment than buying/building a new computer.

as far as the increase in speed goes, in this article http://www.octools.com/index.cgi?caller=submersion.html under submersion 2 they take a computer of these specifications.
ABIT BE6-2 (SH BIOS)
Intel Celeron II 566mhz
Apacer 128mb Infineon PC133 CL2
Creative 32mb GeForce GTS2 DDR
ASUS S370-DL Slocket
IBM 30Gb ATA-100 75GXP
300w PSU
Windows 98SE

and overclocked it to 1057MHz

although ultimately cooling for day to day use is very impractical. also as far as a circulation system and a system for lowering the amount of oil needed, perhaps using a fountain like design will work better. particularly the washboard looking oriental fountain. the best types of oil can cost up to $500 per gallon, but for your purposes, you could find something similar for much cheaper, also with the aforementioned design one would not require nearly as much oil.

overclocking in such a radical way is a much larger accomplishment

And then there's the rest of the world who just want a machine that works quickly.