Old Computer

[JBH1876]

Have a relative with a computer. 233 Mhz MMX........ Has not used it in at least 3 years,,,,,,,,,,,,,, been in moth balls :-) ) so to speak... Now wishes to hook up, and use again................. To me,,,,,,,,,, upgrading somewhat would be more beneficial............... Input appreciated......... Thanks All

[jseidel]

What will the PC be used for? E-mail, general web surfing and basic word processing will do fine on an old machine. Video intensive applications such as photo editing or newer 3D demanding games will need an upgrade.
Also, if the PC has not been plugged in for all of this time it is quite possible the battery on the motherboard may be exhausted. If so, the BIOS will not load and the PC will not POST. In that case, you may have to replace the battery just to get started.
J.

[rbc1100]

Like the other post suggests it would be worth a go if you are going to use it for basic browsing and email. But other than that the software wrote today would tax the system to the point to where it would not run well. I had a Compaq a few years ago and the only thing I could upgrade on that was the ram. It came with 32meg and i could upgrade to 48 meg. Its lasted about a year and went into the dumpster. It also was a 233 mmx. See if it runs at least and go fron there.

[prouton]

While I'm always eager to extend the life of computers that work, a machine with that processor is likely to be running either Win95 or Win98. Yes, these can both do web surfing, email and basic word processing (and spreadsheets and webpage design and a whole host of other things), but the operating systems are well past being supported or having drivers written for them for new hardware. Don't even think about trying to hook up an iPod to it (Win95 doesn't even qualify for USB support).

You need to balance the support hassles (your time/money) against the budget of the user (for a new machine, or at least a newer used box).

It's painful to discard a functional computer, but given the accelerated evolution that computers enjoyed, its kind of like using a '53 Studebaker for everyday transportation. You can do it, but should you?