Advertisement
If you have a new account but are having problems posting or verifying your account, please email us on hello@boards.ie for help. Thanks :)
Hello all! Please ensure that you are posting a new thread or question in the appropriate forum. The Feedback forum is overwhelmed with questions that are having to be moved elsewhere. If you need help to verify your account contact hello@boards.ie

Old pc for internet usage

Options
  • 20-02-2015 12:08pm
    #1
    Myrddin
    Closed Accounts Posts: 33,733 ✭✭✭✭


    Hi all,

    I've gotten hold of an old Dell Dimension 2400, a living fossil by todays standards. It's got a 3 Ghz P4, & 512MB ram installed, along with Windows XP. My question is this, is it worth upgrading the ram on it to maximum (2GB) and installing Windows 7 (or are there even drivers for W7!) to use the machine purely as an internet box?

    Failing a Windows 7 install, is a clean install of XP safe to use these days on the internet? How secure is it?


Comments

  • Options
    #2
    PeteFalk78
    Closed Accounts Posts: 762 ✭✭✭PeteFalk78


    Myrddin wrote: »
    Hi all,

    I've gotten hold of an old Dell Dimension 2400, a living fossil by todays standards. It's got a 3 Ghz P4, & 512MB ram installed, along with Windows XP. My question is this, is it worth upgrading the ram on it to maximum (2GB) and installing Windows 7 (or are there even drivers for W7!) to use the machine purely as an internet box?

    Failing a Windows 7 install, is a clean install of XP safe to use these days on the internet? How secure is it?

    If it's only gonna be used for internet I'd use Ubuntu. Would run on that spec very well and very secure.


  • Options
    #3
    Myrddin
    Closed Accounts Posts: 33,733 ✭✭✭✭Myrddin


    PeteFalk78 wrote: »
    If it's only gonna be used for internet I'd use Ubuntu. Would run on that spec very well and very secure.

    How user friendly is that (it's not for me)? Will things like flash player for facebook games etc run on that?


  • Options
    #4
    28064212
    Registered Users Posts: 10,635 ✭✭✭✭28064212


    XP is not secure, do not use it on the internet.

    Windows 7 would probably run, but it's unlikely to be a great experience, even if you turn off all the animations etc. A lightweight Linux install is the preferred option in these cases, something like Lubuntu or Xubuntu

    Boardsie Enhancement Suite - a browser extension to make using Boards on desktop a better experience (includes full-width display, keyboard shortcuts, dark mode, and more). Now available through your browser's extension store.

    Firefox: https://addons.mozilla.org/addon/boardsie-enhancement-suite/

    Chrome/Edge/Opera: https://chromewebstore.google.com/detail/boardsie-enhancement-suit/bbgnmnfagihoohjkofdnofcfmkpdmmce



  • Options
    #5
    Myrddin
    Closed Accounts Posts: 33,733 ✭✭✭✭Myrddin


    28064212 wrote: »
    XP is not secure, do not use it on the internet.

    Cheers for that.
    Windows 7 would probably run, but it's unlikely to be a great experience, even if you turn off all the animations etc. A lightweight Linux install is the preferred option in these cases, something like Lubuntu or Xubuntu

    As above, in terms of usability for a non tech-savy user, how would they find using such an os? Am I likely to find driver support? What about flash player for facebook games?


  • Options
    #6
    PeteFalk78
    Closed Accounts Posts: 762 ✭✭✭PeteFalk78


    Mainstream Linux distros that were previously mentioned would be very easy to use for an inexperienced user. You'd have full Internet browsing capabilities as you would with Windows. Firefox and all its add-ons (such as Flash) would work perfectly.
    Driver support is very good. I've never had a problem connecting to printers, cameras, phones etc


  • Advertisement
  • Options
    #7
    beauf
    Closed Accounts Posts: 22,648 ✭✭✭✭beauf


    I think you'll find that old hardware very slow on a lot of websites. Modern browsers and websites can be quite demanding.

    It work be madness to spend any money upgrading such an old machine.

    If you get everything for free then its only your own time your putting into it.


  • Options
    #8
    Tokyo
    Registered Users Posts: 22,655 ✭✭✭✭Tokyo


    Myrddin wrote: »
    As above, in terms of usability for a non tech-savy user, how would they find using such an os? Am I likely to find driver support? What about flash player for facebook games?

    I don't think you'll find any trouble TBH - modern linux distros such as Ubuntu or Mint are a fire and forget installation with excellent driver support, and the desktop environments will be familiar enough to any Windows user.

    End of the day, it's easy enough to test - download a copy of Ubuntu or Mint, burn to CD, and run it from the CD to see if it's something you could work with. If it is, then install.


  • Options
    #9
    Myrddin
    Closed Accounts Posts: 33,733 ✭✭✭✭Myrddin


    beauf wrote: »
    It work be madness to spend any money upgrading such an old machine.

    If you get everything for free then its only your own time your putting into it.

    I can max out the ram for less €20 or so, DDR sticks seem cheap enough
    mike_ie wrote: »
    I don't think you'll find any trouble TBH - modern linux distros such as Ubuntu or Mint are a fire and forget installation with excellent driver support, and the desktop environments will be familiar enough to any Windows user.

    End of the day, it's easy enough to test - download a copy of Ubuntu or Mint, burn to CD, and run it from the CD to see if it's something you could work with. If it is, then install.

    Cheers Mike (and Peter). I must just give this a go. If I do a test run from a live cd, how do things play out if I want to install something like Firefox to text it out?


  • Options
    #10
    PeteFalk78
    Closed Accounts Posts: 762 ✭✭✭PeteFalk78


    Firefox comes preinstalled on most of them - certainly Ubuntu anyway.


  • Options
    #11
    PropJoe10
    Registered Users Posts: 5,304 ✭✭✭PropJoe10


    You can mitigate a lot of XP's insecurities by setting a user up on a Limited user account rather than an Administrator, but I'd personally advise against it. Lubuntu (a light version of Ubuntu) would be my suggestion for an operating system.


  • Advertisement
  • Options
    #12
    Tokyo
    Registered Users Posts: 22,655 ✭✭✭✭Tokyo


    Myrddin wrote: »
    Cheers Mike (and Peter). I must just give this a go. If I do a test run from a live cd, how do things play out if I want to install something like Firefox to text it out?

    Firefox is preinstalled on Ubuntu and Mint - run the live CD, and you should be good to go.


  • Options
    #13
    Greenmachine
    Registered Users Posts: 5,063 ✭✭✭Greenmachine


    Is the max not 4 gigs not the max on that set-up. Effictively 3.5 gigs with 32 bit windows.


  • Options
    #14
    Myrddin
    Closed Accounts Posts: 33,733 ✭✭✭✭Myrddin


    Greenmachine wrote: »
    Is the max not 4 gigs not the max on that set-up. Effictively 3.5 gigs with 32 bit windows.

    The tech sheet I found online says max of 2...


  • Options
    #15
    Myrddin
    Closed Accounts Posts: 33,733 ✭✭✭✭Myrddin


    One other thing re lubuntu, whats the situation re virus protection etc? Is an antivirus needed?


  • Options
    #16
    PeteFalk78
    Closed Accounts Posts: 762 ✭✭✭PeteFalk78


    Myrddin wrote: »
    One other thing re lubuntu, whats the situation re virus protection etc? Is an antivirus needed?

    General consensus is that's not really needed but there are free ones available if you insist.

    https://help.ubuntu.com/community/Antivirus


  • Options
    #17
    PropJoe10
    Registered Users Posts: 5,304 ✭✭✭PropJoe10


    Myrddin wrote: »
    One other thing re lubuntu, whats the situation re virus protection etc? Is an antivirus needed?

    I never use an antivirus scanner on Linux. There's one called ClamAV but I dont know if its any good or not. They arent really necessary so long as you are responsible with your browsing, as you would be on a Windows machine.


  • Options
    #18
    Greenmachine
    Registered Users Posts: 5,063 ✭✭✭Greenmachine


    Myrddin wrote: »
    The tech sheet I found online says max of 2...

    I guess I was thinking of the OS. Did you pick it up cheaply? I have an old rig somewhere in my parents. Have an ancient rig somewhere in my parents house somewhere.


  • Options
    #19
    TerrorFirmer
    Closed Accounts Posts: 29,930 ✭✭✭✭TerrorFirmer


    A Pentium 4 will not be a good experience web-browsing with 7. The PC is pretty much value-less, but you could get a decent Core 2 based machine that would be perfect for web-browsing for about 50-60 euro.

    Definitely go linux otherwise.


  • Options
    #20
    Timfy
    Registered Users Posts: 736 ✭✭✭Timfy


    A quick note on the anti virus... Whilst most Linux variants are pretty resilient, it's still a good idea to scan files that may be shared or emailed to users of other OSs

    No trees were harmed in the posting of this message, however a large number of electrons were terribly inconvenienced.



  • Options
    #21
    jca
    Closed Accounts Posts: 8,585 ✭✭✭jca


    My father has that exact model dating from 2004. None of the Linux live discs would work on it, I always ended up with a black screen. Seemingly there's some driver issue with the on - board graphics used on that particular motherboard. If it still has its original maxtor drive I wouldn't bother trying to put W7 on to it either. That has to be the worst drive ever made it will drive you nuts!!!


  • Advertisement
  • Options
    #22
    Myrddin
    Closed Accounts Posts: 33,733 ✭✭✭✭Myrddin


    jca wrote: »
    My father has that exact model dating from 2004. None of the Linux live discs would work on it, I always ended up with a black screen. Seemingly there's some driver issue with the on - board graphics used on that particular motherboard. If it still has its original maxtor drive I wouldn't bother trying to put W7 on to it either. That has to be the worst drive ever made it will drive you nuts!!!

    Not sure what's going on in your case, but I had no such problems with my one. I'm currently posting this from a Dell Dimension 2400 running Lubuntu :o I've set up a dual-boot with XP Pro too, as there's been a handful of occasions over the years where an XP 32bit install would have come in handy for me. But yeah, all in all it's working fine & is punchy enough for what it is. Many thanks for the advice folks :)


  • Options
    #23
    PropJoe10
    Registered Users Posts: 5,304 ✭✭✭PropJoe10


    Myrddin wrote: »
    Not sure what's going on in your case, but I had no such problems with my one. I'm currently posting this from a Dell Dimension 2400 running Lubuntu :o I've set up a dual-boot with XP Pro too, as there's been a handful of occasions over the years where an XP 32bit install would have come in handy for me. But yeah, all in all it's working fine & is punchy enough for what it is. Many thanks for the advice folks :)

    You're very welcome :) Editing this, I made a virtualisation suggestion but I doubt if that Dimension supports virtualisation so ignore me! haha


  • Options
    #24
    jca
    Closed Accounts Posts: 8,585 ✭✭✭jca


    Myrddin wrote: »
    Not sure what's going on in your case, but I had no such problems with my one. I'm currently posting this from a Dell Dimension 2400 running Lubuntu :o I've set up a dual-boot with XP Pro too, as there's been a handful of occasions over the years where an XP 32bit install would have come in handy for me. But yeah, all in all it's working fine & is punchy enough for what it is. Many thanks for the advice folks :)

    I didn't follow it up much tbh as he wasn't really interested any more. I'm currently running w7 in my ancient Dimension 3000. I bought a WD hdd,a pci cheapo graphics card, bumped it up to 2 gig of ram and it's flying along. I found an old 1gig M2 Sony memory card and usb adaptor belonging to a long scrapped Sony Ericsson phone. I have that permanently on one of the usb ports set to "boost my pc". I don't really know if it makes any difference but sure it won't do any harm being there.


Advertisement