Yeah I use mine for a Syscomp USB digital storage scope.
Max.

 

Also, my old laptop lives in the workroom and holds my entire PDF library of parts datasheets, instruction manuals, and spreadsheets with my inventory. Saves a lot of running back and forth to the office (master) computer.

Inventory?? I just know I've got one somewhere and a few hours searching will turn it up

 

Personal opinion: Get it into the hands of someone that needs a laptop. This would be the "highest calling" for any piece of hardware. If you know someone, maybe just give it to them. Otherwise, it can be surprising what people will pay on eBay for such things. Get a few bucks, make someone happy, and move on.

 

It might be worthwhile putting a Linux distribution on it, like Ubuntu. There are times when F/OSS software exclusive to Linux is quite nice to have access to, and it also serves as a learning tool.

lampp/xampp stack is great.... plus has mariadb as the mysql alternative.

 

Personal opinion: Get it into the hands of someone that needs a laptop. This would be the "highest calling" for any piece of hardware. If you know someone, maybe just give it to them. Otherwise, it can be surprising what people will pay on eBay for such things. Get a few bucks, make someone happy, and move on.

Careful though, old PCs are notorious for proving the "No good deed goes unpunished" saying right.

"Hey, that free laptop you gave me won't run this game." When you look at the minimum requirements there is NO WAY it will run it. Then the conversation goes: Well, can you make it run it? No? Can you put more RAM in it? It's too slow, I clicked on a free jelly bean ad and now some dude has my credit card information WTF MAN YOU SUCK DIE DIE DIE.... so, yeah, careful.

 

I've got one somewhere and a few hours searching will turn it up

Working on cabinetry. Looked all around the garage for my leaf blower (wanted to blow the dust off a board that was going to be painted). Couldn't find it. Finally gave up. As I was painting the board I glanced up and there it was - as plain as yellow on a banana.

"No good deed goes unpunished"

Sold an old PC to a neighbor. Few days later he was complaining it wouldn't work at all. So I took a look at it. He deleted just about all the system files. Said he wanted more space. I reloaded the operating system and it worked fine. Few days later he was complaining again. Once again - yup! You guessed it! So one more time I uploaded the OS. Told him that if he deletes the system operating files again he's on his own. You're right! No good deed goes unpunished. EVER!

 

Inventory??

That just means I wrote down that I have it, now where did I put it?

 

I've got lots of cookie tins and popcorn tins full of stuff. The other day I was looking for something and came across something else I didn't know I had. I was excited to have this thing. Only, now I don't remember what it was or where I saw it. "(

 

I have an old laptop running as a telephone exchange. And my house has a number of SPA942 VOIP phones. 3 in the house, 2 in my workshop and one in my wife's studio. Before I had a crash on an EEEBOX (predecessor to the laptop), there was also an OpenVPN server that allowed me to log into home from anywhere in the world. And a monitor for my solar panels. My son set these up for me and I will ask him to add the VPN back in later.
The VPN, along with the PBX, allowed me to connect an Android phone, or iPad running a VOIP app as an extension remotely so any home calls would ring where ever I was. It was fun to be in a cafe in Prague, logged onto their WiFi, and ring family at home in Australia. World "mobile" calls without the price tag!

 

Having had to fight with Linux to get the CNC working I am not keen on torturing myself unnecessarily.

Not trying to derail, but the primary issue with your Linux experience is that you tried to do something (make a CNC machine out of a computer, using an experimental operating system you have no experience with) that is challenging to seasoned experts.
The desktop OS distributions are much better for learning.

I tend to have a laptop or 2 in a closet I never know what to do with either. Often I'll install linux, then put them into the closet.

 

Step 1.
Replace hd with ssd. 128 GB ssd should be a bout 15-25 USD.

 

What is a "Data + Multimedia Centre"? My mate "G" keeps directing me to images of the European Council

Forget the "Data" part and setup the Multimedia centre.
Read this for the "Data" part: - https://askleo.com/can-i-backup-one-computer-to-another/

 

In that case I already do the 'data' part.

 

Personal opinion: Get it into the hands of someone that needs a laptop. This would be the "highest calling" for any piece of hardware. If you know someone, maybe just give it to them. Otherwise, it can be surprising what people will pay on eBay for such things. Get a few bucks, make someone happy, and move on.

That hadn't occurred to me. I phoned up our local school and they are coming to collect it this afternoon

 

A spare computer in the garage to check things and order parts? If you dump it sometimes there are 18650 batteries in them. Useful for some projects.

Spare laptops are pretty good at finding uses - especially just after you threw them out...……….

Although I did bin a really old laptop with a really horrible orange screen - I didn't even bother ripping it open to see if anything useful.

 

If disposing laptop and computers, take mine them to the local scrap yard. They recycle. Sometimes I come home with stuff.

 

Are you sure that this OpenVPN wasn`t a chinese fake?

Open VPN is available as source code if you want to have a play. And on a lot of different platforms.
https://openvpn.net/
I think it will be pretty safe.