# What to do with an old 386 computer? **URL:** \ **Category:** Miscellaneous and Personal Stuff I Must Share\ **Created:** [November 28, 2002, 9:25pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-to-do-with-an-old-386-computer/139404 "2002-11-28T21:25:07Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 7\ **Page:** 2
**Author:** ![Derleth](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/b9e5f3/32.png) [@Derleth](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Derleth)\ **Post date:** [November 29, 2002, 7:00am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-to-do-with-an-old-386-computer/139404/21 "2002-11-29T07:00:21Z")
Metalhead: Because machines shouldn’t be thrown out just because most bloatware demands more than they can provide. Tossing working machines is not only wasteful of money, it is environmentally unsound (Do you know how much mercury a monitor contains?) and deprives people of something they can really use if they stay away from the MS-Intel mutual-masturbathon. (I’m a bit annoyed at the current state of the computer industry. Can you tell?) ---
**Author:** ![tisiphone](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/bbe5ce/32.png) [@tisiphone](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/tisiphone)\ **Post date:** [November 29, 2002, 7:16am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-to-do-with-an-old-386-computer/139404/22 "2002-11-29T07:16:38Z")
I bet I can find you an ISA network card, and you can network Win3.1 with Netware (not the current one, though)… ---
**Author:** ![garius](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/e19b73/32.png) [@garius](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/garius)\ **Post date:** [November 29, 2002, 4:25pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-to-do-with-an-old-386-computer/139404/23 "2002-11-29T16:25:47Z")
Its a shame you are US based and not UK - i’d love it. Actually thinking about it, thats probably a good thing. I’d only get a :rolleyes: look from my girlfriend. ---
**Author:** ![GusNSpot](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/gusnspot/32/436_2.png) [@GusNSpot](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/GusNSpot)\ **Post date:** [November 29, 2002, 4:55pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-to-do-with-an-old-386-computer/139404/24 "2002-11-29T16:55:05Z")
I have donated several; computers to financially challenged friends. Also the word processing thing for college kids is good too. I hate to waste stuff and have multi- HD’s on all my computers with those quick in-out trays. Copy clean installs on them and they are a great protection from viruses and loss of important info. And if unplugged from the machine except when updating info when needed, they can not get a virus. I vote for the game machine for parties, poor school friend, and just to have up and running for giggles… Can make a neat looking computer desk with 4-5 machines up and running. Profile ya know, impress the chicks? Scare your mother? A source of room heat? ---
**Author:** ![Mr.Blue\_Sky](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/d26b3c/32.png) [@Mr.Blue\_Sky](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Mr.Blue_Sky)\ **Post date:** [November 29, 2002, 11:06pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-to-do-with-an-old-386-computer/139404/25 "2002-11-29T23:06:14Z")
I jusy won an auction on E-bay for a fresh Windows 3.1 OS (my discs have not survived many address changes). I’m also bidding on an unused MSDOS 6.22 set and a Microsoft Works 3.0 (same story). When all the software arrives, I’m gonna do a fresh format and reload. There’s a big art school here (Savannah College of Art & Design) and I’ll put up a flyer there. They just opened a huge computer design building recently. Perhaps I’ll throw in the Linux angle. Hell, I’ll even throw in my old Panasonic KX-P2324 dot matrix printer AND a box of fanfold paper. I’ll end up spending about $40 to bring the computer back up to, uh, speed (which, in this case, is 40Mhz). ---
**Author:** ![Billy\_Rubin](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/billy_rubin/32/3622_2.png) [@Billy\_Rubin](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Billy_Rubin)\ **Post date:** [November 30, 2002, 12:33am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-to-do-with-an-old-386-computer/139404/26 "2002-11-30T00:33:39Z")
One word: Trebuchet! b. ---
**Author:** ![Kaitlyn](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/k/73ab20/32.png) [@Kaitlyn](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Kaitlyn)\ **Post date:** [November 30, 2002, 12:59am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-to-do-with-an-old-386-computer/139404/27 "2002-11-30T00:59:25Z")
Reformat the hard drive and reload DOS 6.22. Play classic computer games on it. I have a 486 25 that I still use to play the original X-COM, Master of Magic, and Infocom classics on. It’s useful for just those games. Use it as a second word processor for when your main computer is in use by someone else. It’ll probably run Microsoft Works early editions through Win 3.1. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-to-do-with-an-old-386-computer/139404.md?page=1)