restoring an old pc

lauratalk

Estimable
Sep 24, 2015
1
0
4,510
I have an old dell dimension 3000 & want to try & refurbish it for my young son, mostly playing games & probably some surfing. The PC has been stored for years & I'm not sure where to start to ensure it's worth it. Here's the specs....Motherbord Dell 0TC666, Graphic Card Intel 82865G Rev 2. Processor: x86 Intel Cel. 325 2.53 GHZ, Hard Drive is 71.17GB & I have 2 1GB ram sticks I will be installing. Currently running XP service pack 2, IE6.
I was thinking of getting all windows & driver updates (probably been 4+ years since last turned on) and then looking into upgrading windows. But I can't seem to get connected to internet to get the updates,
 
XP support has ceased, but you can still download the updates up to when Microsoft officially ceased releasing them (a registry hack will allow you to continue receiving updates, but they are intended for POS systems running a subversion of XP). If you're considering upgrading Windows, a full install of a newer version might treat you/your son better than XP, but doing so is only viable if you can obtain all the drivers you need.

rgd1101 makes a fair point. A modern tablet could be better for gaming and basic use.
 

Math Geek

Estimable
Herald
i still see plenty of these old systems and have never really had any issue getting xp up and running. as prostar notes, all the old updates are still there to be had and they actually do release a couple updates here and there for it. my install disk was current 6 months ago and there is already about a dozen new updates that have been released since then, so they are putting out major patches here and there.

problem will come when trying to go to a newer version of windows. the drivers for win 7 and up just don't exist for these old parts. win xp was still going strong when these parts were old news so you may find some vista drivers but i doubt anything newer will be had.

to game on it would want a hardware upgrade of the gpu at least and you won't get xp drivers for it. so your stuck with all kinds of driver issues.

the tablet idea is a good one and worth consideration. better money spent than trying to bring this old pc back to life if it costs any money!!
 

BuddhaSkoota

Estimable
Aug 16, 2014
60
0
4,610


Instead of XP, I'd recommend a light version of Linux. These are full fledged operating systems, and plenty of games available.

https://www.linux.com/news/software/applications/780781-6-excellent-lightweight-linux-distros-for-x86-and-arm

Depending on how young your son is, you might also consider a kid friendly OS like Qimo. Requires very little in the way of system specs and is also Linux based, but very restrictive on web browsing and application installation.

http://qimo4kids.com/download/