Setting Up a Home Network

Wired or wireless, it’s easier than ever to get connected.

 

New Life for an Old PC

Let’s start by discussing how you can use that old PC you may have lying around. Perhaps you just purchased the most state-of-the art PC with the fastest processor, tons of disk space, and enough d https://bmmagazine.co.uk/  memory to last you a lifetime. So now what do you do with the old one?

Sure, you can donate it, but reusing that old PC can add a lot of functionality to your computing experience. Besides, it feels good to keep hard to recycle items out of our landfills.

Getting Started

 

There are a few things you need to do in order to prepare that PC for its new use.

Remove Unneeded Programs. If you don’t intend to run any applications from your “new server”, remove every application you don’t intend to use. Simply go to the Control Panel, select Add/Remove Programs and delete everything you don’t need.

Clean Up The Hard Drive. Get rid of temporary files, browser cache, and anything else you don’t need that will free up disk space. PC World has a great article on how to Reclaim Hard-Drive Space.

Install a Network Card. If the machine doesn’t have a network adapter, you will need to install one. You can get one at almost any computer accessory retailer for about $15. To install the card, you must take precautions. First, turn the PC off and unplug the machine. You will need to remove the cover to find an empty PCI slot so avoid static damage by wearing an antistatic wrist strap while working inside your PC. Find a free PCI slot and remove the cover. Carefully insert the network card and use a screw to fasten it down.
When you start up the machine, Windows should detect the card. To install the drivers, follow the directions that come