Your old computer may feel clunky and outdated when you’re ready to replace it, but there are still plenty of uses for it.

Instead of trashing it, turn your old machine into something useful like a file server or firewall.

But if you really think your equipment is completely shot, you can always recycle or turn it into a cool mod or art project.

We put together some cool ideas for squeezing the most out of your old computer. 

Make a media hub for all your content
Your computer may be old, but there’s a lot of valuable storage left in it. Wipe your hard drive clean and load it with all your favorite movies.

You can then hook it up to your TV with a VGA cable or use a wireless router to distribute video to any device in your house.

Go green and recycle
If your old computer is too old to salvage for anything practical, don’t just throw it away. There are several electronic recycling services that will make sure it doesn’t end up wasting away in a landfill. Click here to see where the EPA suggests you recycle.

Tip: Before sending your computer away for recycling, be sure to erase everything from your hard drive. Even though many recycling programs are trustworthy, you don’t want your data accidentally falling into the wrong hands. 

Help scientists find aliens
The scientists at SETI need all the extra computing power they can get to help them scan the skies for signs of intelligent life in the Milky Way.

With SETI@home, you can turn your old computer into a dedicated processing center for SETI and help them make sense of all that cosmic noise. Just download and run the application and let fate handle the rest. Who knows, maybe your old computer will be the one that finds a message from ET.

Help out with important research
IBM’s World Community Grid uses your spare computing power to help research in a variety of fields: clean water, cancer treatments, clean energy solutions, etc. Like SETI@home, you download a small application that runs in the background to help with calculations for various projects.

Turn your old computer into a homemade file server
By connecting your old computer to your home’s network, you can turn it into a file server for all your PCs. Use it to share files, print remotely, or as a secondary hard drive.

Set up is pretty easy with a router. Just make sure to clear out your hard drive to make space for everything you’ll need. CNET has some great tips to get you started.

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