I'm sitting on a new-to-me 200 mhz laptop -- top of the line (circa 1997). Hard drive is failing, so I intend to swap it out. But what to do with it afterwards?

Was considering looking at an external GPS and a connection to a cell phone, for some in-car GPS tracking and / ov digital video captures from a video camera.

I'm looking for ideas, links, guidance, etc.

Was thinking Linux, too. It's currently got Win95 on, so that's gotta go, but it lacks the umph to do much else.

 

Museum.

 

+1. At 200Mhz, surveys* show that it is prob. not very energy efficient either.

*BTW- I totally made up the whole survey thing. But I'm sure the info is out there.

 

works great if you use it for MTH programming.. most likely has a serial port.

 

Museum -- you guys kill me.

MTH programming might an one. Yes, serial. Need to reprogram my OBC, after it dumped (and displays in yards).

But even at 200 mhz, it's still got some life left in it.

 

door stop
boat anchor

 

- Road Rage Weapon.
- Faux Jack Point.
- Wind Reflector For Your Sun Roof.

 

if your looking for GPS software for it check on ebay for Delorme, I got it for 70 bucks with the SAT receiver and it works great. good luck.

 

Another thing to think about with GPS and 200mhz:

It'll tell you to turn left about 2 miles AFTER you've passed it.

 

1. If its small enough you could load your mp3 collection on it and feed it to your Aux input.

2. The GPS programs i've seen for pcs are very cpu intensive and that old 200mhz system won't cut it.
3. Keep it in the boot and use it as a wheel chuck

 

On the drive home today, I was thinking that it might make a decent GPS logger -- something my OEM NAV lacks. Ideas on how to get it into a KML file or something similiar?

 

I have many many many old computers from far before 1997.

You can devise many things to do with them.

Run 1997 programs- mostly older games that are classics.

Do simple internet stuff provided you can find a browser that still works with the laptop's OS and still works with websites. Use wired ethernet unless you really like the modem experience.

Load some simple kid CD games on it and let a 3 to 5 year old have it to run software off of CDs. Multimedia CDs will run OK as well.

Do simple word processing and hook up a printer/ email to internet is good.

Give it to your parents and tell them it's new and use it like an electronic typewritter or so they can practice getting on the web.

Donate it to a school... in a third world country.

 

Well, yeah. I figured this was something to use with the Mini....

 

I keep an old 700-800 or so mhz machine in the garage to use for looking up how-tos and such while I am working on the car. That thing is crazy slow though so I can;t imagine using a 200 mhz. Maybe with Linux.

 

lets not be so harsh on old laptops

you have a perfectly good BASIC computer

if the hard drive is failing, download a Linux Distro.
for an older laptop i suggest Knoppix. because a live cd, dosent require the hard drive. you run from the Ram and the CD drive.

(currently hanging out in my living room, is a dell laptop, 233mhz, 128mb ram and NO hard drive. and it will run Knoppix to the point where it could be confused for windows xp. I have a similar project in mind)

if you have a usb port, or a pcmcia slot or two, you can do what you like.
grab a wi-fi card off ebay. maybe a bluetooth adapter.

as for the GPS idea, look into GPS input devices, and furthermore into the application in an linux system

Warning : Linux is not for the "run of the Mill" computer user. But anyone can learn. and by george, they have linux forums on this "series of tubes" we call the Internet.