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It’s nice to have a dedicated work computer apart from your personal setup, optimized for your various daily tasks and jobs. Just like your personal devices, work computers eventually become obsolete; even the most reliable, long-lasting computers may need to be replaced with newer, faster models. Even if you need to replace it for its primary purpose, that doesn’t mean you need to get rid of it. An old work computer can be repurposed for various handy functions, like external storage, video calls, Wi-Fi hot spots, and more.
To reduce electronic waste, it’s best to recycle your outdated electronics instead of just chucking them in the trash. When we say “recycling,” we mean both the traditional definition of bringing it to an electronics recycling center and reconfiguring and optimizing it for a new purpose. That old work desktop or laptop can be put toward all kinds of productive uses, taking a little pressure off your main system in the process.
Use it as external storage
You can never have enough physical data storage, like flash drives and external hard drives. Cloud backups are helpful and all, but having a physical drive handy to store sensitive documents and quickly retrieve files is vital for anyone working with a computer. If you have an old computer that’s a bit slow but still holds data with no errors, you can use it as dedicated physical storage.
The tricky part of this prospect is that you can’t just plug a two-ended USB cord into both computers and move files around like you would with an actual external hard drive. However, you can take a couple of avenues to achieve a similar degree of functionality. For example, you could get a dedicated data transfer cable on Amazon, like a Plugable USB 3.0 Transfer Cable. These cables come with software that can be installed on both PCs to facilitate easy data transfer and sync. Alternatively, you could plug the old computer into your router via an Ethernet cable, then set up a network share folder for your current computer to access. This would allow you to send files over your home network from one PC to another, though your file transfer speed would depend on your network speed.
Turn it into a hot spot
For those who work at home, consistent internet coverage is an absolute must-have. The best setup for such a situation would be to have your work computer connected directly to your router, or at least within easy network range. If, for whatever reason, you can’t place your current work PC within range of your router, it may be possible to turn an old computer into a hot spot or signal extender.
If your old work computer is running Windows 10 or 11, you can accomplish a very simple version of this using its Network and Internet settings. In those settings, you’ll find a Mobile hotspot toggle, which you can activate to make your computer’s internet discoverable by other Wi-Fi-enabled devices. The speed of the internet you get from this may not be as fast as a direct connection to your router, but it will definitely get you online.
In case Windows settings don’t work, you can install a dedicated network sharing program like Connectify on the old computer, using your main network as a backhaul connection to create a secondary network. You must pay to use Connectify, but the connection you get may be faster and more resilient under heavy traffic.
Optimize the computer for video calls
Whether you work in an office or at home, video calls always seem to come in. Programs like Google Meet and Zoom have made teleconferencing very easy, though they can take up considerable processing power and bandwidth, which can make them annoying to use while working. If you’ve got an old work computer, you can divvy up the responsibilities, saving the important work for your main system and delegating the teleconferencing to the old one.
This is pretty easy to accomplish; all you need is a webcam, a microphone, a web browser, and your teleconferencing app of choice. If your old work computer is a laptop, there’s a good chance it already has a webcam and microphone installed, but if it doesn’t, you can get a combination webcam and mic, such as the Logitech Brio 101 on Amazon. To optimize your computer, you can either manually delete unnecessary files and programs from the old computer or perform a clean install of the operating system, leaving only the web browser to download and install the video chat app. Whenever it’s time to take a call, you can boot up the old computer to handle it, while you still have your work open on your main system.
Turn it into a training computer
If you’re in a position of authority in your office, particularly one in charge of training new employees, having an old computer could be a perfect opportunity to make a dedicated training computer. In a similar vein to making a dedicated computer for a child or elderly family member, you can optimize an old system to serve as an isolated training environment for new employees.
If you’re feeling ambitious, you could create a completely simulated training environment, disconnecting the computer from the regular internet or office server, to ensure your new employee has a full grasp of the ropes before letting them loose. You can perform a clean install of the OS to remove any unnecessary files or programs, then load the computer with only the necessary utilities to perform the job, like Microsoft Office or other proprietary software and interfaces your line of work requires. This can serve as a safe learning environment with no other programs potentially interfering with work and no important data being available to someone still in training.
Use it as a backup for emergencies or traveling
The annoying thing about computers is that, even when you get a brand-new, state-of-the-art system, they’re never completely immune to sudden, random failures. The last thing you want is to have your new work computer die on you first thing in the morning, when the work is already piling up. This is why it might behoove you to keep your old system in good working order, just in case of a work emergency.
So long as your old computer still functions properly and can connect to the internet, you can still use it for whatever work purposes you need. Even if it’s no longer a great system, you’ll be glad you had it if your main device is completely out of commission. If you’re specifically looking for a good function for an old laptop, it’s great to keep handy in case you need to go on a last-minute trip, whether for work or personal purposes, especially if you want to keep sensitive work files at home. Since you can’t always knock out all of your work before you depart, a functional work laptop will be useful to help you finish tasks in the airport.
