Top 10 Best Ways to Repurpose Your Old Laptop

Author: Uchenna Ani-Okoye

When it comes to repurposing ones old PC, there are many different ways that you can do that. However, when it comes to your laptop, it’s a totally different endeavour. Your laptop is much smaller in size, so that creates its own new challenge, however, with the knowhow and expertise, it is possible for you to repurpose your old laptop. Below are 10 suggestions that you may want to consider.

1. Turn It into a Chromebook

If your laptop is so outdated that it’s unable to run most of the software programs out today, then you may want to consider installing the Chromium-based operating system on it, called CloudReady and operating it as a cloud-computing device.

CloudReady is a lightweight operating system that is excellent for running cloud apps and surfing the internet.

The best thing about this operating system is that it doesn’t require a powerful system to run, meaning it should run at optimal levels on your laptop.

2. Mount Your Laptop to Your Wall

If you have an old laptop sitting around collecting dust, then you may want to consider mounting it to your wall and using it as a single-purpose machine. Whether that be a kitchen PC for recipes, or a companion for exercise or an entertainment unit. Repurposing it in this manner is most ideal for laptops that may have sustained damage during its regular use, whether that means it has a broken touchpad, keyboard or CD drive.

3. Convert It into a Home Theatre System

If your laptop still runs okay, and you’re looking to add a home theatre system to your current network system, then you may want to consider installing the appropriate software on your laptop to turn it into a media player.

This should enable you to watch films, and play music from other devices on your network and even watch downloaded content, if you so please.

4. Create a Wi-Fi Hotspot for Emergencies

If you have a dead zone in your house, that is, an area in the house that has a weak Wi-Fi signal, then you may want to consider turning your old laptop into a hotspot, to increase overall house coverage. This is especially useful, if you have a big home and you’re unable to get good reception in your basement, for example. The gadgets pro providing your tasks aren’t too strenuous, this is an excellent option.

If you’re looking for something with a little more kick, then you may want to go with an extender or router, otherwise this old trick should work a treat.

5. Use Its Monitor

You may want to consider removing the monitor from your old laptop, and using it by itself – only if you know you no longer have any use for the notebook in its entirety.

To do this, you will need to do some DIY work, but the end result will be a laptop screen that you could use in a variety of different ways.

There are many tutorials online that you can use to help you do this, so I suggest you check them out.

6. Salvage the Laptop

If you no longer have any use for the laptop, then you may want to consider removing all the salvageable parts such as the hard drive(s), memory Module(s), SSDs and processor.

These components can either be sold or installed in other devices to extend their capabilities.

7. Turn It into a Tablet

If the thought of having a touch screen PC had ever interested you, or if you’d want something that you could do some light reading on, but lack the funds to go out and purchase the appropriate device, then you may be interested in turning your laptop into a touch screen tablet.

There are many ways that you can do it, DIY skills is a requirement, but with the right guide, I’m sure you’ll be able to get it done.

8. Sell the Old Laptop

If you have a really old laptop that you no longer have any use for, one thing you shouldn’t do, is throw it away. If the laptop works, then you can trade it or sell it, however, if the laptop is damaged, then you can sell it for cash, as is, or for parts. There are many people out there looking to make repairs to their laptops, and so, they may see some use for yours. Just be sure to wipeyour hard drive, before you give it to anyone else, and when purchasing your new replacement unit, go for something durable, from a reputable company.

9. Create a Digital Photo Frame

Turning your old laptop into a digital photo frame, on the surface sounds like a really cool idea, as something that you can do to salvage your old device.

Of course, expertise is also required to do this, but there are many helpful tutorials that would make the whole process easier.

10. Build a NAS

If your laptop is old and outdated, but still has a reasonable amount of hard drive space, then you may want to consider turning it into a Network Attached Storage system.

You can use the tool FreeNAS to get you started. As a NAS, your laptop storage will be converted into a secure drive, which you will be able to access on the internet, no matter where you are in the world.