Best LOCAL use for an old computer

[DaveInPitt]

Looks like I get the star for the day! Yes, try a bootable CD for the Dell box. I am a novice Linux user myself and don't know all the ins and outs with the OS. But I do know that with having Linux installed, you are pretty much guaranteed to be virus free from here on out. I have a friend who spent days hammering Linux trying to get a virus\spyware\adware, etc. to download\install and it just wouldn't happen. It's an extremely stable OS and you can run a dual boot option w/Windows or run Windows virtually. There are free apps for just about anything you could imagine too. Printers can get a little tricky to install. HP and Epson offer the best drivers from what I've seen. But Linux also has many built in printer drivers.