Kit Out A PC For Free!

Why not take moneysaving to a whole new level and kit out your home computer with all of its software for nothing?

If you've ever taken a trip to your local tip you'll no doubt have seen a number of old computers lying about. In this day and age when we hanker for faster and faster computers, it can be hard to find a new home for that old machine.

One of the major problems with re-using an old PC is likely to be the operating system that it comes with. Chances are it'll be Windows 98, Windows Me or Windows 2000 - all of which are rather long in the tooth, and suffer from dwindling software and hardware support.

If you're really unlucky, the old PC you get your hands on may not even have an operating system installed on it at all!

Either way, it's likely that the cost of upgrading the Windows operating system, or shelling out for a new one altogether is likely to set you back at least £150. What's more, as the latest version of Windows (Vista) requires a well specified PC to run, you may not be able to run it at all. And when you realise that you can buy a brand new, basic PC with the Windows Vista Basic operating system for around £400, it makes the prospect of recycling an old computer much less attractive.

However, the thing is, for the majority of people who simply use their computer to email, surf the web and possibly download music and digital camera photos, a new, blisteringly fast machine isn't really necessary. Their older, slower machine could probably still provide all that what was required of it - if only it had a more up-to-date operating system.

So is there a solution? Is there a way to bring an old computer back to life cheaply?

Well, we've been doing some digging, and, believe it or not, we've found that you can indeed get basic versions of pretty much all of the essential software required for the average person's needs for absolutely nothing!

So, why not take a look at the tips below and see if you can kit out a computer for free -- and recycle that old machine:

Free Operating System

Firstly, you'll need an Operating System (OS). Even if your computer has an old version of Windows, you may find that it's not supported anymore (so you won't be able to get help easily if you run into problems) or it doesn't work well with new technology. Additionally, if you have a dodgy pirate version of an OS you may find getting new security updates to be impossible!

New operating systems, however, can be expensive. As mentioned, a new licensed version of Microsoft Windows, for example will cost around £200, making your PC far from free. But luckily, there are free alternatives to Windows.

One of the best we've found is Ubuntu. It's an open source, linux-based operating system (and if all you read then was "blah, blah, blah", all this basically means is that unlike Windows, programmers out there are free to see the code behind it and add to the software).

What's more, included in Ubuntu is Evolution (email and calendar), Firefox (web browser), Open Office (see below), F-spot (photo editing software) and Rhythmbox (media player) so you'll be pretty much ready to go, once it's installed.

Installing it should be relatively painless too -- you can download it to a memory stick or DVD (it takes up 700MB) from another computer and use this to try it out on your computer. Alternatively, you can request a free CD, though it can take up to 10 weeks to be delivered (if you don't mind spending a few quid you can probably obtain one more quickly through sites such as eBay).

What's great about Ubuntu in particular is that it promises to remain free -- unlike some rivals that may charge for upgrades. Interestingly, Dell has announced that it will be offering Ubuntu 7.04 on some of its new computers, although this will be in the US only. Here's a video clip explaining how to install Ubuntu.

Alternatives include Freespire and openSuse -- although you may find these more "techy" than Ubuntu.

Free Office Suite

Now you've got a free OS, you may decide you also need a word processor, plus the ability to create spreadsheets and presentations. The obvious solution is Microsoft Office -- however, as the basic version retails at around £100 it's not cheap.

A great alternative is the free Open Office. It offers all of the above, plus drawing and mathematical tools and a database manipulation facility. It works on linux as well as Macs and Windows, so you should be able to use it no matter which OS you have.

Alternatively, if hard disk space is at a premium, Google offers a free web based word processor and spreadsheet facility.

Free Anti-Virus Software

Of course, with your "new" computer you'll need to protect it with anti-virus software, which can cost around £50 in the shops. Luckily you can get great anti-virus protection for free from AVG for both linux and Windows (although linux is much less plagued by viruses).

Free Anti-spyware

AVG offers free anti-spyware software for Windows, too.

Free Firewall

Buying an off-the-shelf firewall product can cost around £40, but you can download free firewall software to protect computers running Windows from Comodo and Zone Alarm.

Free Photo Editing Tool

If you've got a digital camera, you may wish to be able to edit your photos -- requiring a product like Adobe Photoshop Elements 5 (which costs around £75 for the basic version). Fortunately, if you've chosen to use Ubuntu you will have F-spot already installed, which allows you to edit those pics. And an alternative free photo editing product is from the Gimp.

Free Media Players

If you're keen on downloading music or ripping CDs onto your computer, Ubuntu users will have Rhythmbox already installed, and you can download a basic version of WINAMP for Windows or VLC for free.

Games

And on a fun note, if you're keen on trying to write your own games and animations and have a Mac or run Windows, check out Scratch.

So there you have it -- a number of ways to get free software to kit out an old computer. Obviously the faster the computer is, the more you'll usually be able to do. But, all in all, you should be able to kit out a computer that suits the requirements of someone with basic computing needs.

So why not give it a go and kit out a computer for free? You could also save money by replacing expensive software on your home computer with the free products listed.

If you'd like to give it a try but lack a computer, you can always try your local Freecycle Network - and if you do have an old computer to get rid of but can't be bothered to work on, why not offer it to your local Freecycle Network, or give it to charity?

And finally, if you have any further tips or ideas, please let us know by posting them on the Help With This Blasted Computer! Board!

Many thanks go to TMFDecibels, TMFAsh, NomoneyNohoney, Jim Bennett and Ashoke Kundu for their help with this article.

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