Kit out a PC for free!
If you thought nothing in life is free, think again - you could obtain and load up a computer with most of the software you need, for absolutely nothing!
The credit crunch is certainly taking its toll. Even spendthrifts are being forced to economise, make sacrifices and generally batten down the hatches in preparation for the harder times forecast. No bad thing! Indeed, re-using what we have is becoming the order of the day - who'd have thought our modern, throw-away society would suddenly bow down the mantra of "make do and mend"?
Of course, while we're happy to re-use some items, such as clothing and furniture, electrical goods is one area where we tend to buy new. With shiny laptops on sale for less than £350 it is perhaps unsurprising that local tips are still filled with hordes of abandoned computers and bulky CRT monitors. Well, they're no use to anyone. Or are they?
Can you bring an old PC back to life?
The thing is these computers aren't like the ones that were around when I was young - so basic they didn't even have a hard drive! They're pretty decent machines - bulky and unfashionable, maybe, but capable of carrying out the two functions the majority of us require of them - emailing and web surfing.
So is it possible to bring an old PC back to life for free? Well, let's take a look.
Find a PC
First you need to find a machine. While your local tip is a good source, there are hordes being given away on sites such as Freegle, Snaffleup or Gumtree that may be in slightly better condition. Sign up and keep checking.
Free operating system
You may be lucky and find one with a recent operating system (OS) already installed. However, if the hard drive has been wiped, or the OS is out of date, you don't need to spend hundreds of pounds on Microsoft Windows - there are free alternatives.
The open sourced, linux based operating system Ubuntu comes highly recommended. It is community based, meaning that developers everywhere are able to see the code and add to the software, and as a result has a wealth of extra applications. Ubuntu issues a new release every six months and promises it will never charge a licensing (or any other) fee.
What's more, it comes with a complete office productivity suite - meaning you get a word processor (OpenOffice), spreadsheet and presentation tool included. Plus you also get the Firefox web browser, F-spot photo editing software and Rhythmbox media player. And all of this for free!
So what's next? Well, we all know the risks to computers that don't have anti-virus software installed and if you'd be planning to use the machine to access your online bank accounts, it's arguably even more important.
Free security software from your bank
Some of the banks clearly share this concern. Barclays' customers, for example, can download Kapersky's internet security suite software, which includes anti-virus software and firewall (worth £51) for free (this can be installed on up to three computers in your home).
And HSBC's customers can download a free 12-month subscription to McAfee Security software here. Note: both of these offers are only available to PC users.
Free anti-virus software
If you can't get protection from your bank, you can download very good, free anti-virus software for Windows and Linux from AVG or Avast (note: this is only available for non-commercial or home use) but you must ensure to keep up-to-date by downloading the updates.
Free Firewall
If you're running MS Windows or Vista you can use the free firewall they come with. Alternatively, you can download a free version from Comodo and Zone Alarm.
Free anti-spyware
Windows users can use Windows Defender for free. Alternatively download the free, a-squared anti-spyware tool .
Free web browser
If you're not using Ubuntu you can download Mozilla's web browser Firefox for free, here.
Free email application
You can obviously use web based email such as that offered by Google and Yahoo for free. Additionally, Mozilla offers its own, free Thunderbird 2 application.
Free Office software
Spend hundreds on MS Office? Pah, not likely when you can get a free spreadsheet application, word processor, presentations application and more from Open Office (and Neo Office for Macs).
Free video and media player
VLC offers PC and Mac users free media and video playing software.
Free picture editing software
If you need to do some picture or photo editing you can download Gimp for free.
Free web authoring software
Linux, Windows and Mac users can even get free software to help create your own web page from NVU.
Games
And finally, your computer won't feel right without some addictive games so check out Scratch and you could write your own!
So it is possible to breathe life into an old computer and load it with basic versions of all the software you might need that would be more than adequate for the family to use. Why not give it a go and kit out a computer yourself for free? Even if you didn't fancy starting from scratch, with such a wealth of free applications available you may find you could save on expensive software licences by downloading the free versions instead.
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