Does old PC have enough horsepower for a print & scanner server.

[rkr1958]

1. I have a 10-year old Compaq Presario 9642, which has 133-MHz CPU, 56 MB of RAM, two harddrives (1.6-GB & 4.3-GB), Sony DRU500a DVDRW & LAN ethernet card. I have a USB 2.0 card that I could install in it too.

2. What I'd like to do is to hook this machine up to my router (D-LINK DI-624) and use it as my printer (HP Deskjet 932C) and scanner (HP 4850) server via LAN connection to my router. The printer is USB 1.0 & the sanner is USB 2.0.

3. Does my old Compaq Presario 9642 have enough horsepower for this?

4a. If yes, would Linux be my best choice? I'm not familar with Linux, is there a free distribution and guide that you'd recommend for this?

4b. If no, does this computer still have any functional value?

[Bjs]

No way in ...

"A 133-MHz CPU, 56 MB of RAM" with a "Sony DRU500a DVDRW" .... "The printer is USB 1.0 & the scanner is USB 2.0"

It is in no shape , or has it ever been , fast enough to use all the functions of the sony dru500a dvdrw .
While it may be possible to get the printer working on usb1.1 ... the scanner would be another issue .

It's an over glorified door stopper ... that has outsurvived most ... just mean's you have looked after it ... well done .

Functionality ... well slap another 64mb's of ram into it , and run puppy linux on it ... or use it as a firewall service unit ...

Beyond this load it with good old dos6 , win98 , some old dos game's , and jump into ebay and grab a couple of 8mb matrox pci vga cards cheap before they all disappear from existence ... your old pc is using system memory for graphic's .

I just bought 20 too support user's here that cannot afford to upgrade to a complete new pc ... as ms would make everybody do these day's ...

[JohnnyMalaria]

1. I have a 10-year old Compaq Presario 9642, which has 133-MHz CPU, 56 MB of RAM, two harddrives (1.6-GB & 4.3-GB), Sony DRU500a DVDRW & LAN ethernet card. I have a USB 2.0 card that I could install in it too.

You'd need to upgrade the OS (I assume it's Win9x) to support USB 2.0 - that pretty much knocks the nail in that coffin. (Under specificied for 2K/XP).

2. What I'd like to do is to hook this machine up to my router (D-LINK DI-624) and use it as my printer (HP Deskjet 932C) and scanner (HP 4850) server via LAN connection to my router. The printer is USB 1.0 & the sanner is USB 2.0.

3. Does my old Compaq Presario 9642 have enough horsepower for this?

*Maybe* for the printer (is it ONLY USB, no parallel?)

4b. If no, does this computer still have any functional value?

Yes - as a firewall/gateway.