Many Uses for 486 and 386 Computers

Many 386 and especially 486 computers are still functioning well, and can often be purchased inexpensively or even be acquired for free. Despite the insistance of some people that these computers are completely "obsolete", they can still be used for a variety of purposes, partially due to the fact that older software often was designed more efficiently.

BUSINESS APPLICATIONS: Applications like word processors, calendars, and spreadsheets (of the appropriate older version) will run well on 386 and 486 computers. DOS 6.x and Windows 3.x (and earlier) will run on these computers, making it possible to use a wide range of older applications. If necessary, these applications can often be purchased on eBay.com with their original disks and instructions. Windows 95 may run on some computers of this era, but could be substantially slower than 3.x or DOS. 386/486 laptops are much less expensive than Pentium II and newer models, making the portable usage of such applications more affordable.

GAMES: A vast selection of games from the '80s and '90s will run on these computers. Games from this period less-frequently contained graphic violence or obscene subject-matter. There were also more games (such as the Sierra graphical adventures with text command input) which combined substantial text and graphics, often requiring more creativity. These games were also more likely to promote better reading ability among children, because of their text elements.

PARTS: While not all parts from 386/486 computers can be installed in newer computers - especially Pentium III/IV models - parts like modems, hard drives, internal speakers, plates/covers, power supplies, and sound cards may still be quite useful. When the power supply on my Pentium II desktop computer failed, I replaced it with the power supply from my old 486 and it still works fine. I have also successfully used a 386's modem in a 286, a Pentium I, and a Pentium II.

5.25" DISKS: Many 386 and 486 computers have working 5.25" disk drives, allowing older software contained on these disks to still be used. These computers also usually have regular 3.5" disk drives, allowing data to be transferred from one disk type to the other.

OLDER SOFTWARE: Some older software, especially games, will not run properly on newer computers - especially those with Windows XP. It may run too fast (so that a game is impossible to play, for example), or not at all. Owning a 386 or 486 (in some cases a 286 might be preferable; some 486 computers are too fast for particular '80s software titles) will eliminate this problem. According to Dan's 20th Century Abandonware (dans20thcenturyabandonware.com), the following applications won't run on a computer newer than a 386: PC USA 2.0, PC Globe 4.0, and JingleDisk; also, PC Tools Pro 9.0a and the 1991 version of Expert Landscape won't run from a processor newer than a 486.

EDUCATION: Many pieces of older educational software for DOS or Windows 2.x/3.x will run on these computers. Little has changed since the early/mid-'90s in subjects like spelling, mathematics, typing, and foreign languages. Schools can save a great deal of money by using older computers and software for educational purposes.

LIMITED INTERNET FUNCTIONS: 386 and especially 486 computers can still be used for checking POP3 e-mail accounts (like the account included with your ISP service) and downloading from FTP sites. Some of the faster 486 processors may be acceptable for text-only internet viewing (or rather slow graphical viewing), but at least a Pentium II is recommended for most internet activities.

INTENSE TASKS: It may be more appropriate to use one of these computers to conduct tasks which require intense use of the hard/floppy/CD-ROM drive or other parts if the components are cheaper or non-proprietary when compared to those of your newer computer. For example, if you repeatedly format and make copies of the same disk to distribute to other people - and the drive eventually fails from being used so much - it would be cheaper to replace the generic floppy drive in most 486s than the proprietary floppy drives in some newer systems.

EXPERIMENTATION: It is preferable to experiment with programs, operating systems, and different hardware configurations on these computers than on your newer computer, and DOS or an earlier version of Windows also gives you more control over the computer than Windows XP does.

WEB SERVER: It is possible to set up a 386 or 486 computer as the server for a website, as long as the website doesn't receive a high number of "hits". This might be acceptable for the website of a small business which only caters to a local audience, or a website which is only intended to be used by a small group of specific people (it is possible to prevent a website from being indexed by search engines, by using a particular piece of HTML code).

SOUND: 386 and 486 computers with a sound card or built-in digital sound should be able to play WAV and MIDI sound files, along with CD-ROM discs if they have a drive for this. A few MP3 player applications are even available for DOS and Windows 3.x. It may be possible to play some older sound formats like SND as well if the proper software is obtained.

These functions, among others, prove that a 386 or 486 computer can still be useful in many ways.