Railfan Technology > Useful Purpose For Old PC's

Can older computers be used to set up radio or video feeds from various locations? Would you even need a hard drive? That brings up the issue of WHAT DO YOU DO with old computers these days? Haven't seen much discussion on the subject lately.

Ed

I still listen to railroadradio.net feeds on a 16 year old iBook G3 on Mac OS 9.2.2. I do have problems with feeds that doesn't support RealNetworks stream. On a same vintage PowerBook G4 with Mac OS X 10.4, iTunes works, so I can listen to majority of the radio feeds without relying on RealNetworks.

Similar vintage Windows machines (Windows 2000, XP) should work, too, but I haven't tried that in a while.

Video feed is a completely different matter, since machine that old won't have enough processing power to handle modern codecs (short for coder/decoder, for handling data compression).

How old is your computer? Geekier the information, the better, then the answers will be more specific. You need a storage device (could be flash drive instead of hard drive) to host an operating system. Without it, you can't run the software needed to listen to the audio streams.

Innovative Hackers (the real ones, not the bad ones who break into your computer) have installed flash drives onto 15-20 year old machines to make them functional, if you want to go that route. Some machines support "network booting" where operating systems are loaded remotely via a network, so it functions without a hard drive or other storage device. These ideas are not recommended for novices.

Goodwill Industries or other charitable group.

Be Well,

Tim Colbert K3HX

The problem with using old...make that ancient, computers these days is that the various software vendors have stopped supporting the programs on your computer. In particular, Windows XP is for all intents and purposes, dead. I still have my old king of the hill 3.2ghz Windows XP computer running as there's a couple of software products on it I don't want to have to pay another $300-500 each to upgrade. I also use it for burning CDs.

I have a couple of friends still running XP computers...sort of. About 2 years ago, Facebook no longer supported XP for some of its videos. So now he uses his tablet. Perhaps 4+ years ago already, Microsoft stopped making updated versions of Internet Explorer XP compatible. The other browsers ultimately followed suit, with Firefox declaring they, too, will end support for XP computers shortly.

So what if you still use an old version of IE, Chrome, or Firefox you're asking? Many of the internet sites you likely visit have already stopped supporting old browsers, too! On your ancient computer, XP for example, go to Youtube and see what happens when you try to play a video. Or even visit your favorite news site and see what happens. If they haven't already done so, I suspect that various radio feeds sites will also not be compatible with old software. Even today, various web sites won't work on your CURRENT COMPUTER if you have a version of Adobe Flash Player that's older than 2-3 WEEKS!!! (thank heaven for automatic updates!)

So, if your old computer still works for what you want it for, great. If not, time to scrap it. For what it's worth, I have a friend in the scrap business and he really likes getting old circuit boards, mother boards, RAM and CPUs as he can get a small amount of gold from them. He removes the circuit board from hard drives and printers as well. Rather than trying to get the gold out himself, he sells them in bulk lots somewhere for what I'm guessing is north of $1.00 per pound. As a former computer geek that upgrades and maintains computers for a number of friends, I've kept my scrapper friend happy with donations to his income stream.

Old computers can be used for ATCS monitoring, esp if offline, if they aren't super old. XP works fine.

As someone has noted, you don't want to use old operating systems since they won't run some software, and they would be dangerous to use online since they are no longer supported by MS. You could always load a Linux version. I did this with a 10 year old laptop, but hardly ever use it, partly because I didn't want to take the time to learn how to use Linux. I don't think it's that tough, but it is different.

That laptop has an optical drive, so I could use it as a DVD player, I guess.

If it's online in a remote mode of some sort and not supported by a modern OS or by Anti-Virus software there is the possibility of it being hacked and used as a 'bot' for a service denial attack on the larger web. Last years attack used all sorts of low level devices to simply make requests of the target and overload the ability of the target to respond to all requests. Yep, that's how they do it. It could be isolated but that's the general problem.

Linux is a good choice although it takes some work to convert the device and to maintain it. Keeping it off-line and using it for scanning photos or some limited task is also useful. For example there is a suggestion to turn old smartphones into security cameras, to a limit. But there's also hack problems with that as well. i like the idea of adding a thumbdrive with the OS or other missing s/w.

Recycling as described above is a great idea but is generally only available in larger communities with more sophisticated recycling infrastructure.

colehour Wrote:
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> As someone has noted, you don't want to use old
> operating systems since they won't run some
> software, and they would be dangerous to use
> online since they are no longer supported by MS.
> You could always load a Linux version. I did this
> with a 10 year old laptop, but hardly ever use it,
> partly because I didn't want to take the time to
> learn how to use Linux. I don't think it's that
> tough, but it is different.
>
> That laptop has an optical drive, so I could use
> it as a DVD player, I guess.

Yes!

I know that computers scare off a lot of folks, but
linux is a good choice. I've used it since 1999, after
my mouthy teenaged son dared me to try it. I blew it up
a few times in a few weeks, but I got the hang of it and
I've used it since, even though I was still programming
at work in Windows. Anyway, linux will run on most PC
hardware, and it should be good enough to act as a server
for ATCS uses.

Consider this: if you've got a junker that still runs,
load linux on it and use it until you get the hang of it.

These days I'd avoid Windows like the plague. When I
expire, I'm sure the 'mouthy kid' will replace the linux
here with Apple so that my wife will be able to use a
computer in peace and without fear of the crap that is
directed at Windows machines.

John.

An obsolete operating system is a risk because it doesn't get security updates.  In the Windows PC world, that means anything not running Windows 7 or Windows 10 should be retired now.  Rest in peace Win XP.

Microsoft has bent over backwards to lose the reputation of being less secure than Apple or linux.  Experts now say that Windows 10 is actually tighter than the competitors now.



Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 06/21/17 18:40 by radar.

With my XP PCs, I have a registry entry that still gets updates from Microsoft.  ;-)



radar Wrote:
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> An obsolete operating system is a risk
> because it doesn't get security updates.  In the
> Windows PC world, that means anything not running
> Windows 7 or Windows 10 should be retired now. 
> Rest in peace Win XP.
>
> Microsoft has bent over backwards to lose the
> reputation of being less secure than Apple or
> linux.  Experts now say that Windows 10 is
> actually tighter than the competitors now.

SouthWest RailCams
CA, NM, CO, TX, AZ
https://SouthWestRailCams.com

RailFanAZ Wrote:
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> With my XP PCs, I have a registry entry that still
> gets updates from Microsoft.  ;-)
>

Microsoft sent updates to XP machines after the WannaCry ransomware attack last month, so if they want to, they can still support XP. It's only code...

Microsoft's action implies XP is not dead, if people are thinking about why.

cchan006 Wrote:
-------------------------------------------------------
> RailFanAZ Wrote:
> --------------------------------------------------
> -----
> > With my XP PCs, I have a registry entry that
> still
> > gets updates from Microsoft.  ;-)
> >
>
> Microsoft sent updates to XP machines after the
> WannaCry ransomware attack last month, so if they
> want to, they can still support XP. It's only
> code...
>
> Microsoft's action implies XP is not dead, if
> people are thinking about why.

I Agree with you..


With a small change in the Registry, it gets updates almost the same time as Windows 7. Been working with the change for 6 months now. :)

Posted from Android

SouthWest RailCams
CA, NM, CO, TX, AZ
https://SouthWestRailCams.com

Funny timing on this thread about obsolete operating systems. Yesterday I had to start up a UP SD70ACe, UP 8502 circa 2006. As the computer started booting, up came the Windows XP start up screen. I guess they never bother to update operating systems on locomotives to newer versions? Does anyone know if they get any sort of Microsoft updates on locomotives?

The locomotive 'PC' would be in a Company controlled Network, the Company System Admin can control whether it gets an update or not and whether the 'PC' asks for or accepts it. There had been a large number of older operating systems in industrial uses and in the Military, there are methods to keep them running on the older OS and still be effective for the assignment as opposed to delivering advertisements like most PC's. The main mode of security is to keep them off the 'WWW' and prevent input devices like Flash Drives. Bad guys often use Flash Drives to make their delivery but certainly not exclusively.

I have removed the power supplies and have used them for lights and logic circuits on the layout.

ble692 Wrote:
-------------------------------------------------------
> Funny timing on this thread about obsolete
> operating systems. Yesterday I had to start up a
> UP SD70ACe, UP 8502 circa 2006. As the computer
> started booting, up came the Windows XP start up
> screen. I guess they never bother to update
> operating systems on locomotives to newer
> versions? Does anyone know if they get any sort of
> Microsoft updates on locomotives?

Why would they? 99.9999% of all the updates from Mickeysoft are security related or additions to existing features, etc...none of which are needed in an already does everything needed computer aboard a locomotive. As long as the computer works as required to run the loco, why would any updates be needed?

BRAtkinson Wrote:
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> Why would they? 99.9999% of all the updates from
> Mickeysoft are security related or additions to
> existing features, etc...none of which are needed
> in an already does everything needed computer
> aboard a locomotive. As long as the computer
> works as required to run the loco, why would any
> updates be needed?

An update might actually break the apps that are needed for the SD70ACe. There are armies of test engineers who check compatibility when operating system is "upgraded." Those testing should be done by EMD, but depending on the service contract, Microsoft (or contractors working for them) might get involved as well. So in UP's case, it's better to "not fix what's not broken."

TCnR Wrote:
-------------------------------------------------------
> The main mode of security is to keep them off the
> 'WWW' and prevent input devices like Flash Drives.
> Bad guys often use Flash Drives to make their
> delivery but certainly not exclusively.

Back in the day when programs didn't "autorun," getting infected from an external storage device (like Flash Drive) was essentially a non-problem, especially for people with good habits who'd scan the device first for potential malware. Chalk it up to "convenience" and laziness for THAT mode of attack being effective these days.

As for your mention of low level devices staging attacks, those devices were the much-hyped IoTs ("Internet of Things") designed by naive techies who didn't think about security. Kinda stupid in this day and age, but then, if delivering hype and making quick bucks were the motives, the result is absolutely appropriate.

ble692 Wrote:
-------------------------------------------------------
> Funny timing on this thread about obsolete
> operating systems. Yesterday I had to start up a
> UP SD70ACe, UP 8502 circa 2006. As the computer
> started booting, up came the Windows XP start up
> screen. I guess they never bother to update
> operating systems on locomotives to newer
> versions? Does anyone know if they get any sort of
> Microsoft updates on locomotives?

That's an industrial version of XP that is stripped down to be highly stable, secure, and small in size compared to the PC version. It's lacks the graphical user interface that we would recognize as Windows. It runs on specialized hardware for things like control systems in factories. Little need for any updates.



Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 06/23/17 22:59 by radar.

RailFanAZ Wrote:
-------------------------------------------------------
> With my XP PCs, I have a registry entry that still
> gets updates from Microsoft.  ;-)

But, like all hacks, there are serious problems that can and have occured. That is because the updates that are then received are actually for a specific version and do not equal full protection for the operating system. In fact there is a certain very extremely expensive software product that when that registy hack is used and a certain update is then installed, renders that software unusable.

cchan006 Wrote:
-------------------------------------------------------
> Microsoft sent updates to XP machines after the
> WannaCry ransomware attack last month, so if they
> want to, they can still support XP. It's only
> code...
>
> Microsoft's action implies XP is not dead, if
> people are thinking about why.

The ONLY reason the a fix was released for Windows XP was that it was such an easy fix. You see, Windows XP is not vulnerable to the primary way that WannaCry attacks and speads. The only way to infect a Windows XP computer is to directly and manuall install it. The fix released by Microsoft is not really a code update, but mearly a configuration that blocks WannaCry from being directly and manully installed.
 



Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 06/24/17 17:35 by jst3751.