Uses for a Broken Laptop

by David Klecha

A laptop that is broken may not necessarily be unusable. If your keyboard is broken, it is burdensome to drag around a spare USB keyboard. Your screen might also be cracked or a part of the frame might be broken. It is probably not good any more as a portable computer, but it might just live on at home as a more permanent fixture.
Digital Picture Frame

If you are not afraid of performing a little plastic surgery on your laptop and the screen still functions well enough, you can turn it into a digital picture frame. Usually, all you will have to do is detach the screen and fold it back around so it becomes like a convertible tablet, but the conversion is often more permanent. In some situations, it can even mean pulling the guts out of the laptop and placing them back in a foam core frame. The result, however, can be an attractive and dynamic decoration for home or office.

Low-Power Server

Whether you want to use it as a small home file server, or as a mobile VoIP/web server, a basically functioning laptop can live on performing basic, low-intensity tasks usually reserved for large power- and space-hogging hardware. A fairly modern laptop could get a hard drive upgrade to store 500GB or more of data, making it an ideal central storage for pictures, movies and music. Add on USB external hard drives to further expand the storage capacity.
Laptop Media Center

Computers replacing set-top boxes on the family television are gaining popularity among those unhappy with their cable or satellite service or those who are trying to save money on cable bills. All it requires is a functioning laptop with an external video port and maybe a wireless keyboard and mouse add-on so it can be used from across the room. Install Windows Media Center or just navigate to on-line video and audio content to put your favorite television shows back on your television.
Testing Platform

If you download and install many programs but are concerned about accidentally contracting viruses or other malware, you can set the laptop up as a standalone computer and install the programs you want to test from a flash drive. Load it down with anti-virus and anti-spyware programs to keep the rest of your network (and your flash drive) safe. Just remember to format the hard drive and do a clean install of Windows first so you do not accidentally expose any personal information.