Are you trying to coax more life from aging hardware? I suggest taking a look at one of the smaller Linux distributions. They work well in lower-powered, smaller, older systems, and at the same time, are technologically up to date. And they are FREE!
For example there is the Puppy Linux distro, perfect for enabling the continued use of older, slower hardware. As one satisfied user commented:
Just letting you know you have saved three old computers at my home …your Puppy wokeup the unwakeable. Thank you. We now have a totally Bill Gates free house, and my young ones take pride on that fact.
Puppy Linux is fast, powerful and tiny and it is easy to get running, and has excellent hardware-detection routines. If your goal is to keep older hardware useful in today’s world, then something like Puppy Linux is an awesome little distribution.