Here’s what the PC makers don’t want you to know: Many aged laptops have the horsepower to accomplish most Web-based tasks. In fact, many of them have more raw power than $200 Chromebooks. They’ve just been bogged down by bloated, gunked-up operating systems. Note: Your revived laptop won’t technically be a Chromebook, but the software experience is almost indistinguishable from one.

The catch? Using the Chrome-centric software is dead simple but installing it isn’t. It can be a bit of a project, albeit a fun one, especially with a child who is eager to get a computer and learn how they work. Once you’re through, you’ll have saved an old computer’s life—and some money.

Eoin Treacy's view

I resurrected a more than decade old laptop over the weekend using this software and thought subscribers might also benefit it.