hi i currently have a laptop that i use for everything and i use built in wireless to my ntl box via a netgear wifi box.

now i have an old desktop upstairs in a cupboard i would like to set up for the kids bedroom (i can pick up wireless signal on there on my phone so should work)

problem is its an older desktop and so not wireless. can i just buy one of the dongle things to plug in the usb port ? or is there a better way of doing it

i also have no monitor would any of the new flat screen monitors work with it fine , connections havent changed since around 2000 have they ?

thanks for any info

dongle should be fine, as should a flat screen. your problem may lie in the OS running on it. will it still be supported, and if not will the machine handle a newer OS?

lol just replied on my moved thread 😉 its windows xp pro it was running before i retired it iirc. thanks

XP will be fine.

merci now to find a dongle and a screen the kids will be pleased , tho mum wont lol. thanks

It's unlikely, but perhaps worth knowing:

onnections havent changed since around 2000

There's two common connectors, VGA and DVI. Most modern monitors will have connectors for both, but if you stumble across one that's DVI-only you may have problems on a PC of that vintage. You need to make sure that any screen you get has a VGA connection (which should be 99% of them, but sod's law and all that).

Don't forget some anti virus stuff and something to stop your children looking where they shouldn't!

And you need to be aware that USB dongles without antenna (ok, with internal antenna) really seem to struggle with signal if it's borderline, I'd buy a pci card one with a seperate antenna and pop it inside if it were me.

If it was me and I was having to buy a monitor and usb card, I would be tempted to just splurge on a cheapy laptop from Tescos or the like for a couple of hundred.

monitor – 60-70 quid, net card £20. Or cheapie laptop (250-300 + batteries when they die in 6 months)?

thanks fellas. i will also take a look at the laptop as it takes no space , but is more likely to be broken 😉