An old laptop or desktop can be repurposed into a private media server, allowing users to stream legally obtained films, music and other files across devices in their home. The article says software such as Plex and Jellyfin makes the process accessible to beginners, while more experienced users can customise Linux-based systems and network setups.

Users must choose between Windows and Linux, with Linux recommended for older computers that cannot run Windows 11 because unsupported Windows 10 systems pose security risks online. They should back up data before resetting the operating system, plan sufficient storage and consider multiple drives or RAID for protection against hardware failure; Plex is simpler but charges for advanced features, while Jellyfin is free and open source.