My friend Dave Slater was getting rid of some old computer equipment and gave me an old IBM Thinkpad running WinXP. It's my new game-master's screen, as it has one advantage my old Toshiba laptop didn't have. The screen swivels around so I can use it to show my players images. Previously I had to turn my whole laptop around, which was inconvenient. Now, I just have to get rid of the programmes cluttering up the HDD, so I can have more memory available. Currently I'm only running the Chrome Browser, and have no plans to clutter it up with a lot of software, but I'd like to free up more space to keep a library of game book .PDFs on it.
Not a lot. It's got 18.6GB, but I have only 6.6GB free, so Dave's going to have to help me weed out the HDD. I don't use the touch-screen or pen interfaces, so I think I can scrap all that. I'm not using the Wifi at all, so I can dispense with a firewall programme. I'll keep AVG on it, since I use USB to transfer files and you never know what little nasties may be hiding inside a file. I'm using it strictly as a GM's screen, so I don't need word processors, and if I could figure what programmes depend on IE, and they're nothing I need, I'll delete IE as well. Chrome is already on it, and the Fox-it .PDF reader, as well as a text-based HTML editor for updating character pages. I do all my graphics on my other machines so I don't think I need any graphics software. That and WinSol, of course - I need my Solitaire...
Perzackly. The swivel screen was the ultimate deciding factor in adopting it. If it doesn't work in practice, nothing ventured nothing gained I always say. Besides, the price was right, and it's a lot smaller and lighter than my existing laptop, AND has a working battery. I'm getting tired of only being able to use my laptop when I'm in range of an outlet..