[catlikesshrimp]

Don't throw it away. Install windows 8, and the last offline version of office you can find. It makes for a great distraction free workstation and a monitor for your android (scrcpy).

Or, you can install and reinstall linux distros and learn the ropes.

You should be fine as long as you use a proper firewall device and access only manually withelisted websites, but it is always better to keep it offline. That said, it can become your next firewall device.

[hydrogen7800]

I built it circa 2012 or 2013 and still have the physical win8 disc. I considered futzing with linux on it. The extent of my linux experience is via SSH to a raspberry pi kludging some docker containers for this and that. SSH/linux terminal feels like fumbling in a dark room flipping random switches until something works.

>scrcpy

I also have a pixel 5a whose screen doesn't work, but I think functions otherwise. Would this allow me to interface with it?

[catlikesshrimp]

I think the pixel 5a can be connected to tv through an hdmi cable. If so, plug that and a mouse to setup adb (toggle enable adb and toggle debug permissions, then accept adb host)

[Grisu_FTP]

I may be wrong but i remember video output over usbc being added in the pixel 7 or 8

[UncleSlacky]

Or just install Win10 IoT LTSC, which is supported until 2032.