I have an old Compaq Presario computer that is in perfect working order and I would like to re-purpose this machine by using it as a file server, and maybe a few other services as well. Its hardware limitations are going to be the deciding factor of course.
The following are the hardware specifications for the computer mentioned:
CPU: 1.3 GHz.
RAM: 512 MHz.
HDD: 40 gig. WD, 7200 rpm.
Currently, Ubuntu server is installed on the machine but not setup: at least not correctly because I have no idea how to setup a Linux Home Server. That's why Amahi is so appealing to me.
However, and this is a big however, I was reading through the FAQ on the Amahi website and read that Ubuntu is currently not supported? Except for maintenance only?? Bummer!!
Anyhow, I don't have a problem with installing Fedora on this computer but when I go to the Fedora site, the current release of Fedora (20 I believe), the hardware requirements are so much greater than this old machine is capable of. And when I look at an earlier release say, Fedora 12, I see that it is no longer supported i.e., package updates, security updates, etc..
I could sure use some advice as to what I should do next.
Throwing the computer away is not an option. Not until it dies and cannot be resuscitated.

And since I am a complete novice at Linux Networking (server/client), it would take weeks, perhaps months to get a secure network up and running, I sincerely hope that this is not the recommendation that I will get.

Thank you in advance for any help you can provide.
Sincerely,
-Joe-