There are lots of variables in computers that can determine whether to continue using it, but if it was a quality computer and not just the cheapest laptop available it could be worth saving. I’m using a 20 year old Dell XPS and for web browsing and email it’s fine. Try reloading the operating system with a fresh install. First save any files you need to keep to an external drive or cloud system. Assuming windows, use the latest OS you can, prob Win 10. Or try Linux mint.

What OS? If not linux then try that first

8gb of ram shouldn't necessarily be an issue in and of itself, although it's on the low end these days. The memory is also old enough that it may just be failing.

Some searching suggests you could use something like Memtest86 to run diagnostics on the memory.

If it isn't a hardware issue, you might have luck trying a Linux distro on it. Linux generally runs better on older machines than windows, and some distros are specifically designed to be lightweight and consume as few resources as possible.

Did someone turn off page file?

I prefer to use a system with more RAM, but even many of today's systems are still using that amount (especially since the AI supply chain crisis).

I'd try chucking Linux on it first, which is generally more RAM efficient if configured correctly.

I have a ten year old server that was once a thin client (think the precursor of mini-PCs of today). Could it be more energy efficient? Perhaps. But it's always been a good little server, and today it's my SyncThing "file server" ensuring that the latest copy of a document is always available right away on all clients. PC hardware of all kind of expensive these days, so I'm not jumping to replace it while it serves a useful purpose and the hardware is good enough for those tasks.

Maybe it can one day evolve to be a personal laptop that you don't need to share with your dad, or perhaps, a server of some kind. But what useful means is highly variable. It depends on your needs and the use cases.

I have a lot of old laptops. Like seriously, a lot. I donate them steadily to charities after installing Debian but who knows what happens to them afterwards. I have a lot of laptops. I use a different one in every room and one with a bunch of scratches in the garage. I am running out of reasons to even try and keep these things.I have a lot of laptops. They just arrive, many still with data on them, and I wipe them and occasionally order a new battery for them. All my friends and family know not to mention any computing needs to me because they just get offered a Debian machine.I think as a society we have overproduced technology. I have a shitload of laptops.

lol, my daily driver laptop is a 2016 Chromebook that was shitty even in its day, with all of 2GB of RAM.

I put Linux on it and it works great. If I can do that with 2GB, you should have no problem with 8GB.