A new life on the Web for old PCs.

A $49.95 Web suite promises new, online life for pre-Internet PCs, even those based on Intel 80286 CPUs that can_t handle the newest versions of Windows. The NewDeal WebSuite provides e-mail, Web surfing, and chat capabilities to older systems, as long as they have at least 10MB of hard disk space and 640KB of memory, according to representatives of NewDeal. The software includes a Web browser and other advanced Web applications such as instant chat and Web page editing. NewDeal also announced a new version of its NewDeal Office suite, priced at $69.95. It has the same system requirements as the WebSuite and has six applications, including a browser, word processor, and desktop manager. A full-blown installation, consisting of NewDeal Office and WebSuite, takes an additional 4MB of hard disk space, but no extra memory. The DOS operating system is sufficient. In a promotional offer, the company is selling both suites for $94.95, says Susan White, NewDeal_s vice president of marketing communications. If you want Internet access and are reluctant to invest in a Pentium-based PC, the software offers an alternative to recently announced Internet devices, such as the $199 iToaster from Microworkz.com. Analysts estimate that between 30 million and 60 million so-called pre-Pentium machines are still around. Most of them are 486 machines, followed by 386. The NewDeal software has a Windows-like graphical user interface. The technology was licensed from Geoworks, which specializes in ultra-slim software.