Netbook question please

I'd like to know more about your laptop. Probably the best two things
you could do for it would be to increase it's memory and do a clean
reinstall of Windows.

The Atom CPUs are somewhat similar to Celerons in the 900MHz to 1.2GHz
range. They are not fast processors by modern standards, but they are,
in most cases and for most purposes, "fast enough".

A netbook is not a laptop, and I do not recommend them as general
purpose computers, or as "only" computers. The processors ARE slow (by
desktop and even laptop standards) and the screens are small (in
physical size, certainly, but equally as important in resolution).

Is a netbook powerful enough to run Windows 7? Generally, most are. I
have an early Acer Aspire One, with the 8" screen, XP and a 160GB drive.
It came with 1GB of memory and I upgraded it to 1.5GB, which is the
limit for my unit. It IS powerful enough to run Windows 7 or even
Vista. The chipset is a varient of the Intel 945, and it has GMA950
video. That will not only run Vista, but it will run the "Aero" interface.

Can it do it? Sure, but a motorcycle or even a bicycle can go from New
York to LA. That doesn't mean it's a fun way of making the trip.


Bob Newman wrote:
> I am running an older HP laptop with XP Home SP3 and it is very slow. 512
> mb ram (2 GB virtual memory). 60 GB HD. (Unsure of processor).
>
> I am considering replacing it with a Toshiba netbook NB205-N210 (2 GB ram
> (maxed out), 160 GB HD, Atom N 280processor.
>
> 2 Questions please. If I use this to replace my laptop as my only computer
> (with external monitor & keyboard) can I expect a substantial speed
> increase? Also, would it be possible for this machine to run Windows 7?
>
> I realize the netbook probably was not intend to be your primary computer,
> but can it do it?

Keep in mind that XP probably has model specific drivers installed which
don't yet exist for Windows 7. Including power management drivers.
MANY laptops are showing horrible results with Windows 7 ... UNTIL the
proper (model specific) drivers are installed.


Larry wrote:
> "BillW50" <> wrote in news:hbak86$s10$-
> september.org:
>
>> I do have Windows 7 on one of them. It might be just me and that slow
>> MLC SSD, but Windows 7 is just too slow for me on a netbook. Using 50%
>> of the CPU at idle. While Windows XP is very quick and uses less than 5%
>> at idle. Thus allowing 95% for your applications. While Windows 7 only
>> leaves 50% of the CPU for applications.
>>
>>
>
> Wow! Didn't know it was THAT bad.....marking that off the wishlist.
>
> XP and Ubuntu Netbook Remix .....a great combination on netbooks.
> http://www.canonical.com/projects/ubuntu/unr
>
>
>

Barry Watzman <> wrote in news:hbb4er$po7$3
@news.eternal-september.org:

> Keep in mind that XP probably has model specific drivers installed which
> don't yet exist for Windows 7. Including power management drivers.
> MANY laptops are showing horrible results with Windows 7 ... UNTIL the
> proper (model specific) drivers are installed.
>
>
>

Keep in mind Win7 will be in "user beta test" until at LEAST 2012 when the
world is supposed to come to its end, according to the fundies.

--
Larry

Somewhere on teh intarwebs Larry wrote:
> Barry Watzman <> wrote in news:hbb4er$po7$3
> @news.eternal-september.org:
>
>> Keep in mind that XP probably has model specific drivers installed
>> which don't yet exist for Windows 7. Including power management
>> drivers. MANY laptops are showing horrible results with Windows 7
>> ... UNTIL the proper (model specific) drivers are installed.
>
> Keep in mind Win7 will be in "user beta test" until at LEAST 2012
> when the world is supposed to come to its end, according to the
> fundies.

Yep. MS have just about got XP to where it's a good, reliable OS so
obviously it's time to drop it.
--
Shaun.

"Give a man a fire and he's warm for the day. But set fire to him and he's
warm for the rest of his life." Terry Pratchet, 'Jingo'.

Somewhere on teh intarwebs BillW50 wrote:
> In news:ai4Cm.1370$,
> Bob Newman typed on Fri, 16 Oct 2009 16:01:18 -0400:
>> "Mike S." <> wrote in message
>> news:hbait0$vp$...
>>>
>>> In article <9Z3Cm.17051$>,
>>> Bob Newman <> wrote:
>>>> I am running an older HP laptop with XP Home SP3 and it is very
>>>> slow. 512 mb ram (2 GB virtual memory). 60 GB HD. (Unsure of
>>>> processor). I am considering replacing it with a Toshiba netbook
>>>> NB205-N210 (2
>>>> GB ram (maxed out), 160 GB HD, Atom N 280processor.
>>>>
>>>> 2 Questions please. If I use this to replace my laptop as my only
>>>> computer
>>>> (with external monitor & keyboard) can I expect a substantial speed
>>>> increase? Also, would it be possible for this machine to run
>>>> Windows 7? I realize the netbook probably was not intend to be your
>>>> primary
>>>> computer, but can it do it?
>>>
>>> It would probably be faster but you could probably speed up your
>>> older HP for less money by adding more RAM - if it will accept 1GB
>>> of RAM - and stay with XP.
>>>
>>> It is possible to use the netbook as a primary computer although
>>> that is not the marketing intention for those machines. One has to
>>> ask, though, whether you have any need for portability? If you're
>>> intending to use it with external monitor, keyboard, etc
>>> exclusively, you'd get better value by getting a desktop machine.
>>> If, on the other hand, you intend to actually use the netbook as a
>>> portable, it would help to try one out to see if you can cope with
>>> the keyboard and screen size for as long as you intend to actually
>>> use it as a portable. Most netbooks will run Windows 7 even with 1
>>> GB of RAM (though not
>>> optimally). A 2 GB machine will run it just fine. There are still
>>> some driver issues, especially for power management, as many have
>>> reported reduced battery life compared with XP. There have also
>>> been issues with some of the specialized hardware capabilities like
>>> hotkeys for certain functions and the like where the XP driver model
>>> code doesn't function properly under Windows 7.
>>>
>>> In the case of the Toshiba, however, they have recently released a
>>> set of real Windows 7 drivers that might give better performance and
>>> compatiblity. Haven't seen anything posted about actual performance,
>>> though - it's too new. Toshiba seems to be the first out of the gate
>>> to actually release Windows 7 specific drivers for any of its
>>> models, ahead of the October 22 go-live date.
>>>
>> Thanks for the prompt reply. Believe it or not the current laptop is
>> maxed out at 512! While I will be using the notebook 85% at home I
>> do need occasional portable use (6 hour run time on this one). For
>> the limited portable use I'm sure I could put up with the keyboard.
>> Might there be a durablity issuse (not from portableness but from
>> leaving it on virtually all the time)?
>>
>> Thanks... Bob
>
> I use netbooks as my main computer all of the time. And they are far
> better than many laptops just a few years ago. Mainly because they can
> accept more RAM.

My 2004 (5 year old) 14" IBM ThinkPad R40 1.6GHz Pentium M has 2GB of RAM in
it and has approximately 1.5 x the processing power of an Atom 270. I
wouldn't swap it for *two* new netbooks.
--
Shaun.

"Give a man a fire and he's warm for the day. But set fire to him and he's
warm for the rest of his life." Terry Pratchet, 'Jingo'.

> I usually connect one of my netbooks to an external
> monitor and wireless keyboard/mouse, and it is hard to tell you are
> not using a desktop.
>
> I do have Windows 7 on one of them. It might be just me and that slow
> MLC SSD, but Windows 7 is just too slow for me on a netbook. Using 50%
> of the CPU at idle. While Windows XP is very quick and uses less than
> 5% at idle. Thus allowing 95% for your applications. While Windows 7
> only leaves 50% of the CPU for applications.

In news:hbb4er$po7$,
Barry Watzman typed on Fri, 16 Oct 2009 20:51:34 -0400:
> Keep in mind that XP probably has model specific drivers installed
> which don't yet exist for Windows 7. Including power management
> drivers. MANY laptops are showing horrible results with Windows 7 ...
> UNTIL the proper (model specific) drivers are installed.

I don't doubt that. But the only driver problems I have is switching
problems between the internal and external screens. And I won't hold my
breath in hoping that it would be ever fixed.

On a side note, my Asus EeePC comes with drivers that supposedly work
from Windows 98 to Vista.

> Larry wrote:
>> "BillW50" <> wrote in news:hbak86$s10$-
>> september.org:
>>
>>> I do have Windows 7 on one of them. It might be just me and that
>>> slow MLC SSD, but Windows 7 is just too slow for me on a netbook.
>>> Using 50% of the CPU at idle. While Windows XP is very quick and
>>> uses less than 5% at idle. Thus allowing 95% for your applications.
>>> While Windows 7 only leaves 50% of the CPU for applications.
>>>
>>>
>>
>> Wow! Didn't know it was THAT bad.....marking that off the wishlist.
>>
>> XP and Ubuntu Netbook Remix .....a great combination on netbooks.
>> http://www.canonical.com/projects/ubuntu/unr

--
Bill
Asus EEE PC 701G4 ~ 2GB RAM ~ 16GB-SDHC
Windows XP SP2

In news:hbc8gg$dre$,
~misfit~ typed on Sun, 18 Oct 2009 00:06:52 +1300:
> My 2004 (5 year old) 14" IBM ThinkPad R40 1.6GHz Pentium M has 2GB of
> RAM in it and has approximately 1.5 x the processing power of an Atom
> 270. I wouldn't swap it for *two* new netbooks.

I would and have already. Many experts said the same as you Shaun. And
they believed there wouldn't be any market for netbooks at all. That all
changed when Asus started selling them by the millions. Now it seems
like everybody is jumping on the netbook revolution. It just takes some
people longer than others. ;-)

--
Bill
Asus EEE PC 701G4 ~ 2GB RAM ~ 16GB-SDHC
Windows XP SP2

In news:,
typed on Fri, 16 Oct 2009 19:19:33 -0500:
> "BillW50" <> wrote:
>
>> I use netbooks as my main computer all of the time.
>
> I do so as well
>
> No problems here!

Pretty amazing that you can be practically as efficient with a 20 watt
supply as you are with a 450 watt supply. ;-)

--
Bill
Asus EEE PC 701G4 ~ 2GB RAM ~ 16GB-SDHC
Windows XP SP2

On Sat, 17 Oct 2009 07:45:11 -0500, "BillW50" <> wrote:

>In news:,
> typed on Fri, 16 Oct 2009 19:19:33 -0500:
>> "BillW50" <> wrote:
>>
>>> I use netbooks as my main computer all of the time.
>>
>> I do so as well
>>
>> No problems here!
>
>Pretty amazing that you can be practically as efficient with a 20 watt
>supply as you are with a 450 watt supply. ;-)

Perhaps the netbook at work consumes less power in total than the big iron loses
because of its power conversion losses...
--
How a sect kills YOUR children

http://www.pharmamafia.com

"~misfit~" <> wrote:

>My 2004 (5 year old) 14" IBM ThinkPad R40 1.6GHz Pentium M has 2GB of RAM in
>it and has approximately 1.5 x the processing power of an Atom 270. I

How do you measure this?

Or is it just a guess?