Ask MetaFilter questions tagged with eeepc

Machine Washable EEEPC Case?

AltReality — Wed, 16 Dec 2009 00:12:11 -0800

I was sick all weekend. I brought some dayquil to work with me in my backpack...along with my eeepc 1000he.... The cap came off the bottle and spilled all over the inside of the backpack..soaking the eeepc case and the book I was reading. They are now a nice day-glo orange color. The netbook is fine, but I want to find out if the case (the standard case that comes with the eeepc) is machine washable. I guess it doesn't matter too much, as I will not be using it anymore if it's not...but I just thought I would ask.

It looks like a neoprene sort of material, but it is soaked through with the dayquil.

Thanks

Windows7 on a netbook?!?

smitt — Sat, 21 Nov 2009 13:16:56 -0800

Should I install Windows 7 on my netbook? I have an Eee PC 1000HE currently running Windows XP. It's a fantastic little computer and does everything and more for me, I love it.

It's got an Atom N280 proc, and apart from upgrading the RAM to 2GB, everything on it is untouched.

I have been loving using Windows 7 on my primary computer, and really want that on my netbook.

The question is, will the netbook be able to handle Windows 7? I don't use the netbook for much apart from internet browsing, doing my coursework using Office, and some video watching/mp3 playing. I'm not concerned about any "heavy" applications.
Has anyone made the switch on a netbook? Let me know what you think. Is it significantly slower?

Which netbook should I get?

Quidam — Sat, 22 Aug 2009 23:31:14 -0800

Another netbook question: my 4 year old VAIO laptop is just about on its last leg, and I'm looking to replace it with a netbook as my primary computer. More specifics inside. I've read through all the questions tagged with "netbook", and I guess I'm just looking for some advice specific to my wants - especially because the market for netbooks seems to change so fast.

For example, in this question the consensus seems to be that the 1000HE eeePC is the way to go. Is that still true?

What I'd like:

-- Small is good -- 10" screen or less, I think
-- Want to run Windows and Microsoft Office
-- Not a gamer and don't need to be able to watch movies
-- Longer battery life desirable
-- All I really want besides Office is iTunes - but is my iTunes library going to be too much for a netbook to handle? (sorry, unfamiliar enough with computers for memory numbers not to mean a whole lot to me)

What I think I'm leaning towards is the Dell Mini 10, with Windows, and with the 6 cell battery. Is there any reason I should stay away, or opt for an eeePC or other brand? Any tips on where to order it from, other than dell.com?

Boot from USB DVD drive? How?

dougunderscorenelso — Wed, 03 Jun 2009 19:47:51 -0800

Making a Hackintosh out of an EEE PC, but failing on the first step (booting from an external USB drive). What am I doing wrong? So I bought a 900HA EEE PC thinking, "I am a relatively technically adept person, and I should be able to turn this into a hackintosh with little trouble." And I was wrong on both counts.

People with the same machine refer to this post's instructions, but I'm perpetually stuck on the first two steps due to issues with the external DVD drive.

Updating the BIOS with Alt-F2: When doing this, the DVD device whirs and searches briefly, but the system tells me "900HA.ROM not found." But it's on the DVD (and CD, once), and if I put the same file on a USB stick and update from THERE, it works. So this step is sooooort of complete, yet stil symptomatic of my problem.

Booting from the Boot-132 disk: Went into BIOS with F2, set the boot order to DVD-drive-first, and restarted. Nothing: the device doesn't even spin, and the machine boots straight into Windows, every time. If I try to use a USB stick with the Boot-132 image, it tells me it's not a system disk, which is apparently the reason this step requires I boot from a DVD/CD drive.

Has anyone had similar problems booting from an external DVD drive on any machine? I'm pretty sure the issue isn't the drive, because I've tried two fairly different drives with identical results.

eeePC? Not just for meee

tdreyer — Wed, 15 Apr 2009 14:05:11 -0800

I'm installing Ubuntu 9.04 remix on a friend's eeePC and I'm looking for suggestions on cool and useful programs for netbooks (or not) to install beyond the defaults that come with Ubuntu.

Slower than a three-toed sloth at a narcolepsy convention

sister nunchaku of love and mercy — Mon, 30 Mar 2009 08:26:46 -0800

GeekFilter: I just bought an Asus eee PC 900 (the model with the 16 GB HD). I needed a spare laptop fast, since my MacBook Pro had a mishap on the road and has to be repaired. I bought the eee at Best Buy, so it's running Win XP and not Linux. Problem: it's very slow. Question: should I return it, or put Linux on it when I get home? I'm traveling and am at my parents' house for a few more days. There's no Best Buy near where I live, so I need to return the eee PC here if I'm not going to keep it.

Will installing Linux fix teh_slow? I'm geeky enough to do it. I've wanted a eee for a while, so I'd really like to keep it if possible. I've heard some non-positive things about the 900/16 GB, though.

If I keep it, any suggestions for which Linux distro to put on it?

Thanks in advance, hive mind.

The Great Trilemma

Autarky — Wed, 25 Mar 2009 21:02:25 -0800

Best gadget for a college student: ipod touch, eee pc, or Kindle? I am, as mentioned above, a college student who may soon come upon some cash that I can afford to spend. I'm a bit gadget obsessed (when I can afford to be), and the ipod touch, eee pc, and Kindle all have me drooling. I can justify buying one, but certainly not two, so I have to choose.

I currently own a 14" Dell Inspiron that's not half bad and a nano 4g (which I would very likely sell if I got the touch). It seems like the Kindle would add less to my life (so to speak) than the other two, as it would add a functionality that I don't already have to some degree (actually, I do have books, but you know...)

I read a lot and I'm a major in the humanities, meaning the the Kindle would save me some money by letting me download public domain books for school for free instead of shelling out $10/each.

I also love the idea of having portable internet in my pocket that I can use to check my email and the news without lugging my laptop around campus all day.

Then again, with the eee it wouldn't be much to lug, and it has a whole lot more than the touch does (though you can't exactly put it in your pocket and stroll around town with it).

So, basically, which one should I buy? All answers welcome, though I'm particularly interesting in hearing from people who have two or three of these--which one has been the most "how did I ever live without this? (if any)

Allow a filesystem in Ubuntu to be mounted by users

remi — Sat, 08 Nov 2008 08:29:21 -0800

How do you create a user-mountable filesystem in Ubuntu Eee 8.04.1? I have an Asus Eee PC 4G laptop running Ubuntu Eee 8.04.1 as its operating system, which is a customized distro of Ubuntu 8.04 made for the Eee PC. Since I bought a new MacBook recently, I'm currently setting up this computer to be used as a small home file (Samba), print (CUPS), and Web (Apache) server.

An SD card is in the computer's card slot and an external hard drive is connected via USB. Both have a VFAT filesystem. I want both those filesystems to be writable, mountable, and unmountable by all users in the computer (not just by root or the user who mounts them).

The filesystem on the SD card is labelled "SDCARD" and the one on the HDD is labelled "HARDDISK". I already created empty directories in /mnt, both with mode 777, and modified the /etc/fstab file to have the following:

LABEL=SDCARD /mnt/sdc auto users,auto,exec,rw,umask=111,dmask=000 0 0
LABEL=HARDDISK /mnt/hdd auto users,auto,exec,rw,umask=111,dmask=000 0 0

I tried both the "user" and "users" option in the fstab file, but every time I try to mount one of the filesystems mentioned above using a regular user, I get the following message:

mount: must be superuser to use mount

It works fine when I mount using the "sudo" command or the "root" account. Note that I can't simply use symlinks to point to the filesystems in /media, since I need to override the mount options to allow all users to write on the filesystems. I also think modifying udev options just for this may be overkill and time-consuming.

Besides, with the "user" or "users" in the fstab, why can't I still mount using a normal user? Can anyone help me with this?

Thanks in advance!

Where to follow the booming subnotebook/ultraportable market online?

meso — Mon, 04 Aug 2008 11:01:25 -0800

What's the best online place to follow the latest subnotebooks and ultraportables to arrive on the market? I'm particularly eager to be in the starting blocks when Dell's E becomes available. Bonus points if the website isn't USA-centred, but also features international updates.

What is my best option to connect via dial-up using my Eee PC?

remi — Fri, 13 Jun 2008 12:13:18 -0800

I have a Eee PC 701 4G laptop running Xandros Linux. I also have an Apple USB modem, and a Samsung SPH-A580 cellphone with USB connector and unlimited Internet access. Are there any ways for me to connect via dial-up with what I currently have? If not, any other recommendations? I am visiting my family this summer and they only have dial-up. DSL and cable Internet are not available in the area.

Like I mentioned above, I have an Apple USB modem which of course works great with my Mac mini. I believe I also have a Windows driver for it on my MacOS X Leopard installation disc. (The modem driver seems to have been installed on my Mac mini's Windows XP with the help of Boot Camp.) But when it comes to using it with my Eee PC, or any other Linux system, I'm lost. I believe the modem has a Motorola chipset, but I don't know which. Is it possible to use it with my laptop? Is there a native driver or will I need to use ndiswrapper?

I also have unlimited Internet on my cellphone, but it is an old model: a Samsung SPH-A580. I don't even know on which band it connects to. (Certainly not 3G!) I have a USB connector for the cellphone, but I have no idea what I can do with it. When I tried it on a Windows computer, it seems to pick up my cellphone as a modem. However, I have no idea how it use it as such. Can it be done on my laptop?

Also, like any other Eee PC, my laptop has an empty RJ-11 port without a connector or a modem inside. If I choose to install one, is it easily feasible? Is it expensive? Is it difficult to set the driver?

I am trying to use what I already have, but if neither the USB modem or cellphone can be used, I'm opened to suggestions. Any other easy and inexpensive ways for me to use my Eee PC to connect via dial-up?

Thanks in advance for all your help!

Eee PC?

dersins — Mon, 21 Jan 2008 09:16:59 -0800

Do I want an Asus Eee PC? I'd love to have an ultra portable (fits in my coat pocket?), ultra cheap computer for writing and internetting. Is the Eee the machine for me, or is the keyboard too small to type on for extended periods of time? (My hands aren't ginormous or anything, but they're not exactly dainty, either.) Anyone have any experience trying to write on one? Any alternate suggestions at a similar price point?

Yet Another Empty Box for Christmas

Skwirl — Fri, 04 Jan 2008 11:11:35 -0800

What more can I do to maximize my chances of recompense with regards to an eee pc stolen during shipment from Newegg via UPS? So, I was eagerly awaiting my first major electronics purchase in four years, a shiny galaxy black eee pc 4G 701. According to UPS it shipped on 12/27 and the clearly tampered and more or less empty box arrived yesterday. Grumble. Grumble.

I wasn't the person who signed for it and I haven't talked to that person yet, but my dad saw the delivery and did notice that the box looked askew at the time of delivery. When I retrieved the box, the tape was removed, but haphazardly put back, the box was waaaay lighter than the 5 lbs. listed on the tracking label and all the box contained was packaging paper and an empty eee pc box. To top it off, the package arrived significantly after business hours to an office address. Sheesh.

I immediately called UPS and sent an email to Newegg. The UPS person I talked to said that I would be contacted by an inspector today. I haven't heard back from UPS or Newegg yet today.

If the contents were stolen while it was in UPS's possession, are they likely to refund the value? What more can I do to get this resolved quickly? Should I file a police report through my city PD? Contact the BBB? I paid for the purchase with my VISA Platinum card, which has fraud protection, but I don't think it has purchase or theft protection. I recently signed up for USAA Renter's Insurance, which I figure is the worst case scenario. What steps do I need to do to get that rolling, or should I wait until I hear more from UPS and Newegg? Should I contact Asus?

I'm no Veronica Mars, but Newegg shipped my eee pc from La Puente, CA and a brickload of the eee pcs on eBay right now are shipping from right next door in Walnut, CA. I suppose somebody could just be getting a good deal on shipping by picking them up directly?

I know I'm drawing at straws, but this purchase is a majority chunk of a month's income for me, which means I've got more time than money to work the problem.