Thoughts on eeePC and Linux v WinXP

[GuiGuy]

Do you remember how when the eeepc was released it came with Linux and how elated we linux fanboys were? This was the killer platform for our favourite OS.

And then, within six months a new eeepc with linux was as scarce as hens teeth. WinXP had taken over.

A week ago I bought my wife an Asus eeepc 900HA. It's only available with WinXP here, but I thought no big deal, I'll get eeebuntu and install it.

Well, after days of trying to download a valid copy I have given up. Life's too short.

And in the meantime, I read through some of the threads in http://forum.eeebuntu.org/ - reading about the problems people seem to be having no wonder linux was so short lived on this magic little PC.

I do think the safest way out for me is too leave well enough alone and make the best of the pre-installed WinXP on her computer. After all, it just works.


Cheers

[Sublime Porte]

I bought an Eee 1000, and I did have to update the Bios to be able to change the boot order, but after that it'd been fine. Installed heaps of different distros on it, as well as OSX.

[Plumtreed]

I wonder if Crunchee, from Crunchbang Linux, would work for you? It is based on Ubuntu. Sorry, I can't tell you much more about it but try googling 'Crunchee'

[GuiGuy]

I bought an Eee 1000, and I did have to update the Bios to be able to change the boot order, but after that it'd been fine. Installed heaps of different distros on it, as well as OSX.

I tried using a Kubuntu 386 install I had at hand, but couldn't get the thing to boot off the USB. Oddly, when I placed a WinXP distro on the USB it booted fine.

[Hobgoblin]

A week ago I bought my wife an Asus eeepc 900HA. It's only available with WinXP here, but I thought no big deal, I'll get eeebuntu and install it.


Did you try the standard Ubuntu 9.04? I installed it on a 900 (the 2GB SSD one) and it worked well.

I have 8.10 on my own 701SD using the array.org kernel and UNR interface and have no problems.

I agree it's a shame that Asus decided to go with mass appeal and put XP on, especially on the Celeron powered models which don't really have the oomph to run Windows and all it's protection software.

[Giant Speck]

No pre-installed Linux?!?

RABBLERABBLERABBLERABBLERABBLEMICROSOFTISTHEDEVILR ABBLERABBLERABBLERABBLERABBLE

:P

[mr-woof]

I've just installed easy peasy on my eee900 and I like it a lot, so much better than the original Xandros Asus linux. Give that a try :)

[snowpine]

I've installed at least a dozen different linux distros on my eee 900ha (including eeebuntu)... if you change your mind, I'd be happy to help walk you through it.

Asus didn't help the cause much by choosing Xandros as the pre-installed distro. Going with a more mainstream distro (such as Dell and Ubuntu) would probably have made the linux models more popular.

Plus a lot of users prefer Windows; I have no problem with that.

[mikewhatever]

It's strange to call your thoughts 'Linux vs Windows', having Windows pre-installed and pre-configured by an OEM, while you haven't even managed to download Linux, let along try it. I say, forget about it.
On an unrelated note, I wonder if XP is such a good choice for eee-type of machines. How do you protect it? Do you have an AV running with real time shield? Antispyware? Firewall? How well does the machine perform under that load?

[0per4t0r]

Saw 2 WinXP netbooks at the electronics dept. at WalMart today. If I bought one of those, and I couldn't dual-boot with Ubuntu 9.04 Netbook Remix, I'd probably return it.

[snowpine]

Dual-booting Windows and Ubuntu on a netbook is no different than dual booting on any other computer. Here is the official tutorial (there are also some good ones on these forums): https://help.ubuntu.com/community/WindowsDualBoot

A so-called "netbook" is just a small laptop. There's nothing special or mysterious about running Linux on a netbook.

[0per4t0r]

Dual-booting Windows and Ubuntu on a netbook is no different than dual booting on any other computer. Here is the official tutorial (there are also some good ones on these forums): https://help.ubuntu.com/community/WindowsDualBoot

A so-called "netbook" is just a small laptop. There's nothing special or mysterious about running Linux on a netbook.
Yes, but the previous posts indicated that people were having problems installing ubuntu on netbooks.

[snowpine]

Yes, but the previous posts indicated that people were having problems installing ubuntu on netbooks.

True, but the previous posts were also short on specifics of the problem, suggesting the poster would benefit from a detailed tutorial like the one I posted. :)

Here's another good one, this one is specific to the Netbook Remix version of Ubuntu: https://help.ubuntu.com/community/Installation/FromImgFiles

[mr-woof]

What other distro's have people installed on their netbooks?

[snowpine]

What other distro's have people installed on their netbooks?

Personally, I am using:

Windows XP and Cruncheee on my Asus eee 900ha
Debian and SliTaz on my Dell Mini 9

I've tried a bunch of other distros, too. Just about any Linux distro will work on a netbook, as long as you are willing and able to research the proper drivers for the wireless, video, touchpad, webcam, etc. (if they are not supported out-of-the-box).

Ubuntu 9.04 seems to have excellent support out-of-the-box for most of the major netbooks.

[mr-woof]

How different is cruncheee to easy peasy?

[snowpine]

How different is cruncheee to easy peasy?

They are both based on Ubuntu. Other than that, they are very different.

[subdivision]

What other distro's have people installed on their netbooks?

I run Arch on my Eee 701.

[John L]

I'm running Ubuntu Netbook Remix on my eee pc 900. While it was slow at first I changed the desktop mode to classic and it runs very quickly now. Very pleased with jaunty in general but delighted that it runs on the eee pc.

[fairyliquidizer]

It's strange to call your thoughts 'Linux vs Windows', having Windows pre-installed and pre-configured by an OEM, while you haven't even managed to download Linux, let along try it. I say, forget about it.
On an unrelated note, I wonder if XP is such a good choice for eee-type of machines. How do you protect it? Do you have an AV running with real time shield? Antispyware? Firewall? How well does the machine perform under that load?

XP is a peice of cake to install on an EEE PC and runs very well. Boot time can slow a bit as you add more software but it's not bad especially if nLitened.

Protection... avast home edition and built in firewall work fine for me. Firefox and Adblock Plus. VLC for video stuff and Mediamonkey for audio.

As for the o/p, Ubuntu 9.04 works like a dream on my old 701. It's very nice although the wireless driver has some signal strength issues compared to the windows driver. I haven't tried madwifi or ndiswrapper as it's good enough.

Look at the wiki linked from www.eeeuser.com it has a nice tweaking guide to make things sweeter still.

[drawkcab]

So I just bought an eeepc 900a and installed eeebuntu quite easily last week. You have to use unetbootin to set up a bootable usb flash drive formatted to fat16. You also have hold escape when you reboot so that you can select the desired usb drive. After that, you're home free.

[mikewhatever]

XP is a peice of cake to install on an EEE PC and runs very well. Boot time can slow a bit as you add more software but it's not bad especially if nLitened.

Protection... avast home edition and built in firewall work fine for me. Firefox and Adblock Plus. VLC for video stuff and Mediamonkey for audio.


That's interesting. Is XP supplied on USB devices, or do you have to get a USB cdrom to install it? What exactly do you remove/add with nlite?

[drawkcab]

This afternoon I ran cruncheee (version of crunchbang for eeepcs) off a usb drive. Very nice little distro. Lacks the gnome/xfce desktop environment that I am used to but I really like that it frees up some horsepower for video and such.

All of that is to say that I still can run eeebuntu with gnome and compiz, (just not on the stock ssd that came with the 900a).

[GuiGuy]

No pre-installed Linux?!?


No, couldn't source one. Windoze only :(

[GuiGuy]

Guys,
I've had no sleep for 24 hours but I have the beast sorted out with eeebuntu :D

I feel much better now and if you see Bill tell him to stuff his Windows up his kilt ;)

Cheers

[drawkcab]

lol!

[MJae]

I'm not really a Linux fangirl and have been using winxp on my Eee 701. The thing right now is that I want to revert is back to its original OS or install a better Linux OS...

[GuiGuy]

I'm not really a Linux fangirl and have been using winxp on my Eee 701. The thing right now is that I want to revert is back to its original OS or install a better Linux OS...

A day or two in eeebuntu is more or less working. I had some issues getting an external 19" LCD to display at 1440 X 900, but it's now sorted. The KDE has proved disappointing so I've had to persuade my wife to use Gnome instead. She seems OK with it now. ;)

However, if I am honest about it I need to admit that WinXP is probably a better OS for the eeepc. It seems to do everything better and with fewer headaches.

NB: wireless networking under eeebuntu, while OK, is no where near as robust as under WindowsXP. Despite good signal levels, actual performance is very flaky. For this reason alone I will probably have to Windows back.



Cheers

[billgoldberg]

Do you remember how when the eeepc was released it came with Linux and how elated we linux fanboys were? This was the killer platform for our favourite OS.

And then, within six months a new eeepc with linux was as scarce as hens teeth. WinXP had taken over.

A week ago I bought my wife an Asus eeepc 900HA. It's only available with WinXP here, but I thought no big deal, I'll get eeebuntu and install it.

Well, after days of trying to download a valid copy I have given up. Life's too short.

And in the meantime, I read through some of the threads in http://forum.eeebuntu.org/ - reading about the problems people seem to be having no wonder linux was so short lived on this magic little PC.

I do think the safest way out for me is too leave well enough alone and make the best of the pre-installed WinXP on her computer. After all, it just works.


Cheers

Jaunty works 100% OOTB on my eeepc.

WinXP blue screened the first day I had the Eeepc and the second day the install was borked by a major AVG mistake.

Since I can't even reinstall WinXP using a usb device (at least not easily) I just loaded Ubuntu on it.

It runs greats.

[GuiGuy]

That's interesting. Is XP supplied on USB devices, or do you have to get a USB cdrom to install it? What exactly do you remove/add with nlite?

XP is supplied on a DVD!! I've placed it on a bootable USB, although it's untested at this point. I can get access to an external USB DVD drive if it's needed.

I imaged the original XP installation with Acronis, so I can restore from there if needed. Given the poor wireless performance of eeebuntu it looks like I might have to :(

Cheers

[billgoldberg]

However, if I am honest about it I need to admit that WinXP is probably a better OS for the eeepc. It seems to do everything better and with fewer headaches.

NB: wireless networking under eeebuntu, while OK, is no where near as robust as under WindowsXP. Despite good signal levels, actual performance is very flaky. For this reason alone I will probably have to Windows back.


I only used XP on the eeepc for two days.

After about an hour of usage, the C drive was full.

Not much later it blue screened. And it was slow as hell to use (compared to Ubuntu at least).

Wireless on Ubuntu has a perfect signal anywhere in the house, and I can use monitor mode (:p :p), which didn't seem to work in XP.

[GuiGuy]

Since I can't even reinstall WinXP using a usb device (at least not easily) I just loaded Ubuntu on it.

How's the wireless networking?

[GuiGuy]

[B]
After about an hour of usage, the C drive was full.

There's a 160G hdd on my wife's eeepc.


Wireless on Ubuntu has a perfect signal anywhere in the house,


Signal levels are fine for us. I have a MIMO router. However, in actual use it's very flaky. For example it's impossible to play an mp3 file from the home media server (mythbuntu).


and I can use monitor mode (:p :p), which didn't seem to work in XP.

Exactly the opposite here. Under windows the external display could be set to its own resolution and would retain it on a reboot.

Under eeebuntu the external display, which we want to run at 1440 X 900, needs to be reset on each reboot. It seem the little eeepc re-writes xorg.conf on a reboot.

[GuiGuy]

You also have hold escape when you reboot so that you can select the desired usb drive. After that, you're home free.

That didn't actually work on our 900HA. The steps I came up with (for anyone else struggling with this);


Plug the bootable USB into the EEEPC
Boot or reboot
go into the bios settings and select the USB drive, which will now be named, as the first boot device. Note that if the USB stick is not plugged in, selecting "Removable Drive" as the first boot drive has no effect. the EEEPC resetting to its hard drive as the first device
Save the settings and reboot.
It should now boot off the USB


Cheers

[Skippy_X]

I don't know why netbooks are such a hot item, really.

You can get a PIII Thinkpad for less than $100 and use Puppy Linux and have a hot little system w/ a CD drive, a decent keyboard and a screen bigger than one of those old-fashioned air mail envelopes.

:confused:

Admittedly, a Thinkpad won't fit into a large pocket, but they're not unwieldy.

[GuiGuy]

I don't know why netbooks are such a hot item, really.

I do. The eeepc is compact (fits in her handbag), has good battery life, works well in the car and on the move, and when at home she plugs it in a 19" LCD monitor, keyboard and mouse and it does everything & more her old desktop did, OS issues not withstanding. But the OS issues are my fault. The thing had windows on it and I just couldn't stand that ;)

[donniezazen]

The best OS for netbooks is the Jaunty. Though it sucks the battery but it makes your netbook a complete laptop.

SK

[GuiGuy]

The best OS for netbooks is the Jaunty. Though it sucks the battery but it makes your netbook a complete laptop.


OK, I just put that to the test on my wife's 900HA. She's peeved I stole her toy ;)

Ubuntu i386. After install; no wireless network; no camera. Had to rework xorg config to get external monitor right at 1440 X 900. External monitor settings not persistent. On reboot, have to reset resolution

eeebuntu i386 After install; wireless network OK but flaky despite good (indicated) signal levels; camera OK. Had to rework xorg config to get external monitor right at 1440 X 900. External monitor settings not persistent. On reboot, have to reset resolution.

WinXP (eeepc recovery); install went smoothly. Everything worked. Wireless networking excellent. Can actually watch videos off our mythbuntu backend!!! External monitor resolutions selections were correct for 1440 X 900. Also persistent once set up.

Now, for the ordinary person who just wants the thing to work ( like my better half), what's the better OS??

Cheers

[MJae]

The best OS for netbooks is the Jaunty. Though it sucks the battery but it makes your netbook a complete laptop.

SK

Will it work on the 701? Eee 701... 4G

[tmt1096]

You should use the 9.04 Netbook Remix.
No major problem on my 900HA.
Just have to tweak a config file to fix jumpy touchpad.

[walt.smith1960]

Jaunty NBR
Works


wireless
LCD brighness
Sound-although it sounds a bit weak
Suspend and resume seem to work properly

Doesn't



The silver button to disable the touchpad doesn't function. Upper left corner. It would be nice if that worked--typing much often results in the cursor doing what I didn't necessarily want it to do due to inadvertantly touching the touchpad
<fn>F2 doesn't toggle the wireless
The web cam doesn't work
Wired LAN adapter. The newer Eees use Atheros wired & wireless networking. It seems the kernel used in Jaunty doesn't recognize these adapters. I was able to get the integral Wifi working by installing the jaunty back-plane(?) packages using a Trendnet USB WiFI adapter which WAS recognized out of the box.
I haven't tried the external monitor function.

I haven't spent much time working on the nonoperative functions. I do have Eeebuntu 3.0 installed as well and that seems to do better as far as hardware functions but it has one big problem. When I put the machine in suspend then awaken it, the wireless absolutely refuses to come on. The only cure is a reboot.

[GuiGuy]

I haven't spent much time working on the nonoperative functions. I do have Eeebuntu 3.0 installed as well and that seems to do better as far as hardware functions but it has one big problem. When I put the machine in suspend then awaken it, the wireless absolutely refuses to come on. The only cure is a reboot.

hmmm. My wife's 900HA is working very well on the latest eeeUbuntu 386. Wireless performance is much improved and it reconnects almost instantly after wakeup.

I was toying with getting myself a 1000, but maybe for ubuntu the 900HA is a safer bet. And cheaper...

Cheers

[Efros]

Huh I can play video over the wifi network on xubuntu, and I use ampache for serving music from my basement Ubu server.

[all_gears]

I got a 1000HA over the 900 because the screen size makes a huge diff to me. latest eeebuntu worked well OOTB. my only complaint is the horrible weird way it does kernel upgrades. first i had a generic. then it gave me a netbook kernel and that broke a bunch of stuff. i reinstalled and installed the latest eee kernel, and haven't messed with it since (although it keeps offering me the generic one now). in fact,i've disabled updates altogether (i do it manually once a month or so now).

KDE on the eee really is disappointing - it's very sluggish. i used to LOATHE gnome, but now that it works faster and better than KDE on my eee, and compiz adds good features it's actually pretty nice. two autohidden unanimated panels work very well for me, and compiz blows the socks off any other window management option. (i really like the command plugin - lets me set up keyboard shortcuts for apps. ex.: Super+1 starts Opera)

all in all i havent had any major problems, although XP runs well too it's just ... boring... (imho).

PS. with 2GB ram, winXP also runs well in virtual box (w/ 512 dedicated ram) though i havent had much occasion to use it. (it's there because I LIKE office 2007. i think its cool and pretty and shiny. my favorite program is OneNote. Anybody got a problem with that? lol.)

[GuiGuy]

KDE on the eee really is disappointing - it's very sluggish.

The latest 4.3 (beta) is a little better. But Gnome or one of the lighter DT environments seem more suited.