Can drivers be installed with LiveCDs & LiveUSBs?

[Ferretti]

I apologize. I had two tabs open. One was for the solution I just said to you. I typed it in the wrong thread. I'm sorry.

[ST3ALTHPSYCH0]

Just a thought (and maybe not a good one). Why not use an 8 Gb usb stick as a target HDD for a full install? Then you get the ability to install everything you need, and the only change to the windows partition would be the addition of GRUB, which is fairly easy to replace with the windows boot loader if you decide that Ubuntu is a no-go.

[spiderbatdad]

Of course the best option is to write to HP and complain about their use of the broadcom network card. Tell them in future you will be sure to avoid any netbooks employing hardware that requires proprietary drivers. I would try to return it in favor of an acer aspire one.
In fact I just submitted a message here, expressing my own disappointment in HP's choice of hardware requiring non-free drivers. http://www.hp.com/hpinfo/execteam/email/hurd/index.html

[neu5eeCh]

If you created a bootable usb with 2G and used the extra space for storage, I would venture you could use this driver. You can create the bootable usb using usb-creator, even from a live cd, but not Karmic's since it is broken.

Ah... so the problem is with Karmic? Interesting. In fact, I did use a 2G Flash Drive to create extra storage, but perhaps the issue with Koala is the reason it didn't work? If I can't get my wife to install Ubuntu without demonstrating that it actually works, I might go your route and download 8.04 or 8.10 for a live cd USB-Creator.

I may have to do this while she's not looking. None of this you, you know, inspires confidence... I feel like a used car salesman who can't start the damned car! Feh!

And, yes, HP t's me off. Their drivers don't even work in Windows for f's sake. Oh well. says HP, we're not making new drivers for that. That's ancient. It's already 2 months old! But we have a new scanner/printer/whatever you might be interested in...

I'll write them... for all the good it will do...

[neu5eeCh]

Just a thought (and maybe not a good one). Why not use an 8 Gb usb stick as a target HDD for a full install? Then you get the ability to install everything you need, and the only change to the windows partition would be the addition of GRUB, which is fairly easy to replace with the windows boot loader if you decide that Ubuntu is a no-go.

That's an idea I actually considered, but my fear is that Ubuntu would be noticeably slower running off a USB port. My wife needs to know that her little Netbook is going to hum like a sports car (compared to MS) once Linux is installed.

[ST3ALTHPSYCH0]

I can tell you from experience that a Live environment is always going to be slower than a fully installed environment. W/ a transfer rate of up to 480 Mb/sec (as long as it's USB 2.0) I don't think you'll see a humongous difference. Another thought is a WUBI install, If you don't want it later you just remove it through "add/remove programs" in Windows

[candtalan]

Another thought is a WUBI install, If you don't want it later you just remove it through "add/remove programs" in Windows

yes this is a good idea. It is a very safe method of install with no messing with partitions or the like, and it uses the Windows boot manager. So it is really inside windows. It can be un installed in an instant too.
A small caveat - after uninstall, I believe the windows boot loader retains the Ubuntu item, so a small windows file edit is required then to revert to a vanilla Windows startup screen.
hth

[ST3ALTHPSYCH0]

Also, I'm not sure about 9.10 (although it should be similar), 9.04 installed in 2.7 Gb (I had it on a 4 Gb partition), so you can tell WUBI to make the folder only 4 Gb, and you can download your wireless driver in windows and leave it in a folder, then navigate to said folder from within Ubuntu (this applies to any install method) so you don't actually have to have internet access immediately after install.

[neu5eeCh]

Another thought is a WUBI install, If you don't want it later you just remove it through "add/remove programs" in Windows

That's a great idea. However, during my research on her Netbook, I noticed that one can upgrade the hard drive with a 64GB RunCore Pro PATA Mini Zif Solid State Drive SSD, and I could upgrade the memory to 2 GB (though memory is expensive right now). Hell, if I put in a 64GB drive, she could dual boot and decide on her own.

I also found out why the HP mini is *soooo* slow. Turns out it's Microsoft's fault. Here's here one blogger summed it up:

* Microsoft introduces Vista. Everyone still keeps using XP.
* Netbooks become popular. They aren't powerful enough to run Vista.
* XP reaches its official end of life, and Microsoft wants to discontinue it. Netbook users complain they won't have an OS.
* Microsoft decides to allow XP to continue selling for a bit.
* Microsoft discontinues XP, but allows netbook manufacturers to continue licensing it, to force everyone else to buy Vista but allow netbook users to use a Microsoft OS.
* Microsoft decides to define a netbook as a machine that has 1GB of RAM or below.

In a nutshell, Microsoft forced HP to limit their configurations to 1G. The sooner I can eliminate Microsoft from my life, the better.

Thanks for everyone's help and suggestions.