109 Responses for "My thoughts on my Mini Mi"

1. ricardo penachi de camargo February 4th, 2009 at 10:19 am 1

   Great!!

2. freebo February 4th, 2009 at 10:25 am 2

   Hey Ron.
   Any chance you are giving away the Mbook pro now.

   

3. Daniel Bartholomew February 4th, 2009 at 10:26 am 3

   To access the full Ubuntu repositories, use Synaptic.

   On the HP Mini Mi do this:

   press Alt+F2 to bring up the run dialog and enter in: gksudo synaptic

   Hit enter and synaptic will launch and you’ll be able to install anything that is in the Ubuntu repos.

4. JohnF February 4th, 2009 at 10:28 am 4

   Very cool review, thanks for sharing. I went with a Msi wind, i love it, but it came with XP, so i put Windows 7 and Ubuntu on it. It runs both very well. You can’t go wrong with either.

5. Seth Lopez February 4th, 2009 at 10:31 am 5

   Definitely Windows 7. It’ll run great on your Netbook.

6. Leo February 4th, 2009 at 10:32 am 6

   You should try to get someone in the industry to hook you up with Jolicloud. Anybody know where u can reach Tariq Krim and get an alpha build of Jolicloud?

   If not then well you should try getting it Hackintosh’d as I did with my MSI Wind which runs beautifully with Leopard.

7. Kato February 4th, 2009 at 10:32 am 7

   Geeze, Veronica, are you hosting this blog on that thing?

   Thanks for posting your experiences. Seems like a nice product, but doesn’t help if the OS is borked or “not quite ready for primetime”.

   Also, the Kiwi is awesome.

8. Starman February 4th, 2009 at 10:34 am 8

   V,
   I found this link showing a Mini Mi with Windows 7:

   http://thetechnicist.typepad.com/the_technicist/2008/12/windows-7-on-the-mini-1000.html

   And an install guide. I don’t know if this is the one you followed:

   http://thetechnicist.typepad.com/the_technicist/2008/12/windows-7-beta-1-netbook-install-guide.html

   He says that it runs pretty well. I don’t know what your requirements for these are, but I’m guessing very simply web work.

   I’d like to hear if you get it working. I’ve been thinking about getting one of those too.

   I have a serious distaste for Linux. It never, EVER works for me. There’s always something wrong with it, mostly a hardware problem. And as much as I love to play with OSs and get them working, there’s a limit to what I would do to get something working properly. I’d say use Windows, or even OS X if you can find install instructions for that. All IMO of course. I don’t like fighting my hardware/OS.

9. Chris February 4th, 2009 at 10:34 am 9

   Quite frankly you can’t really go wrong with a copy of XP. It’s what came pre-installed on my NC10 and it runs perfectly.

   I have to say I am saddened every time I hear someone has purchased a netbook other than the Samsung NC10 .

10. kyle bateman February 4th, 2009 at 10:36 am 10

    LinuxMint is very nice. I’ve been pimping it everywhere and to anyone who will listen, just to be up front about it, but you’re looking for way to ease into linux with a minimum of pain and frustration you can’t go wrong.

11. Joe February 4th, 2009 at 10:38 am 11

    http://www.blogsdna.com/2016/how-to-install-windows-7-from-usb-drive-without-windows-7-iso-dvd.htm

    This seems to be a method that works on XP since it doesn’t use the DISKPART tool.

12. Salty Droid February 4th, 2009 at 10:39 am 12

    What have you done to make that adorable baby bird so so SAD?? Adorable bird torture WILL NOT be tolerated!! Please show some restraint SADIST!

13. Freddy Gipson February 4th, 2009 at 10:40 am 13

    Well that sounds quite unfortunate. I was going to say at least the skin looks cool, but then I thought the skin really means nothing without good working content. I have Windows Vista on my normal size laptop and I am not the biggest fan of it because of its constant glitching and crashing so I am thinking of putting Windows 7 on here soon but for you I really would not know what to recommend. My friend took his Acer netbook of similar specs and turned it into a Macbook which is quite strange. lol. Anyway, I wish you luck with all of this and make sure you use Google when in need of help, it is your greatest friend on the internet.

    ~Freddy G.

14. Kenop February 4th, 2009 at 10:42 am 14

    Nice machine there! I think Windows 7, although slimmed down from Vista’s level of bloatiness, would still be quite a pain to run on that little guy. I would be highly suspect of getting anything but very sluggish performance out of it. The GUI of 7 is also ideal for larger resolutions, and half your dialogs and menus will be hilariously, or aggravatingly large on that lcd.

    Ubuntu might be a bit better, and give you a more fair chance at enjoying a real linux distribution.

    Personally, I’d install 7 first, for the experience, and then end up with Ubuntu in the end

15. bk February 4th, 2009 at 10:45 am 15

    VB: I look forward to more of your review on this laptop. a few questions: using Mi, is it easy to connect to other computers/files on your network? if you install W7, how easy is it to revert back to your base OS? have you tried playing mp4 or mkv files; if so, how does it fair? Thanks! Love Tekzilla!

16. Todd Eddy February 4th, 2009 at 10:46 am 16

    I bought a mini mi (heh I just like saying that) the day it was available on their site. I have pretty much the same feelings as you do. MIE has a lot of issues. I am good with linux so it was trivial to install whatever I wanted. press alt-f2 to bring up a run dialog. enter “sudo synaptic” (without “s of course) and it will bring up a full listing of packages you can install. On mine the web thumbnails work but email is broken for me as well.

    I did get windows 7 on it and found instructions for xp. It’s definately a little more work to make it from xp but still easy enough once you grab a few programs: http://www.bwana.org/2009/01/11/how-to-install-windows-7-beta-from-a-usb-drive-to-an-hp-mini-1000-without-vista/

    Windows 7 ran fine on it especially once I set the hp usb drive thing as a readyboost drive. But if you put windows 7 or anything else on it, be prepared to not get to MIE again. I know my way around linux and it still took a lot of work to get it back and restored since hp doesn’t have a restore image anywhere and phone support didn’t help any.

    I’ve also put a standard ubuntu install on it. It was maybe slightly slower than MIE (which is based off of ubuntu) but still worked and then you have access to everything easily.

    There’s a community at http://www.myhpmini.com/ (covers all the mini’s including the MIE version) that can be helpful when troubleshooting.

17. DarkJesus February 4th, 2009 at 10:46 am 17

    Stick with linux, it’s got your back.

18. Federico February 4th, 2009 at 10:47 am 18

    What about os x? i’ve been running it in my msi wind for over 2 month and it works great.

19. slonkak February 4th, 2009 at 10:51 am 19

    format c:

    Seriously though, there’s no need to use someone’s locked down version of Linux. That’s against the whole mantra of Linux. If you wanna stick with Linux (which you should), just go download the install DVD of your favorite distro and do a clean install.

20. Linh February 4th, 2009 at 10:56 am 20

    I had a lot of trouble trying to get a bootable USB install to work. 2/4 of what I tried failed to boot. My Patriot Xporter XT and Corsair Voyager were successful, Sandisk mico (old metal one) fail, as did a cheap generic microcenter one.

    Basically followed this guide: http://www.msfn.org/board/How-to-install-XP-from-USB-t111406.html

    But if you can, I’m sure someone you know has a USB dvd drive you can just boot off of. SOOO much easier.

    All my experiences are from a dell mini 9 tho, but it’s generic enough. I know Windows 7 runs surprisingly well w/ aero on the mini 9, but I haven’t used it extensively like that.

21. Kato February 4th, 2009 at 10:59 am 21

    Also, since it is called Mini Mi I just have to add: “eee eeee eeeeeeeeee!”

22. Topher February 4th, 2009 at 11:01 am 22

    I have an acer aspire one and I Looked at the specs and they are pretty close in design message me on my aim @Legendarychris2

23. Jason W. February 4th, 2009 at 11:01 am 23

    I’d stick with XP for now (it can always be upgraded to Windows 7 when the final version comes out), and I would also install Ubuntu for dual-booting if you have a lot of space on it.

24. Andy February 4th, 2009 at 11:02 am 24

    Windows 7 works great on my Acer Aspire One — better than the XP that it came with. You’ll love it.

25. Dave February 4th, 2009 at 11:12 am 25

    I’m not surprised the HP mini OS has issues; every company and their brother rushed out UMPC clones as fast as possible after Asus was the first to market with the EeePC.

26. Jonathan Hall February 4th, 2009 at 11:17 am 26

    Windows 7 seems to n really well on UMPCs/Netbooks although I would discount XP

27. Ian February 4th, 2009 at 11:18 am 27

    Put OS X on it!

28. Matt February 4th, 2009 at 11:22 am 28

    Liliputing.com has a great how to article on installing xp to a netbook using a usb drive that might help you getting your usb drive bootable.

    http://www.liliputing.com/2008/04/install-windows-xp-on-mini-note-usb.html

    I used this to install xp on my Eee 901 and it worked great. Keep in mind too that all pendrives are not created equal either. I have found that my generic drives with nothing on them work better than my fancy nice drives with preloaded software for installing OS’s on my netbook.

29. Tyler February 4th, 2009 at 11:32 am 29

    I’d say install Kubuntu or Xubuntu. They’re more lower-end friendly. Of course you could also install OS X and make a Hackintosh.
    I like OS X and Ubuntu way more than Windows.

30. Ben Baeb February 4th, 2009 at 11:36 am 30

    I’ve had good luck with the Windows 7 beta, otherwise you could try the normal version of Ubuntu or Kubuntu.

31. Olav February 4th, 2009 at 11:40 am 31

    Hi V,

    I think you don’t have to make a bootable USB drive to install Windows 7 beta, just copy the contents of the ISO file (the contents, not the ISO file itself) to the root of the USB drive and that’s it.

    I’m just doing it on my Acer Aspire One!

    Good luck!

32. drumthrasher109 February 4th, 2009 at 11:46 am 32

    Nice little write-up on the Mini. Is there an option (when you order) for XP?

    My suggestion for an OS would be OS X. That thing would be PERFECT for it, and it probably wouldn’t be too difficult to get everything working properly.

    twitter.com/drum109

33. Kyle February 4th, 2009 at 11:59 am 33

    That Ubuntu Network Remix is a pretty good choice, or you could go with the standard Ubuntu desktop OS. I think that GelaSkin is adorable as well. I see that this website has the same skin that Patrick has on his mac. Keep up the great work on Tekzilla and can’t wait for thursday’s show.

34. Zach February 4th, 2009 at 12:13 pm 34

    Hey Veronica,

    I’ve heard nothing but bad things about the stripped down version of Ubuntu that HP uses. Supposedly they don’t even let you go into the command line. I have an 10″ MSI Wind that I successfully put OS X on which has been pretty awesome. It took some tinkering to get it working perfectly but I haven’t had any complaints. Also an installation of the normal version of Ubuntu would probably be better than what HP gave you. I run it on my desk top and had it briefly on my Wind. It was very easy to install and recognized my hardware without a hitch. Good luck with whatever you choose for yours,

    Zach

35. Christoph Flügel February 4th, 2009 at 12:23 pm 35

    Normally I don’t really correct people but it might cause a bit of confusion with mentioned ubuntu version. It’s not Ubuntu Network Remix but instead it’s called Ubuntu Netboot Remix.

    @tehwaxman

36. cacarr February 4th, 2009 at 12:29 pm 36

    I assume you have access to an external optical drive? I didn’t have any problems making a bootable flash stick, but, hmm, yes, I think I did use Vista.

    Windows 7 is indeed a good option. Runs very nice on my Lenovo s10. On the Linux side, check out Mint 6 — a refined Ubuntu with all the necessary proprietary stuff already installed, and it’s pretty.

37. Veronica February 4th, 2009 at 12:44 pm 37

    Christoph, that was a mistype on my part! I meant to write “Netbook”

38. Ed February 4th, 2009 at 12:57 pm 38

    Veronica, I don’t understand why you don’t just install Mac OS X on it? The only problem is the sound support, and that’s actively being worked on.

    http://gadgets.boingboing.net/2008/12/17/osx-netbook-compatib.html
    http://myhpmini.com/forum/viewtopic.php?f=17&t=37

39. SteveBIRK February 4th, 2009 at 1:00 pm 39

    Windows 7 is great. I have heard good things about it running on netbooks.

    And how is the battery life on the HP? enough to get me through a little over 5 hours of school?

40. Victor Mota February 4th, 2009 at 1:07 pm 40

    I got the same laptop but XP version, but I installed Linux mint onto it and I highly recommend it. It is similar to Ubuntu but even more user-friendly and easy to use! If you try it out make a post about it!

41. Carl McPherson February 4th, 2009 at 1:10 pm 41

    Hi Veronica

    If your not having much luck with the hp ubuntu remix offered, why not try a full installation of ubuntu or Kubuntu, i have found both quite customizable, and very easy to use and install great third party apps on

    I have only been trying Linux distros since ubuntu 6.06 lts but out of all the ones i’ve tried (Ubuntu, Kubuntu, Mint, Arch, PC Linux) i always end up back with ubuntu

    here take a look at some of the effects I had running on my machine

    http://www.facebook.com/photo.php?pid=2935781&id=811075192&l=2a28c

    Good luck in find an OS to suite you

    Carl

42. Barry February 4th, 2009 at 1:24 pm 42

    Hi Veronica,

    I love the Gelaskin! I’m a Kiwi, well not exactly but you know what I mean… LOL.

    Basically your laptop should operate in a similar fashion to any other PC based laptop. As long as its not made by Apple, it should be pretty flexible on the operating system. Unless HP has started adding closed proprietary hardware to their laptops recently.

    I wouldn’t recomend Windows 7 at this point as it is still the beta, and we all know how terrible First Releases are, let alone Betas, when it comes to Microsoft. I would also steer away from Windows Vista unless you want all the money you spent on power to go down the tubes to that over bloated OS.

    Therefore, I would recomend the following operating systems, depending on exactly what you want to achieve;

    - Windows XP for User Friendly Usability
    - Windows 2000 for Development or Server Friendly Stability

    Both of the above will not degrade your Laptops performance any where near as much as the later release Microsoft OS’s (although I cannot really say much about Windows 7 as I have not tested this one yet).

    There are also several Linux options which may be suitable but the one I would recomend would be RedHat; if you did want to go through Linux. I’m not a huge fan on Linux on Clients, but it cannot be beaten for Servers.

    Anyway… I am a consultant here in New Zealand for several medium to large sized businesses. I get paid for my opinion so I am sorry if the above recommendations seem overly opinionated… Force of habit

43. Joshua Lindsey February 4th, 2009 at 1:30 pm 43

    Why don’t you get a MacBook Air Veronica?

44. Francis February 4th, 2009 at 1:57 pm 44

    Creating a bootable ubuntu usb key is as simple as 3 clicks. I’d explain how to do it, but the lovely duo of Patrick & Roger have covered it on the last Systm.

    Try a full, unremixed version of Ubuntu 8.10 (up to kernel 2.6.27.9 …. as 11 seems to be buggy) It should run just fine. Install awn (avant window navigator) to get a familiar MAC like dock. Then install screelets to get some desktop widgets.

    In theory, all drivers should work out of the box. the guys at Linux Action show and Linux-Journal did an install and it works great.

    Good luck & welcome to Linux. lol.

45. GRiZZ February 4th, 2009 at 3:19 pm 45

    Ah, I’d personally be scared to pay for anything but XP right now. But thanks for the thoughts! It looks so sleek. I really wish I could compare the HP mini and the Dell mini. Have you played around with the Dell netbook at all?

46. David February 4th, 2009 at 3:26 pm 46

    Thanks for the review of MIE.

    It is very disappointing to hear about some of the issues. It seems like a great idea but executed poorly. The lack of thumbnails would drive me nuts. After all some of the appeal of the MIE is its great looking UI.

47. cacarr February 4th, 2009 at 3:44 pm 47

    “If not then well you should try getting it Hackintosh’d as I did with my MSI Wind which runs beautifully with Leopard.”

    I think I know the real reason why there is, as yet, no Apple netbook: OSX’s UI is really not all that great with a 10″ screen. Apps will often open taller than the vertical resolution of the screen, window resizing in OSX can be a pain, etc.

    The Win7 window snapping feature is nice on the little screen, and in general, it just makes better use of limited real estate.

    And FWIW, I’ve only a gig of RAM in my S10 (but can add another) and Win7 runs just fine — faster than my Mint installation if I’ve a bunch of Compiz effects enabled.

48. David February 4th, 2009 at 3:58 pm 48

    And for all the people saying, “I don’t understand why you wont install OS X”

    Thats because its illegal to do so!!!!!

    When you work in the industry and lots of people know you, doing something illegal isn’t very bright.

    Go with win 7 I installed it on my UMPC and it ran like a champ.

49. Ralph Romanelli February 4th, 2009 at 4:01 pm 49

    Hi Veronica,

    Install Windows 7 Beta then install Ubuntu via WUBI inside Windows 7. I just started testing this on a desktop computer.

50. Kevin Yeaux February 4th, 2009 at 4:04 pm 50

    Hey V…

    yeah, this isn’t representative of Linux… more of some issues with HP’s software, bult on top of Linux.

    As for other OSs, Ubuntu NE is a good idea, as a volunteer for openSUSE, I’d recommend openSUSE (openSUSE.org)… which is a full desktop Linux-based OS.

51. Henry21 February 4th, 2009 at 4:25 pm 51

    i have owned a net book for a while and they usually ship with ridiculous UIs.

    I would recommend looking at the Ubuntu Network remix option.

    better battery life as opposed to windows
    more hard disk space
    less vulnerability on the web

    although Linux is confusing and also many website/services do not function well at all. eg. BBC iplayer

    it may require a good play around with.

52. Mo February 4th, 2009 at 4:28 pm 52

    V! You have got to try gOS gadget edition. Its a lightweight linux netbook os based around google services with native support for google gadgets. I’ve been using it, and totally love it. I am a self admitted gWhore though. I dont know how you feel about google svcs but being that you are so completely awesome Im sure you love them too!

    http://www.thinkgos.com/gos/index.html

    1st time comment. Love your work

53. devmod February 4th, 2009 at 6:07 pm 53

    Hello there, I think pretty much all linux distros bundled in with netbooks will suck…

    I got the same laptop last week but days after I changed my mind and exchanged it for an Asus eee Pc 1000h (Bigger hd, battery)

    Did you get the one with SSD?

    Regarding what linux distro to use, I think it depends a lot on what are you going to be using the laptop for… If you just want to play around with the coolest and latest I would say check out Moblin alpha release:

    http://moblin.org/documentation/getting-started-guides/test-drive-moblin

    or the soon to be released Jolicloud.

    If you want something stable, then I would go with Ubuntu 8.10 or XUbuntu 8.10 (for a much lighter/speedy Window Manager.) You might have to do a little tweaking to get all the hardware working but there is plenty of guides on line on this matter.

    I am currently dual booting Windows XP and Ubuntu 8.10 and have not run into any trouble. If I have some time on the near future I plan to experiment with OSX (Can you say mac lover ) to fill in that gap Steve has left on my gadget line up…

    Any particular reason why you chose HP Mini? I had a very hard time deciding on a netbook, so many choices!

    Regards

54. Daniel Brusilovsky February 4th, 2009 at 6:43 pm 54

    I recently bought the Wind U100-279US 10-Inch netbook, and thankfully Windows XP came on it. My only issue is the trackpad. Since I have a MacBook Pro (latest generation), I’m used to not having the bar, so having to click extra hard isn’t something I’m used to. We’ll see how it goes! Great post, Veronica.

55. Scott Pantall February 4th, 2009 at 6:54 pm 55

    Maybe it’s just me, but it seems backwards to lock down your options on a Linux operating system. That makes me sad.

56. Ray February 4th, 2009 at 9:55 pm 56

    I was considering getting one of these with Linux, but seems like the MIE needs a little work. Kind of surprised because I use Linux on several of my machines and it is very stable.

    My old 15″ P4 Laptop has Fedora 10 on it and I use it everyday for work.

    I think you should try installing Ubuntu. I would be interested to see how a regular Ubuntu installation runs on Atom.

57. cacarr February 4th, 2009 at 11:42 pm 57

    Why does this show “0 comments” periodically, when I know there are over 50?

    Also, text goes away, can’t backspace… some really odd behavior with this comment system. You are having some technical difficulties. That, or it could just be Chrome. Will have to check.

58. cacarr February 4th, 2009 at 11:46 pm 58

    OK, I’ll try this again… very strange glitches here.

    I really can’t think of a reason to use regular old Ubuntu 8.10 over Linux Mint 6. Can anyone else? Mint is Ubuntu + extra goodies. If I’m missing some advantage of Ubuntu over Mint, someone should feel free to let me know.

59. JSZolliker February 5th, 2009 at 6:26 am 59

    have you tried Mac OS in the Mini Mi? I installed it on my asus eee and on a msi wind and works wonderfull!

60. Artur Paikin February 5th, 2009 at 8:03 am 60

    Mini Mi looks really great with that skin. I advice Windows 7 beta or XP. However, I advice Mac OS much more, but I do understand this is a PC

61. Al Robbins February 5th, 2009 at 8:13 am 61

    Hi, Veronica
    You might want to consider a linux distribution called PCLinuxOS. After trying probably 20 different linux flavors over a two or three year period I kept coming back to, and settled on, PCLinuxOS which never gave me any problems at all, even on a five year old laptop and a seven year old desktop. Easy installation, a great community and hassle free wireless hookup round out a great linux distribution. You can find it here: http://tinyurl.com/2ws8h5 along with download links.

62. Frankie De Soto February 5th, 2009 at 12:15 pm 62

    Hey Veronica,

    It may be possible to add MAC OSX to your netbook. I know my college professor added it to his MSI Wind and it is just like a MacBook. Ubuntu I heard is a very user friendly OS with an interface very similar to the MAC. Windows Vista will definitely slow down any netbook.

63. LinuxTipster February 5th, 2009 at 12:21 pm 63

    Why not just keep the current OS Veronica?
    You’re not restricted from getting third party apps from Ubuntu servers. Just go to System -> Administration -> Software Sources. You can add whatever repository you want.
    Ask on Ubuntu forums for more info.
    http://ubuntuforums.org/

64. Veronica February 5th, 2009 at 12:45 pm 64

    LinuxTipster – it’s not just that, there are a lot of issues that I’ve been having with MIE, some of which I brought up in the post.

65. Veronica Belmont on Her HP Mini Mi - Sad Boring Page February 5th, 2009 at 12:51 pm 65

    [...] in Uncategorized on Feb.05, 2009 Veronica Belmont goes over her experiences with her HP Mini Mi.read more | digg [...]

66. Clay McIlrath February 5th, 2009 at 2:18 pm 66

    Want the best experience, don’t bother with Windows, go with Ubuntu, or if you’ve got some free time, mix it up and turn it into a hackintosh!

67. JP February 5th, 2009 at 3:18 pm 67

    Hey V,

    Just to let you know, if it helps you can find USB images for Windows 7 on bittorrent.

    I’d recommend either that or the Hackintosh route. Which might be easier if you’re coming from a MBP.

    Good luck!
    x

68. anon February 5th, 2009 at 7:03 pm 68

    I’ve been using Linux for a few years now, but I haven’t tried this particular spin(in fact I heard of it only an hour ago or so), but I can say a few things: 1.this is beta software, none of the pics have thus far shown the live bookmarks working correctly, 2. add your own repos(find out what distro it’s based upon[Debian, or Fedora most likely] and add their repos-this should given you a much larger number of apps; if you’re comfortable at the terminal you can always build what you want, but dependencies can be a pain), 3. try Ubuntu Netbook Remix–I had it installed on my Aspire One for awhile and really liked(very nice looking, easy to use, and has the Ubuntu repos– I only stopped using it because I wanted to run something trimmer and I pretty much only use Gnome-Do(similar to Quicksilver but with plugins that allow it to do many, many things) to launch apps).
    Best of luck!

69. Felipe February 5th, 2009 at 8:34 pm 69

    I’m running both Win 7 and Ubuntu 8.10 on my spare PC (a Dell M2010). Win 7 has been a wonderful experience so far, is way snappier than vista and it has worked “out of the box” perfectly.
    Ubuntu is great because is just so customizable (www.gnome-look.org-> there, I’ve just taken at least 12 hours of your life that you’re going to spend downloading and tweaking with themes, wallpapers and icons for Ubuntu), and it also works great out of the box.
    I really think that both are fantastics OSs, but I would reccomed Ubuntu or UNR since you’re going to use that netbook for a long time, and the win 7 beta will expire later and you’ll probably have to reinstall and backup your data.

70. WazNeeni February 6th, 2009 at 2:37 am 70

    Check this out, VB.

    http://community.winsupersite.com/blogs/paul/archive/2009/02/05/windows-vista-on-a-netbook-looking-good.aspx

    Paul Thurrott just put W7 on a netbook (1.6 Atom & 1.5 GB RAM) and it runs great. I’m running W7 on my desktop w/ only 1 GB RAM, and I love it. And if I had a 16 GB SSD on my netbook (I only have 8GB; 16 is min.), I’d run it there, too.

    Along w/ XP & W7, I’m also tripple-booting w/ Ubuntu on my desktop. I’ve installed it a number of times, but I’ve never been able to use Linux on any regular basis. Due to what I use a computer for on a daily basis, Linux is almost more trouble than it’s worth. At least for a full-time OS. I *NEED* iTunes, so I can’t avoid using Windows or Mac. As a toy, Linux is fine.

    As for the ISO issues, can’t you just use Daemon Tools Lite (http://www.daemon-tools.cc/downloads) to mount the ISO, then just copy the files over to the thumb drive? Or, just borrow a USB DVD drive. Maybe send Paul a tweet (http://twitter.com/thurrott) and ask how he did it. Then tell me, because my Acer came w/ restore disks, but then didn’t include instructions on how to do a restore w/o a drive to out the disks in.

    jbh

71. Mark February 6th, 2009 at 3:41 am 71

    I was able to install Windows 7 on a Asus 900HA, worked flawlessly. I am passing on the 900HA and upgrading and plan to preorder this little gem.

    http://www.amazon.com/10-Inch-Netbook-Processor-Bluetooth-Battery/dp/B001QTXL82/ref=sr_1_3?ie=UTF8&s=electronics&qid=1233608330&sr=8-3

72. eric f. February 6th, 2009 at 7:19 am 72

    Wow. an OS that only let’s you install approved apps? It’s like this thing comes with it’s own IT guy saying “no”.

73. Travis February 6th, 2009 at 7:57 am 73

    If you can’t get Windows 7 running well, I wouldn’t rule out trying the regular Ubuntu Desktop (currently 8.10 http://www.ubuntu.com/getubuntu/download ). It’s probably just as easy to use as the Network Remix, and may give you more functionality if you need it. I’ve never used the Network Remix so I don’t know this for sure, but my point is that using Ubuntu is quite simple. Interface-wise, it’s not all that different from what you are used to in Windows or OS X.

74. Andy February 6th, 2009 at 10:00 am 74

    Great rundown! My Mini 1000 just shipped today, so I was anxious to hear your thoughts about the O.S.

    A number of people have told me that if you can mount the Windows 7 ISO image, you should be able to run the installer without a bootable USB. As long as you choose a clean install, it will copy the install files before rebooting the system.

    I have not done this myself, but it sure would save a few steps if it’s true. If you try it, post your findings.

    Love Tekzilla. Thanks for sharing.

75. Tore February 6th, 2009 at 11:43 am 75

    You may try Windows 7 first, but lack of drivers and some issues installing it after a Linux install (Partition problems)
    Windows 7 is light on resources (vs Vista) and looks nice…

    But how about a standard Ubuntu 8.10 install, I think that may work perfect…

    Ive used the last couple of days trying to get some sort of OS into my laptop, XP was buggy, Ubuntu didnt support my GPU, and now problems with installing Windows 7…

    Love from Norway
    Tore

76. thecrane February 6th, 2009 at 12:20 pm 76

    Seeing that kiwi there warms my Kiwi/NZ heart!

77. Blaine February 6th, 2009 at 1:36 pm 77

    Saw this and was reminded of this post.
    http://linux.slashdot.org/article.pl?sid=09/02/06/177231&from=rss

    Also, I use Ubuntu on several systems, including Ubuntu Netbook Remix on my netbook (it’s decent when compared to “real” Ubuntu), and I really like it for day-to-day usage and programming. The key thing with Ubuntu Netbook Remix is to take it off the “netbook interface” and switch it to standard Ubuntu.

    Enjoy!

    -Blaine

78. Robert February 6th, 2009 at 1:41 pm 78

    Interesting, I just heard about HP’s netbook release today and someone posted a link to your blog entry here:

    http://www.downloadsquad.com/2009/02/04/hp-releases-netbook-interface-for-ubuntu/

    Mandriva (http://www.mandrivalinux.com) is apparently coming out with their own netbook distribution, which supposedly loads remarkably fast (http://www.liliputing.com/2008/09/mandriva-mini-another-custom-linux-distro-for-netbooks.html). However, it seems first destined for preloading on machines. I suspect it will find its way into the wild as soon as the machines make their way onto people’s desks.

    In the meantime, I hear Mandriva One seems to work well on netbooks – I have used it often on laptops / desktops and it does an excellent job with hardware detection. The user interface is well-put-together and simple to use, with a launcher positioned similarly to Microsoft’s Start button.

    Enjoy!

79. Jason February 6th, 2009 at 1:48 pm 79

    The app installer that you have a screenshot of looks like ubuntu’s standard distro app manager. It is very possible that HP modified the valid distro sources to use only their approved software.

    If this is the case it should be fairly easy to modifiy the authroized repositories list file.

    This link may help with your app situation:
    https://help.ubuntu.com/community/Repositories/Ubuntu

    Hope it helps

80. Jack February 6th, 2009 at 6:12 pm 80

    Horrible review. You must be working for Microsoft. Most of this is dead wrong. I didn’t experience any of these issues you claim. There are a TON of problems with every Microsoft Netbook on the market directly related to Microsoft’s operating system design. For instance have you tried getting anything installed? You can’t. There is not CD-ROM drive on these netbooks. That basically means the cost skyrockets. plus, you end up having to pay for hundreds of dollars more for software that doesn’t work well on them. These systems aren’t designed for bloatware. They can’t handle it. You need something like GNU/Linux just to get them to work right.

81. Jack February 6th, 2009 at 6:15 pm 81

    Another thought. Microsoft Windows on any Netbook is a nightmare.

82. ArtInvent February 6th, 2009 at 7:52 pm 82

    That is a VERY cool skin on the cover.

    It looks like you are running the basic application manager found in the main menu, which on Ubuntu is a much cut-down affair. Whatever version of Linux you try, you ought to instead figure out how to install and run Synaptic, which is the full software package manager for Ubuntu. You’ll have to learn a little about enabling repositories and other Linux basics, but it’s not that difficult, and you will be able to install tens of thousands of Linux programs. Once you add the official repository for Boxee in Synaptic, you ought to be able to just install it with a click or three.

83. NeuroMan42 February 6th, 2009 at 11:07 pm 83

    I use a great Gelaskin for my laptop. I also purchases some framed artwork from them.

84. Aronzak February 6th, 2009 at 11:59 pm 84

    Yeah, I had heard a lot of people expecting MIE to be brilliant, but it seems fairly weak. You have a few options. First, if you have a rescue system, go ahead and change as much as you like. I think it is possible to install boxee, once you get access to the real dpkg/APT installation system.

    Also, you could just get a fresh version of Ubuntu. That seemed to work fairly well on an eeepc I tried it on, and is extremely flexible.

85. Veronica February 7th, 2009 at 12:29 am 85

    Yes, Jack, you’re right. I work for Microsoft. And that’s EXACTLY why I recommended Ubuntu Netbook Remix as an alternative to MIE. Did you even read my post?

86. Albert B February 7th, 2009 at 3:46 am 86

    great skin

87. Ubuntube February 7th, 2009 at 6:44 am 87

    @Jack, wow you outed Veronica…

    anywayyyyyy, seeing that this set up is so new you may want to still with straight Ubuntu for netbook. Probably less buggy and outdated.

88. GRiZZ February 7th, 2009 at 9:06 am 88

    Hahaha. LOL @ last post by V.

89. Felipe Figueroa February 8th, 2009 at 4:40 pm 89

    With any Linux distro, I would reccomend the new Gnome Do ver 0.8, which includes a really cool dock bar. I was skeptical at first of depending too much on the keyboard and not so much on the mouse/touchpad, but only after a couple of days of using it I’m in love with the app. You summon it, and then you type the name of whatever app or thing you want to do. The beautiful thing it’s that it never really takes you more than 3-4 keystrokes to launch the app you want.
    I think it would be perfect for your netbook, since touchpad real state is really scarce in all of them.

90. Aj February 9th, 2009 at 10:37 am 90

    Ronnie, why are you responding to crazy people? You’re obviously working for the government… of Sweden.

    Anyway, I’d go with Ubuntu Netbook Remix. I prefer a linux distribution on low-powered machines because they tend to manage limited resources better, and linux software tends not to be bloated = swooosh. Also, Jaunty Jakalope comes with ext4, and there are reports of epic write performance on ssd, and not too bad read performance either.

91. Zadi February 9th, 2009 at 10:59 pm 91

    It’s perfect. Love it — and the kiwi is especially cute!

92. twistyroads February 11th, 2009 at 1:51 am 92

    Another vote to slap OS X on that baby and be done with it!!!!

    

93. Arthur Nicolas February 11th, 2009 at 8:56 am 93

    Have you tried the new Developer Studio 2010? I haven’t yet the time actually, however I did download it onto my computer, the build instructions are very complicated. What else I visited my sister the other day (she’s my favorite sister actually I have two). Well I’ve got to wait for my brother who gets back from work in 7 hours from now.

94. Arthur Nicolas February 11th, 2009 at 11:30 am 94

    Did you know that I’m currently single now?

95. Fitzgerald February 12th, 2009 at 7:56 am 95

    Windows?? that’s horrible.

96. Chamitha February 12th, 2009 at 5:55 pm 96

    I don’t know about mini.. but I can tell about the OS. Windows 7 RocX.. I got a beta key from microsoft and installed it.. Even though it’s a beta, trust me, it is far smoother than Vista and I still didn’t find a reason to complain 7 as for a beta, it’s more than someone could expect.. (but tht’s for a beta, ok.. mind you, still it’s not done – so there are errors.)

    On the other hand, there was a time I loved Ubuntu and I used it for some time too.. To be frank, it is kewl for a hobbyist to play around, but.. well.. Though linux core is rock solid, i didn’t find the GUI versions so, ’cause they do not behave as sometimes they are supposed to..

    But i’ve read online that some people have successfully installed Mac OS in their minis so you can consider that as an option ‘cuase afaik u are a apple fan girl..

    But if I were you, I’d wait for windows 7.. I’m already in love with it..

97. George February 13th, 2009 at 5:54 am 97

    Hmmm, I wish to install XP on my Eee. I have tried everythingbut my friend has offered to try for me using a guide we found. If this works I’ll share it with you, if not possibly a Tekzilla episode on it.

98. Sylvain February 13th, 2009 at 12:28 pm 98

    Now that you’ve installed Windows 7, I hope you’ll be writing about your experience on your blog.

99. Betty February 15th, 2009 at 3:53 pm 99

    OMG! I love the Gelaskin! Was thinking of getting a Mini, looking at everyone’s experience w/it. Thanks for the review.

100. Charles February 15th, 2009 at 7:51 pm 100

     @Veronica:

     I recomend you try the regular full version of Ubuntu for a better experience than the netbook remix. Also you could try Xubuntu (regular ubuntu with a faster and lighter GUI).

     Let us fans know what OS you decided at the end!

101. WanderingMexiCan February 19th, 2009 at 11:30 am 101

     Thank you for the appraisal of the HP Mini Mi. I’ve been lusting after that thing since its reveal last fall but wanted someone to do a review first before laying down some cash; my trepidation was due to poor reviews of netbooks as ’severely’ underpowered. Plus, I was hoping Apple might reveal their answer to netbooks at MacWorld.

     Please continue to update us on your experience. As for form factor, your critique reinforces my assumption that it the best in its category (and the sexiest, excluding Sony $1K non-netbook netbook).

102. WanderingMexiCan February 19th, 2009 at 11:33 am 102

     Don’t give up on Linux. I’ve been playing with different flavors for over a year via Fusion and think it has come along way to being more consumer friendly.

     However, I would love someone to attempt to develop an easy install Hackintosh version. As you probably know, there are already ones for the MSI Wind netbook and some Dell netbooks.

103. Kate February 23rd, 2009 at 8:36 pm 103

     Hi Veronica! how it is going with your mini?

     A recomendation for the OS: instead of Ubuntu netbook remix try Linux Mint.

     Linux Mint is based on Ubuntu (same core components), but is faster smaller installed (3GB vs 6GB) and already has codecs for multimedia and flash installed. Also on my personal opinion it is easier to use.

104. MildlyAmused March 3rd, 2009 at 8:09 pm 104

     Hey,
     Found you through twitter…don’t ask. It was like “Seven Degrees of Separation” only by clicking avatars.

     Anyhoo, I really like the look and feel of these new mini-notebooks. I blog and write and browse the internet and have been giving my husband “buy me laptop” thought transmissions. Is there anyway to convince him that these are worth it?

     Working in the computer industry, he’s being ridiculously snobbish about its lack of CD/DVD drive. I want something I can toss in my purse though. Any small-ish notebooks you’d recommend?

     Thanks if you got this far in reading. That was a tad long-winded.

105. Ruddster March 11th, 2009 at 4:19 pm 105

     I got my Mini last week. I used MIE for about 10 minutes and couldn’t take it anymore. I installed Linux Mint after reading the above comments. Mint was great (all the codecs installed, nice looking, easy to use). But as a long time Ubuntu fan, I had to install Ubuntu Netbook Remix to give it a try. I’m diggin’ the netbook interface. With such a small trackpad and limited desktop space on the Mini, the netbook interface makes everything very easy to access. Also, my UNR install was 2GB and the Linux Mint install was 3GB. So, UNR saved me a little harddrive space as well.

     Ubuntu Rocks!!

106. Arthur Nicolas March 12th, 2009 at 10:30 am 106

     Well apart from almost passing out from the unparsed, unfiltered requests sql has in the source, (doesn’t matter windows, linux, or macintosh), I’ve just been working out. Undocumented overwrites are part of the web cache and the more there are faster sql’s web cache goes. I’ve been working out the maximum number of verified web basis functions this can be written and read to and from on the cache (part of some linear algebra work I did years back in academia) to verify get, post, and cookie requests. I’d better limit the dimensionality of this 1 on 1 web space to 30 hops right? Well talk to you later.

107. Rob March 22nd, 2009 at 9:41 am 107

     Hey Veronica, I am planning on buying a HP mini and can’t decide whether or not to get the 3 or 6 cell battery. Do you find yourself wishing you had the 6 cell or do you find the 3 cell to be sufficient? Thanks

108. Veronica March 22nd, 2009 at 1:37 pm 108

     I do wish I had the 6 cell (just because it would have been nice to have the option when I bought mine) but the battery has been doing a lot better since I switched to Windows 7. The power consumption is just more efficient.

109. Mia Spool August 21st, 2009 at 7:59 pm 109

     I read thru all your comments. Need some advice:
     I am buying this mini for a 58 yr old family member who wants to use is for email and photos.
     HP Mini Mi vs HP Mini with XP
     or the Dell Mini

     Would appreciate your advice.

     Thanks – Mia