Which Netbook should I purchased?

[luvtwotrvl]

Hello,

I need some info on an Netbook. Should I get one with Windows XP or Windows 7 Starter? I have heard that Window OS are very slow on the Netbooks. Are should I get a Netbook with Linux OS. I mainly what to use the Netbook checking email and storing my pictures while I am traveling. Any info is greatly appreciated. Thanks in advance.

 

 

David

[dileep]

I have an Acer Netbook with Windows 7 Starter and it works just fine. I bought it a year ago for $300 at Costco.

[awboater]

Any netbook is going to be slow on Windows.

 

I have an Acer Aspire One as well, bought it for $250 in late 2009. It's a bit older, so it runs Win XP.

 

I am dual-booting with Windows XP and Ubuntu Linux. You can can download Ubuntu to a thumb drive and test it out by booting from that drive before making the commitment to install it on the hard drive.

 

I eventually changed the hard drive to a 500gb drive so I would have two separate partitions (windows and Ubuntu).

 

And if you go Ubuntu, I have been successful in getting Skype, Firefox, Thunderbird, and even Google Earth to run. Now days, there are Linux versions for all of those apps. Skype is a bit quirky but you can get it to run with a quick trick.

 

Anyhoo, I also am running Gimp on Ubuntu, which is a free-ware graphics program. You can get Gimp in Windows, Mac, or Linux versions. I use the Linux version, and it runs quite fast under Ubuntu, and you could do photo editing if you wanted.

 

Also, I have another Windows free-ware photo program; FSViewer, which I was able to run under WINE (Windows Emulator) under Ubuntu.

 

While the netbook is a bit of a dog under Windows, it is fast enough that you can surf the net and get email, as well as Skype - basically everything but photo editing - as it takes some CPU power to run those.

 

And if I need to photo edit - which isn't often, I can reboot into Ubuntu and run Gimp or other photo apps.

 

But if you see the need for photo apps or other intensive applications, or if you are a computer guy, you might want Linux. Otherwise Windows is going to work fine. Even though Windows is a bit slow, running either Firefox or Thunderbird is acceptable enough.

[Jade13]

I love my Acer Aspire One which I purchased in 2009. It runs on Windows XP.

[pierces]

Acer Aspire One with Windows 7 was my choice.

 

Linux is noticeably (but not night and day) faster but unless you are adept at core functions when installing programs and are patient while trying to find compatible drivers for printers and such, stick with Win 7 Starter and install Google Picasa to manage your photos while travelling. Any Linux speed advantage is quickly eaten up by waiting three months for a driver to appear for you new printer.

 

As awboater mentioned, GIMP is a powerful photo editor that is available for free and runs on Linux but again, the learning curve is significant and unless you are particularly adept at learning software usage intuitively or wish to spend hours navigating forums to pick up usage tips, Installing a copy of Photoshop Elements for emergency edits on a Win7 netbook will be a smoother ride.

 

Dave

[awboater]

pierces - have you tried Ubuntu Linux? It is highly supported and I have had no issues with any printer drivers. In fact my latest HP printer installed easier on Ubuntu than in Windows. It's a HP Photosmart Premium, and the Ubuntu even found the printer's scanner with no problem.

 

Ubuntu found the printer immediately, while I had to download a different version for Win XP on the netbook.

 

Probably depends on what version of Linux you use.

 

But granted, there is some limitation even with Ubuntu - which is why I dual boot my netbook.

[zackiedawg]

After digging through the ratings, reviews, and reliability ratings, and checking a few out in person, I ended up deciding on the Asus Eee 1005 netbook. Love the design, build-quality, size, color, and it's been bulletproof. Asus was usually falling at the tops of most lists, so I felt good about them. I chose Windows XP OS, and it runs fine. Under $300, 160GB HD, 1GB RAM (I since upgraded it to 2GB RAM). I'm surfing and responding on it right now.

[pierces]

pierces - have you tried Ubuntu Linux? It is highly supported and I have had no issues with any printer drivers. In fact my latest HP printer installed easier on Ubuntu than in Windows. It's a HP Photosmart Premium, and the Ubuntu even found the printer's scanner with no problem.

 

Ubuntu found the printer immediately, while I had to download a different version for Win XP on the netbook.

 

Probably depends on what version of Linux you use.

 

But granted, there is some limitation even with Ubuntu - which is why I dual boot my netbook.

 

Ubuntu,Debian (free copy from a Comdex booth :)) , Red Hat... been into computers for a living for the last 20 years and despite sharing many folks' desire to find something cheaper and better than Microsoft, I have finally come to the grudging conclusion that their stuff just works (ok, Windows ME was a sad exception). I have been using Win7 since first beta and have found it to be stable, fast and remarkably easy to use. I set up my netbook to dual-boot Win7 and Ubuntu to evaluate and after a month or two I just removed the Linux partition because I found myself using the Win7/Picasa combination pretty much all of the time. It's not that Linux is a bad solution, it's just that for most people it is not yet user-friendly enough for prime time. Linux servers are common, but not dominant in the business world and more so in the web server market but with a 1% share of the desktop, driver and software development will always lag. Your hiccup with XP isn't uncommon these days and will probably get worse at time passes since new development is targeting the Vista/Win7 driver system structure. (XP has been around since 2001 and mainstream support ended in early 2009.) If you haven't tried Win7 yet, I highly recommend it.

 

I view operating systems like I view cameras...use the one that works best for you and a ten-year-old model probably won't perform as well as a new one!;)

 

Dave

[awboater]

Yea - I have been a communications and computer professional for about 35 years. My degree is in Computer Science; but for the last 10 years, have specialized in real-time data acquisition systems; been there - done that - seen it all. Comdex, Interop, whatever.

 

But I retired two years ago, and glad to be out of that rat race.

 

I do have Win 7 running on my laptop, and while it is better than Vista, it's not perfect. Microsoft has long had issues bloat, and that has not changed. My netbook is a 2009 vintage and came with XP (Vista would not run well on netbooks). I am not going to spend $100 on Win 7 to upgrade the netbook to a marginally better OS.

 

At work, we had a couple servers running Red Hat about 10 yrs ago, and at that time, I could see no reason to have Linux on the desktop. I'll agree with you that historically, Linux had no business on the desktop.

 

But things do change...

 

I started using Ubuntu last year after my youngest son started using it on his Acer netbook; Ubuntu ver 10.04 LTS; which is the current Long-Term-Support version. Ubuntu brings out a new recompiled version twice a year, and a LTS version every 2 years.

 

My son is a science teacher and knows little about computers. Without any help from me, he was able to install Ubuntu. When he told me that - I initially had that "whatchutalkinaboutwillis" thought. But I was so impressed that he was able to install Linux by himself, I decided to take a fresh look at Ubuntu.

 

Well I was pretty impressed. I have seen most everything come and go over many years, but Ubuntu to me is rather unique, and perhaps it's finally at the point that can challenge Windows, at least in some areas.

 

That area is perhaps the netbook, because as we all know, netbooks are low-performance systems.

 

And what do most people use a netbook for?

 

I'd suggest primarily for web surfing and email, as it's too slow to do many things. In that regard, Ubuntu I think is ready for prime-time on netbooks, and gives you a better option for faster performance.

 

I wouldn't use Ubuntu on my main laptop system as it's fast enough for Windows. But then again, I do most of my heavy duty photo work on an iMac - which in that case, is significantly faster than my Windows 7 laptop.

 

The Linux community has learned a few things over the years. A few of those things include improved install and update utilities. These days, installing software in Ubuntu is fairly similar to a Mac, and certainly as easy as Windows. Same thing for updates - they are just as easy now on Ubuntu.

 

Or if you want even easier than Ubuntu- try Mint (which is based on Ubuntu Linux).

 

I even was able to install Nikon's ViewXN2 on Ubuntu (their free viewer supporting RAW files). And it runs fine.

 

For these reasons, Ubuntu is a viable alternative for the netbook, at least for me.

 

Here is something to make you think - Ubuntu; free, Mac OS; $29.95 - Windows 7; $100~$300 depending on if you buy a brain-dead or full version.

 

So I use three operating systems; I don't have any loyalty to any. I use what fits the best for each situation.

[awboater]

I was successful this morning installing Picasa on Ubuntu (Wine)...

[pilotdane]

I have an Asus EeePC 1015PEM netbook running Win 7 and was about to start a thread asking what photo software would be good for basic editing. Pierces mentioned Google Picasa. Are there any other recommendations?

 

 

Oh, back to the OP's question about choosing a netbook. My biggest beef with Windows 7 starter is that it will not play videos. If you move up a level you can download movies to your hard drive and watch them from your netbook on long flights or stuck in your cabin waiting out a bout with Noro.

[pierces]

 

Here is something to make you think - Ubuntu; free, Mac OS; $29.95 - Windows 7; $100~$300 depending on if you buy a brain-dead or full version.

 

OS price doesn't tell the whole story...

 

 

I'd say my over-priced software was a pretty good deal! ;)

 

Dave

[awboater]

You forgot to add a subscription to McAfee for the Windows platform... :)

 

I am not going to get into an argument about which OS is better as no one can ever come to agreement on that.

 

But lets just agree that Macs, Linux, and Windows all have their advantages. For that reason, I have 3 computers and I am using all three OSes.

 

And getting back to netbooks, whether or not you agree, Linux is an alternative that many people are using. If it's not right for you doesn't mean its not right for anyone else. And on a netbook, it's undeniable that Linux is a faster OS, and I simply have not experienced any driver issues you are mentioning.

 

As I stated above, I installed Picasa on my netbook running on Ubuntu today - and it works... and it's fast.

 

But anyone can easily find out for themselves if Ubuntu will work for them or not. Ubuntu will fit on a 4Gb USB stick, and if your computer can boot from a USB device, you can run Ubuntu without installing it on your hard drive and see for yourself it it is a viable alternative - and if you will have any driver issues. It's a no-pain, no commitment way to see if it works for you.

 

At the very least, if you decide to install Ubuntu on your hard drive, you can dual-boot a netbook as I do with Ubuntu. That way, you have the best of both worlds.

 

If you do decide to use Ubuntu, I'd recommend ver 10.04, which is the current Long-Term-Support edition, and the current edition for netbooks (the netbook version is tailored for the small screens).

[awboater]

One thing I would like to point out - my netbook is used mostly for cruises, when we travel to certain locations, or when I am staying at my vacation home (well, it's actually a boat).

 

So the netbook often sits for a month or two unused.

 

Each time I get ready to use the netbook, I have to boot into the Windows partition and load patches for the OS, updating the virus scanner, doing a virus scan, doing a spyware scan, scanning 3rd party software updates - the list goes on. I can spend several hours if the netbook has been dormant for awhile - although most of the time it's about an hour.

 

Then I usually boot into Ubuntu as well, and like Windows, there will often be a few updates. But at least they install a lot quicker and there are no virus scans to be done, so it usually only takes a few minutes to keep it up to date.

 

I am posting this for anyone considering a dedicated netbook for cruising or other occasional use, and/or dual-boot situation - you will have to spend some time keeping it up to date.

[awboater]

Dane;

 

I use paid-for apps (Lightroom and Capture NX2) for the most part, but I still do use a few free ones on occasion.

 

Gimp is good - you can get Windows, Linux, and Mac versions, and while it is a full featured editor (can't call it basic), you don't have to use all of those features. But do realize that it loads pretty slow on Windows machines if you have less powerful hardware, as it requires a lot of resources. On the other hand, it's free. It would be nice if there was a Gimp-Lite.

 

Other apps I have mentioning are more in the area of photo organization, but have basic editing features:

 

FSViewer (Windows app, but will run under Ubuntu). It's yet another freebie.

 

And some apps that come with your camera also offer some editing capability, including ViewNX 2 (Nikon) and Olympus IB. The advantage of these are that they often offer support for RAW files.

 

And Picasa that pierces mentioned (will also run under Ubuntu).

 

As these are all free (with some restrictions I suppose on the camera brand versions), you can try them all and see what you like the best.

[chipmaster]

By a netbook if cost and size are the most important thing and you'll do little more than basic stuff and web surfing. I would be suprised if you can find many / any netbooks that still offer XP.

 

For a little more $ there is wisdom in upgrading to a full fledge laptop. Get more processor power, more memory, and more HDD. Besides the additional computational power you'll find storage and overall experience/performance will be superior. IMHO 4GB, graphics card, and 500GB is a minimum, probably 499-599 depending on what form factor and CPU you get.

 

Hello,

I need some info on an Netbook. Should I get one with Windows XP or Windows 7 Starter? I have heard that Window OS are very slow on the Netbooks. Are should I get a Netbook with Linux OS. I mainly what to use the Netbook checking email and storing my pictures while I am traveling. Any info is greatly appreciated. Thanks in advance.

 

 

David

[awboater]

To be clear, Win XP came with my Netbook in late 2009. Vista didn't do so good on Netbooks, and that was before Win 7 was released - so in that time frame, Netbooks came with either Win XP or some form of Linux.

 

If you are finding a Netbook with XP on it, I'd suspect it might be an older model?

[pierces]

You forgot to add a subscription to McAfee for the Windows platform... :)

 

It was a net/net...it about the same as McAfee for the Mac!:D

 

I currently use AVG Free but have used a variety of products over the years and regular updates coupled with a little common sense has kept me from ever having a virus outbreak on my personal computer.

 

"Macs don't get viruses" is old news that needs to be updated. They do. It's just that Windows has more vulnerabilities due to the wide variety of hardware supported. Win 7 has far more restrictions than XP or Vista and the recent service pack shut down autostart from USB which was a real back door for many bad things.

 

I am not going to get into an argument about which OS is better as no one can ever come to agreement on that.

 

The best OS is the one that works for you. My leaning in my response was directed at the OP and voiced my opinion that all things being equal, Win 7 is a simpler choice for someone unfamiliar with the intricacies of computers.

 

But lets just agree that Macs, Linux, and Windows all have their advantages. For that reason, I have 3 computers and I am using all three OSes.

 

Yes they do. BUt as a long time business user and supporter (Windows), I'm just not comfortable with the Mac interface and I haven't found anything in Linux that isn't available in Windows. JMHO and anyone is free to choose what's right for them.

 

And getting back to netbooks, whether or not you agree, Linux is an alternative that many people are using. If it's not right for you doesn't mean its not right for anyone else. And on a netbook, it's undeniable that Linux is a faster OS, and I simply have not experienced any driver issues you are mentioning.

 

As of August 2010, major netbook manufacturers no longer install or support Linux in the United States. This coincides with Win 7 Starter being introduced as an alternative. If you want Linux on a Netbook from a major manufacturer, you need to DIY. Personally, I think the netbook is on it's way out with Android and Chrome OS looming on the horizon for functional tablets that have room for actual storage and can host USB drives, card readers and dock to keyboards and mice.

 

As I stated above, I installed Picasa on my netbook running on Ubuntu today - and it works... and it's fast.

 

I saw that you used Wine...here is a link to what seems to be a native version that runs without the emulator layer.

 

http://picasa.google.com/linux/thanks-deb.html

 

But anyone can easily find out for themselves if Ubuntu will work for them or not. Ubuntu will fit on a 4Gb USB stick, and if your computer can boot from a USB device, you can run Ubuntu without installing it on your hard drive and see for yourself it it is a viable alternative - and if you will have any driver issues. It's a no-pain, no commitment way to see if it works for you.

 

Again, for the average 20 year veteran of computer support or development, this is an easy way to try it out. For the average user sans the experience and tinfoil hat, it can be a bit daunting.

 

From Ubuntu's site: "In order to start the kernel after booting from the USB stick, we will put a boot loader on the stick. Although any boot loader (e.g. lilo) should work, it's convenient to use syslinux, since it uses a FAT16 partition and can be reconfigured by just editing a text file. Any operating system which supports the FAT file system can be used to make changes to the configuration of the boot loader.

To put syslinux on the FAT16 partition on your USB stick, install the syslinux and mtools packages on your system, and do: # syslinux /dev/sdX1

Again, take care that you use the correct device name. The partition must not be mounted when starting syslinux. This procedure writes a boot sector to the partition and creates the file ldlinux.sys which contains the boot loader code....."

 

At this point, my mother-in-law has just recycled her new netbook.

 

At the very least, if you decide to install Ubuntu on your hard drive, you can dual-boot a netbook as I do with Ubuntu. That way, you have the best of both worlds.

 

Feel free. If someone like yourself finds a lack of functionality in Windows, Linux is a robust way to explore other options. Since I don't have any gaps in my netbook for what I use it for, it dual-booting just adds a layer of complexity with no return. Again, I bought the netbook for simple storage, review, light editing and reorganization while traveling.

 

If you do decide to use Ubuntu, I'd recommend ver 10.04, which is the current Long-Term-Support edition, and the last edition a netbook version was made (better for the small screens).

 

Good info for those who want to try it out on their own.

 

I'm not proselytizing Windows but merely relating what I have found to be a simple solution for storage while traveling...with an emphasis on simple.

 

With that, I'll turn this thread back over to the original subject.

 

Happy computing!

 

Dave

[awboater]

Pierces; I installed Picasa 3.8 for Windows, which runs OK with Wine.

 

Picasa's native Linux version is older; ver 2.7, and it seems Google is dumping the Linux version in favor of the Windows/Wine combination for Linux users. I suppose it's easier for them to support a Windows version that will run under Wine than a true Linux version.

 

So I went with the latest version running on Wine.

 

Not sure what page you were on in Ubuntu's site, but installing is much easier. Here is the page you want:

 

http://www.ubuntu.com/download/ubuntu/download

 

It is completely windows driven (you can create the usb stick via windows), and shows screen shots of the process. Download the image via step 1, then create a usb stick via step 2 - (click on "Show me how")

 

Then once the stick is created, go into your PC's CMOS to enable booting from USB, insert the stick, reboot the machine - and presto, you are in Ubuntu.

 

Of course if you have access to an external USB CD drive, you can create a bootable CD and not need to go into CMOS.

 

Grandma might not be able to do it, but you don't need to be a techie either.

[luvtwotrvl]

By a netbook if cost and size are the most important thing and you'll do little more than basic stuff and web surfing. I would be suprised if you can find many / any netbooks that still offer XP.

 

For a little more $ there is wisdom in upgrading to a full fledge laptop. Get more processor power, more memory, and more HDD. Besides the additional computational power you'll find storage and overall experience/performance will be superior. IMHO 4GB, graphics card, and 500GB is a minimum, probably 499-599 depending on what form factor and CPU you get.

 

 

Hello Chipmaster,

I am looking at an netbook because like you said, a nice full fledge laptop is a little heavy and bigger. I know becasue I do have one and it is a pain on the back at the airport!!! I just an really not sure if the small netbook is worth buying since it is kinda limited as far as speed. I might have to carry my full fledge laptop around.

 

 

Thanks for the info.

David

[luvtwotrvl]

Keep the info coming fellow CC's. I do read every single one!!! There are a lot of good points on here and THANK YOU.

 

David

[awboater]

I am posting this as the original post did indicate possibly using Linux. In that regard, some may want to try it, and it's within that framework that I am commenting.

 

Also, if you have a CD for your computer, and if you have access to Windows 7, making a bootable CD with Ubuntu is easier than ever.

 

1. Download the image file (it will have an .ISO extension).

 

2. With a new CD in the drive, right click on the image file you downloaded, then select "Burn Disk Image". Thats it - you are done.

 

Put the CD into the computer you want to run Ubuntu on, reboot it (and hopefully you will get a prompt to boot from CD), and Ubuntu will start.

 

You should be prompted to either just run Ubuntu or install it on the hard drive. You should get this prompt with either CD or USB stick version. Of course, if you are just checking Ubuntu out, you won't want to install it on your drive (but realize that you cannot make any configuration changes).

 

It's been a year since I installed it, so I don't remember exactly the prompts, but that is about the jest of it.

 

Again, here is the link you want:

 

http://www.ubuntu.com/download/ubuntu/download

[pierces]

 

Not sure what page you were on in Ubuntu's site, but installing is much easier. Here is the page you want:

 

http://www.ubuntu.com/download/ubuntu/download

 

 

I found the previous info on help.ubuntu.com. It was a link I had from when I made a Linux boot stick for a friend a while ago. The link you sent is certainly light-years ahead of the old way and brings it into the range of the mildly adventurous!:D

 

Dave

[pierces]

I just an really not sure if the small netbook is worth buying since it is kinda limited as far as speed. I might have to carry my full fledge laptop around.

 

Don't worry about the speed. It's not really slow unless you want to do serious editing with Elements (which is not recommended and not the reason you carry a netbook). I used to carry an Epson P2000 photo storage unit that cost about $500 for 40GB of storage with a beautiful 4" screen, simple interface and card slots for CF and SD. When the next model came out, Epson stopped supporting the old model and never updated the unit to read my Sony A700 RAW files. A letter to Epson netted a suggestion to purchase the latest model for $600 to fix the problem. Prior to my next cruise, I bought my netbook and loaded Picasa. What I have now is a $300 photo viewer that loads images many times faster than the old one, has four times the storage (and can host an external drive of any capacity), a 10" screen and gets support for new formats regularly. It allows me to view the day's images, do batch renaming and organize with a real keyboard and familiar interface. It also connects easily to the ship's wireless and lets me check email and pre-compose replies to save on internet minutes. If you plan on doing real work or want to spend all your time editing your photos in the evening instead of enjoying your cruise, you'll need to get a real laptop (though you may actually need to get a real life! :D)

 

If, as you said in the original post, you want one to check email and store photos while traveling, a netbook is an excellent option.

 

Dave

[awboater]

I know I feel the same way about netbooks as pierces and perhaps others, that the #1 advantage of a netbook - and also the reason I bought mine - is portability.

 

While it might not seem that much smaller and lighter than a laptop, If you have one, you will quickly appreciate that it is.

 

Slowness is a disadvantage, but a netbook isn't trying to be a laptop. If you want to do a comparison, Netbooks should probably be compared to iPads more than notebooks.

 

The one thing you probably don't want to do is load up on the netbook with more memory and hard drive capacity as you are then quickly losing some of the price advantage. Don't try to make it run like a laptop - leave it for what it is.

 

Saying that - I did upgrade my hard drive for more storage space when I began dual-booting Ubuntu - but I got my netbook for $250, and spending another $60 for a new drive seemed cheap enough. But then I took the old drive and bought an external USB enclosure for it, so now I have a spare portable drive - so its like it didn't cost any extra.