Asus eeePC with Windows XP
Earlier this week, Best Buy started carrying the Asus eeePC with Windows XP Home installed. Mine arrived yesterday (no suprise there, eh?) and I have been having some fun with it.
The original eeePC had a 4gb flash memory drive and came with a flavor of Linux. Those are still available, are speedy little items, and come with a nice suite of office, creative, and educational applications.
The Windows XP Home version, at the same $399 price point, comes with Microsoft Works 9 in addition to the default Windows operating system applications. Since the Windows OS is larger and uses up a substantial portion of the 4gb hard drive, I had to make some application decisions since I was planning to use this device as a traveling and presentation device. I deleted the Windows Live applications and Microsoft Works, and installed PowerPoint XP (I figured it was smaller than the current versions) and some really old, tiny versions of FTP software and HTML editing software which will do what I need them to do while on the road. I also installed a very old version of Paint Shop Pro which will give me the capability to do image editing if need be.
As for new apps, I installed Skype and Trillian, AVG antivirus, and MS ActiveSync for my Treo.
When I am in a networked environment, I can use all the great Web 2.0 apps for everything from databases to full image editing. I just wanted to make sure I had the things handy I needed when not on a network. In addition, I loaded up a USB flash drive with PortableApps (http://portableapps.com/) so I also have access to some versions of pieces of software that run directly off the Flash drive. Using the SD slot to house a card for storing files, I still have 1/4 of the drive free for future needs.
For schools thinking about purchasing the eeePC, you will want to talk to your tech gurus to find out the feasability of Windows XP Home in a server/domain environment and also consider the Linux version of the device if there is a client that will work on your network. For me, it is nice to have the familiar XP environment, but the suite of apps on the Linux version would be nice to have for students.
If you have any questions, feel free to write!
The original eeePC had a 4gb flash memory drive and came with a flavor of Linux. Those are still available, are speedy little items, and come with a nice suite of office, creative, and educational applications.
The Windows XP Home version, at the same $399 price point, comes with Microsoft Works 9 in addition to the default Windows operating system applications. Since the Windows OS is larger and uses up a substantial portion of the 4gb hard drive, I had to make some application decisions since I was planning to use this device as a traveling and presentation device. I deleted the Windows Live applications and Microsoft Works, and installed PowerPoint XP (I figured it was smaller than the current versions) and some really old, tiny versions of FTP software and HTML editing software which will do what I need them to do while on the road. I also installed a very old version of Paint Shop Pro which will give me the capability to do image editing if need be.
As for new apps, I installed Skype and Trillian, AVG antivirus, and MS ActiveSync for my Treo.
When I am in a networked environment, I can use all the great Web 2.0 apps for everything from databases to full image editing. I just wanted to make sure I had the things handy I needed when not on a network. In addition, I loaded up a USB flash drive with PortableApps (http://portableapps.com/) so I also have access to some versions of pieces of software that run directly off the Flash drive. Using the SD slot to house a card for storing files, I still have 1/4 of the drive free for future needs.
For schools thinking about purchasing the eeePC, you will want to talk to your tech gurus to find out the feasability of Windows XP Home in a server/domain environment and also consider the Linux version of the device if there is a client that will work on your network. For me, it is nice to have the familiar XP environment, but the suite of apps on the Linux version would be nice to have for students.
If you have any questions, feel free to write!
Labels: Asus EeePC, Kathy Schrock
posted by Kathy Schrock at 9:21 AM
11 Comments:
I love these EeePC's we have been piloting them in a fifth grade classroom. We use the Linux and do not have them networked but the kids love them. Skype, Blogging and iGoogle for the morning activities have made them a big hit with the students. Their teacher is very interesting in putting technology into the hands of his students!
I'm considering purchasing an EeePC to help with my class podcast (wwww.portableradio.ca). Any thoughts on using Audacity on these machines? Are the built in speakers loud enough for a noisy classroom? I know it's included with portableapps.
We'd be plugging in USB headphones, mikes, voice recorders.
Nathan Toft
Grade 5/6 teacher
Ottawa, Canada
Loved to know more about how people are using them in elementary classrooms. We are considering them as replacements for a combination of Alphasmarts (1:1) and class carts of Macs (shared among several classes).
My impression (I've been exploring one myself) is that they will work fine for Web, email, writing, but I'm a bit worried about other sorts of projects --- film, comics, etc --- that we do so well on the Macs.
Nathan,
I was easily able to install Audacity on the machine with plenty of room to spare (I think it would be slow via portable apps for the younger students) and I used a Logitech USB mic, and all worked great! I still have a gig on the "hard drive" so that would be enough room for editing purposes of the audio files. The internal speakers are plenty loud for playback while working on the files, and the headphone jack allows for external speakers for large group listening.
Kathy
Monica,
I would never say that the eeePC can replace the "final production machine" for video editing and graphic production. Just the screen size alone would be a deterrent to that, as well as the slower processor, minimal supplied RAM, and very small internal drive size.
However, in conjunction with a USB flash drive and/or and SD card, students could collect the things they need from the Web, get their text done in a word processor, image-edit using an image editor, audio-edit using Audacity, and get everything ready to import into a full-blown video-editing solution on the Mac or Windows computer.
I am a big proponent of every student having access to a low-cost device with in addition to some pods of "blinged out" computers with scanners, midi keyboards, camcorders, mixers, and all the software that go along with these devices for final production purposes.
Kathy
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I am creating a scholarship program where I give seniors in high school computers for college. I am trying to figure out what my best bang for my buck is. I would like these students to have everything they need for college but I would like to minimize costs. Should I get them eeepcs and if so should I get them with windows or not? If I do get them the computers with windows installed then should I also get them an 8G USB drive?
Lily,
I do not think the eeePC can be the primary machine for a college student. It can be a great secondary machine if they have a desktop or large laptop in their room.
As far as the USB drive, I would get a 4GB SD card for in the slot to allow them to save their data, although, if they are using Google Docs, there is no need to save anything locally!
Kathy
Hello,
I am in the UK and just purchased a 4gb eeepc last weekend. Of course the first thing I did was to install windows xp on it because I do not like linux and I definitely do not like the TOYS R US operating system that is shipped with the eeepc. I appreciate that it may be good for kids, but really I am an adult and do not need to learn about science and periodic tables :)
But anyway it is a great little machine. I have since upgraded the ram to 1gb as obviously XP was a little sluggish on the included 512mb.
The eeepc is not my main machine, I do have another laptop for main use in the home, but this will definitely compliment this and I can easily move about with it. Add on the t-mobile web and walk dongle and I have full mobile broadband aswell. Great stuff
Hello,
I am searching for weeks people using the eeePc for PowerPoint Presentations. You seem to be the first person having PowerPointXp installed.
How does it work ?
Can you show presentations fast enough ?
Can a beamer easily be pluged in ?
Thank you very much,
Thomas (from Germany)
Ever since I first started using computers in the mid-eighties, I've preached the virtues of down-sized, non-power-hungry, simplified computers that meet the needs of the average non-workhorse user. Unfortunately, both salespersons and marketing appeal to the consumer's lust for more (bigger is better) go against this train of thought.
When my aging, computer illiterate father-in-law went to the store to consider a computer purchase, the salesmen treated him as if he were a fifteen-year-old schoolboy needing a powerhouse for gaming purposes. My f-i-l left the store confused... and with no computer at hand. All the high-tech goodies had scared him off. He had only wanted a simple machine which could send email and be used like a glorified typewriter. Those are the exact needs of about 30% of consumers.
Maybe Asus has finally got it right with their little eeepc! A small, easy to use, inexpensive machine that serves a purpose. It might not compete with the top-of-the-line behemoths but it does it's simple job quite well. Even the easy-to-use Linux OS is perfect for those folks not accustomed to using the more difficult Windows XP. If it had been around when my father-in-law was still alive, it would be the machine I would have pointed him towards. It's simplicity and it's low-price would have been just what he was looking for... and what would have served his needs well.
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