jkOnTheRun video- Windows XP on the HP Mini-Note
I couldn't wait for HP to release it, I had to install Windows XP on the Mini-Note to see how it runs compared to Vista. I performed a clean install of Windows XP using good instructions found on the web and it went clean and easy. In this video I show how snappy the system runs doing normal tasks like opening Microsoft Office programs, surfing the web and running the Windows Explorer. I am pleased with the performance of the Mini-Note running XP but you can judge for yourself after watching the video. Enjoy!
BTW, the Zune theme I am running can be downloaded here since I know many will ask.
Good video.
Can you tell me how much ram you have installed in this laptop?
:)
Posted by: Kevin | April 29, 2008 at 08:49 AM
He said 2GB in the video.
Posted by: Nate | April 29, 2008 at 09:11 AM
have you noticed any difference in battery life?
Posted by: GobbleDeeGook | April 29, 2008 at 10:13 AM
i can hardly wait for this to come with Isaiah/XP, it should be smoking fast then.
would definitely like to see your XP battery life impressions as well.
the Zune theme is nice, but i prefer Royale. it's basically the same high-gloss glassy bubble type look but with an electric blue color scheme.
Posted by: GOGORack | April 29, 2008 at 10:23 AM
Now James, as you reminded me, I will ask you: You DID go out an buy a *new* XP license for that install, correct?
Posted by: Mike Cane | April 29, 2008 at 10:54 AM
Doing my bit to warn the public of your extreme cruelty:
http://mikecane2008.wordpress.com/2008/04/29/james-kendrick-merciless-fiend/
Posted by: Mike Cane | April 29, 2008 at 11:10 AM
Previous to this article, you seemed to think the Mini-Note was plenty past under Vista.
Has your opinion changed?
Posted by: Nate | April 29, 2008 at 12:06 PM
I haven't been running it long enough to get a feel for battery life but will report back when I do. I expect the same as Vista, though, as that's been my experience on just about every system.
Mike Cane, I have a MSDN subscription which lets me download OSes for testing purposes. :)
Nate, I want to make clear that I had no problems running Vista on the HP other than video Skype failure. That doesn't negate the fact that XP is just so much faster.
Posted by: James Kendrick | April 29, 2008 at 12:37 PM
>>>Mike Cane, I have a MSDN subscription which lets me download OSes for testing purposes. :)
Dammit! I forget all you fiends have loopholes!!
Posted by: Mike Cane | April 29, 2008 at 01:22 PM
Never underestimate the power of the uber-geek. :)
Posted by: James Kendrick | April 29, 2008 at 01:40 PM
Good. Thanks, JK.
I finally pulled the trigger on one of these badboys last night. When I saw that you put XP on the thing, my heart sank.
The price of these things can get out of hand quickly once you start talking OS changes. It starts to negate a large chunk of the appeal of these systems.
Posted by: Nate | April 29, 2008 at 02:40 PM
Did XP recognize the internal wireless card? That's my only concern with performing the downgrade on my 2133.Or did HP have a driver available on their site? Thanks.
Posted by: Jason Venezia | April 29, 2008 at 03:02 PM
Jason, the instruction I linked to has all of that information including a zip file with all the drivers you need to get started.
Posted by: James Kendrick | April 29, 2008 at 03:17 PM
It would be nice to see how quickly the 2133 wakes up from a 'lid opening'. Portable devices like this really seem to suffer from a lack of nearly immediate accessibility. If you have to wait ~7 seconds every time you open the device, it's a huge barrier to using it as much as you'd like.
Posted by: Jeff | April 29, 2008 at 03:49 PM
Hi Guys,
I have an HP 2710p and just purchased a brand new Lenovo X61s through Lenovo clearance. It has the 1.8Ghz processor, 4GB RAM, Bluetooth and AGN Wifi. I paid $793 including tax and shipping. I really like the Mini-note and would like to order one but it seems silly because the X61s is a second computer and so much faster than the Mini-note. What would you do? Thanks.
Posted by: Matt | April 29, 2008 at 08:04 PM
there should be a difference in battery life especially on lowend devices, as Vista is much more taxing on the CPU & GPU causing them to use more power.
if you just sit idle alot it wont make a huge difference but if you actually use your PC for multiple serious tasks it will.
Posted by: Gunko | April 30, 2008 at 10:28 AM
Hey JK, Nice review.
After reading your review, I would like to ask about your suggestion. I am struggling between the upcoming EeePC 900 XP version and The MiniNotes $749 version. If Mininotes is the case, I would install Windows XP on it.
Which one should I buy?
Posted by: Sean | April 30, 2008 at 06:23 PM