Windows on Eee PC
November 29th, 2007 | 
Author: I really like the Eee, but I felt really frustrated by the lack of webcam support. It’s a shame that Pidgin does not support video because I was really psyched to use the webcam. Why? The webcam on the Eee is excellent. I have owned a few webcams and never have I had one that worked as well. I would always look to dark and had to practically sit under a flood light to be seen. Yes I am dark skinned, but come on. I tested the Eee webcam in just regular light and immediately I could actually see myself. I had read that there is now an update (beta) for Skype that supports the Eee webcam. I read the instructions on installation and it just seemed too intricate. So I instead I installed Windows XP Professional. I chose the Professional version because that was all I had on had that included SP2. Installation went smoothly and without any incident. Since I had an external CD/DVD drive I simply followed the instructions included in the user guide. I was concerned that Windows would run slowly, but it doesn’t. I then installed Yahoo Messenger. Before I knew it I was broadcasting my video to my daughter. The only other programs I installed were Open Office and Google Talk. Anything thing else I will run from either a SD card or flash drive. I feel bad in a way because I gave up so quickly on Linux. I may decide to go back to it, but I doubt it.
Posted in Devices
Ellen:
You didn’t give up on Linux. You gave up on the EEE’s Linux distribution. There’s no guilt in that! You gave it a shot, which is more than most people can say.
FWIW, I think there is a camera plugin for Pidgin in the pipe. Maybe once that’s released, we’ll see you back on the FOSS side.
Thanks Andrew for making me feel better. I think if Pidgin does support video I will try again. BTW what does FOSS stand for?
Ellen
Free (as in “libre”)
Open
Source
Software
I’ve been seriously considering the Asus eee as a traveling blogging tool to use with the Fujitsu S510 scanner, I run Linux as my main OS, but the scanner requires Windows so I will have to install XP like you did.I am working on a blog based academic project and would like to be able to take my working library with me on trips. I’m also considering the Samsung Q1 Ultra with XP, because you say it works really nice as a reader. I’m not sure I’d be happy with the Q1 for months at a time as my only machine.My plan is to brew my own e-books by cutting the backs off and scanning them to PDF. It sounds like the Adobe 8 Standard that comes with the Fujitsu sheet fed scanner will give me the scaling options I’d need to make the resultant files readable on the 7 inch screens or alternately on a slightly smaller screen like the Sony or other reader of similar size, like the Bookeen. I’m coming to the US from Australia in Feb via Hong Kong and may be able to buy one of the new Chinese Hanlin readers on the way in.The Q1 could be both my reader and computer according to your experiences and any advice would be appreciated. Your blog is really helpful for what I am trying to do. A real user orientation like Jerry Pournelle.
Igude,
I was able to install WinXP Pro effortlessly on my Eee PC. Then I tried to install Windows on my daughter’s. It was impossible. I tried everything. I plan to write this up later this week for the blog. I read on the Eeeuser.com forum that there are a quite a few people having problems installing Windows. You may want to check out that site for more info on user experience. I also wouldn’t want to type extensively on the Eee. And while they are both 7″ screens, I feel like I can see more on the Q1. Also you may want to consider getting more RAM. If it were me, I would chose the Q1 for what you are planning to do. Here’s my list of whys:
1. Storage: After Win installed on the Eee, I had just over 2GB left. And this was a slimmed down Windows not a full install. I added a 8GB SDHC card and I run portable apps. On the Q1B that I have I get 40GB and I run full windows.
2. Reading Ebook is better on the Q1. The Q1 screen has rotation and you can re map the keys. Since I like reading in Portrait mode, this is a plus. I have done this with FB reader on the Eee when I ran Xandros on it. I also saw on the Win Xp Pro install that there was an option to rotate. I haven’t tried it yet. The thing is that I felt kinda dorky reading on the Eee turned on its side and I kept pushing keys by mistake.
3. Typing: The Q1 has a touch screen and you can get better handwriting recognition software. I really like using One Note on the Q1. So this gives to another option other than the virtual keyboard. I also bought a mini usb keyboard with full size keys and love it. You could also get a roll up keyboard or bluetooth. The Eee does not have bluetooth built in.
4. Heat and Battery: The Q1 is so quiet. It doesn’t heat up at all. The Eee is also quiet, but it does get warm. As far as battery life. I get a good hour more on the Q1 than the Eee. Your experience may be different.
My only regret with getting the Q1B is that it doesn’t have a memory card slot. I believe all the other models do.
Hope this Helps,
Ellen
Igude,
More one thing. I wish I could go along with you just to pick up one of those Hanlins!
Ellen
Sorry I missed your extensive and helpful replies. I’m happy with my purchase today of the eee – it will do to start and I need some experience and this was the cheapest way to begin. I find the Samsung attractive but I am pretty sure they not available here and so unsupported. That means sending it back to the US if it needs repair. I will look for the Hanlin’s in HK and let you know what I find. The are bringing out a big one like the size of the iliad which you don’t particularly like. I would have thought the big screen helpful but it could just be awkward to hold.