Windows 7 on a netbook?

Associate
Joined
22 Sep 2007
Posts
2,179
Location
Abingdon
The official release of Windows 7 is around September; so you can always use the beta as a main rig (as I am for both my main laptop and netbook.) And when it comes to upgrade, I'll just need to backup both of them into my external HDD with windows backup and then I'm sure you can transfer it back into your retail copy...

Or so I hope anyway.

September maybe, but if its delayed (which is highly likely) what are folks to do in the meantime? I'm a bit surprised so many people are running out to load beta software onto their 'live' systems especially when it is effectively going to 'switch itself off' in a few months time.
 
Associate
Joined
24 Apr 2006
Posts
649
September maybe, but if its delayed (which is highly likely) what are folks to do in the meantime? I'm a bit surprised so many people are running out to load beta software onto their 'live' systems especially when it is effectively going to 'switch itself off' in a few months time.
I don't know what anyone else has for a backup plan but I've imaged my desktop's XP partition to a hidden one and installed 7. When time comes I'll just image it back, boot the windows XP recovery console and fix the boot loader.

The netbook though? It's a secondary PC to me and I don't care so much if its OS is in a constant state of flux. It only ever carries around a web browser, IM app and media I have backed up in a central location anyway.
 
Associate
Joined
28 Feb 2007
Posts
1,681
Location
York
I'm running Windows 7 on my EEE PC 900A (1.6ghz Atom with 1gb ram) and its pretty good, I've got an upgraded SSD so out of my 32GB or actual 29GB I've now got about 22GB free after installing Windows and AVG free edition.

So it took about 7Gb on mine but it can be nlited and slimed down.

Only issues I'm having is running the Asus Super Hybrid Engine for power Management as it will run but I can't seam to find who you access the profile switching.



I have a Dell Mini 9 (1.6Ghz Atom, 1Gb DDR, 8Gb SSD) currently running XP quite happily.

I have read a couple of articles now which state that Windows 7 can run quite happily on a netbook but my only concern is how much storage space it will need. I have read that it will take up 5.5Gb?

Is this viable?
 
Associate
Joined
8 Nov 2005
Posts
862
Location
London
As in mount it then install Windows 7 to replace your OS or on virtual? On VMWare, it can work but AFAIK, if it's installing it like you would do with a CD/DVD of OS software, no. USB Boot install in the next logical choice.

Actually, this will work - if you are upgrading, or installing to a spare partition.

You can mount the iso within windows, run setup and choose where to install.
It then copies the files over, and by the time it reboots you no longer need the disk.
 
Associate
Joined
10 Mar 2005
Posts
1,766
I'm posting this from my Advent 4211 (MSI Wind) with Windows 7 - runs well and everything worked out of the box (including WiFi, Bluetooth and Webcam). Only upgrade on my machine is 2GB RAM rather than original 1GB.
 
Associate
Joined
21 Oct 2008
Posts
98
Just installed Windows 7 on an NC10, it gets an overall score of 2.2

Processor:2.2
Memory:4.4 (Upgrades to corsair 2gig
Graphics 2.3
Gaming graphics 3.0 (eh?)
Primary disk 5.9 (upgraded to WD scorpian 320 7k2)

Everything except the wired networking work.
 
Back
Top Bottom