Woot : One Day, One Deal (SM)

Yeah... I don't know. $150 seems a little steep for the limited specs on this one. If it had wooted at 1/2 that, maybe. Next time, perhaps.

scarpozzi wrote:It seems that it's a mere $50 to buy a netbook that will have better options and perhaps more longevity.

I'm almost tempted to spend another $100-200 just to get more processor/battery/hard drive capacity during the initial purchase. If I'm going to pay for an OS, I'd like to buy XP. Linux is free almost anywhere. (OpenSUSE, Fedora, Ubuntu, etc)

I'd want an ATOM 1.6 with a 6 cell battery. The hard drive needs to be at least 10GB. So an 8GB SSD, MAY be large enough if you don't try to copy all your mp3s there. If you are running linux and upgrade the memory, keep in mind swap space should be configured and that's going to eat into your drive's available space.

Swap space should not be configured! It should be disabled. A swap partition on a SSD will burn through the maximum writes in a relatively short time plus the writes are sloooooooow. You are better off getting more RAM and running everything in memory.

glazedfaith wrote:Is this the model that has a removable panel on bottom to upgrade ram, or is it the older which requires total disassembly to do so?

ripprsoul wrote:1. It comes with Xandros as the default OS. There are many issues with Xandros on the 900. Firstly, there is a restore image of the OS on the SSD in addition to the working copy, leaving very little room of the drive right out of the box. So little in fact, that if you try to install the latest updates to Xandros, you will fill the drive and the updates will not install. Ubuntu NBR and Easy Peasy both work well on this netbook, and are recommended over Xandros.

The default install of Xandros was intentionally limited by ASUS via their restore system's implementation. It made use of UnionFS which made it impossible to delete or modify system files.

This limitation is easily fixed by following a few steps in the following article:
http://wiki.eeeuser.com/howto:removeunionfs

However, I personally would still recommend that people simply move over to a better distribution of GNU/Linux.

HolyMythos wrote:Does the size of the computer have any effect on it's graphic capabilities?

yes it does, this isn't a fast computer. it's capabilities are pretty limited. i'm writing from the same one here now.

wow 4g hard drive. you could doo sooo much with that. they make great door wedges!

what is the battery life on these things?

I tried google/wiki, but it listed info for all EeePCs.

My google fu is weak

I bought one back in March during the woot-off to replace my Asus 4G (same size but this one has a bigger screen, both are the Linux version). I love it, but it's not for everyone, especially those with gigantic hands. It takes some practice getting used to the tiny keyboard and I use a trackball instead of the mousepad thing. Replacing the 512 of memory with a gig or two is a cheap upgrade, but the most strenuous thing I use mine for is watching Youtube; mainly I just surf the web with it while watching TV and then use my desktop for gaming, etc.

Its about the size of a thin trade paperback, so it fits perfectly in a Maxpedition man-bag and slides easily under the seat in front of you on an airplane.

Invisiblemoose wrote:Is it possible to upgrade the SSD? Possibly to a HDD?

Why so it will run slower. I have the 900a and upgrade the SSD to a 16 gig. it is great. I run Windows 7 and all very fast. An HDD will slow things down.

vdex34 wrote:Is 4GB enough to run windows on? I may want to test windows 7 on this.

I had one of these and I sent it back. I put XP on it and keep locking up. Save your money. I bought the HP mini....love it!

xsupercat8000 wrote:I bought one of these a few months ago. The 4GB SSD is slow as hell and almost useless for windows. I threw a 16GB runcore SSD and 2GB ram in it and it flys now. Running Windows 7 on it and its awesome. Good deal if your looking for something to play with.

damn this is tempting.....
$150 + $80 (runcore) + $30 (ram)= pretty good laptop on the cheap

is that USB ports, can an external storage device be connected?

I bought one of these the last time they were up on sellout.woot. It runs surprisingly well for it's stats it boasts. I doubled the RAM in it, but it didn't make a noticeable difference. Decent battery life, and comes with enough useful software to be perfect at what it does.

And people who have never used Linux before won't have any problems using this.

dsrobbins wrote:is that USB ports, can an external storage device be connected?

I've used thumb drives before, i've never tried putting my external hard drive on it, I suppose it would work since it's a PnP device.

i got one a few weeks back during a woot off they run good on linux if you want windows get a 16 gb supertalent ssd from newegg for $50 and 2 gb ram for $30 so for $230 youll be good to go. many upgrades doable if you can solder...i have internal bluetooth, 16gb flash drive internal for video storage(slow) and touch screen running windows 7! this post was written using my eee!

Run away from this. I bit at the one a couple weeks ago w/ 1gb ram and 4gb ssd and it is sooo enemic. I have since noticed that many w/ 1gb, and 120gb hdd going for at or below $250. Easily, that difference would be eaten up in attempting inferior uprgades.

puchuupuncher wrote:what is the battery life on these things?

I tried google/wiki, but it listed info for all EeePCs.

My google fu is weak

I can get a good 2 hours out of it, I can stretch it another 45 minutes or so when i'm in class by putting the screen shut-off at 1 minute idle. But straight use I can get a good 2 hours out of it. Upgrade batteries are easy to find too.

And also, PUCHUUUUUUUU!!

Judy321 wrote:Asus? Nice little computer.

Jokes about beating your kids (or wife)? Not so funny.

What about my brothers wife and kids?

Found the same laptop with 1gb RAM for $10 more Visit froobi! Just for those that might want the RAM upgrade. It looks like it only comes in White.

I'll wait for the 10" screen and 160GB HD.

JoeMcC00L wrote:A modification of xandros linux. When I bought this last time it was on woot, I formatted and put Arch Linux on there. It runs like a champ now. I'm sure EasyPeasy will run just as well.

Mine is running Eeebuntu, which works really well.

duped post sorry.

angerbender wrote:Is the battery also refurbed, or does it come with a new one?

Why would it come with a new battery? Since "refurbed" is supposed to mean that it's returned to factory condition, why would they add another battery to the waste that needs recycling? There's no reason to assume that there was any problem with the battery in the 1st place. Most "refurbed" items were never used for any real length of time, so you can't assume any significant wear.

My refurbed 900 seemed brand new out of the box, and I've had no battery issues.

Reviews of this are good. It's a bit small for me but at $150 it's very tempting.

hmmm.... me is curious...

can you make it boot from the SD card?
how convienient would it be to buy a http://www.flash-memory-store.com/qmemory-secure-digital-16gb.html and use that as a boot disk...
would it have epic slowness or would it be usable.....

at very least, you could buy an SD card and then drop all your files and shiz on it instead of the 4giggle built in SSD....

*buys an SD card in preperation*

riizzoe wrote:Found the same laptop with 1gb RAM for $10 more Visit froobi! Just for those that might want the RAM upgrade. It looks like it only comes in White.

I picked up the appropriate 1gb sodimm on sale at newegg last week for $13. And my 512mb eee is black, like I like it.

dsrobbins wrote:is that USB ports, can an external storage device be connected?

Yes.

vdex34 wrote:Is 4GB enough to run windows on? I may want to test windows 7 on this.

You can easily slim XP down enough for the 4g ssd, but this version uses a pretty slow ssd, so Windows runs pretty slowly (even tweaked).

These 512/4gb versions were built for Target store to sell, I Wooted a refubished vesion last time around.
Nice little machine, easily upgraded to 32g SSD (~$80), and 2gb ram (then it screams on Windows )

I have this in Pink. It's my favorite accessory. you can pop it in your purse and take it with you everywhere. I travel a lot for work, so it's perfect. Mine has a webcam in it though.

I'm not sure which version of Linux, but it's very user friendly. You really can't add programs to it, so if you're just looking for something you can watch videos on, and stay connected to the internet wherever you are, then this is for you. It also has a decent word processor, a handy dictionary, and my favorite feature is the memory card slot. I permanently keep my 16gb SDHC in it.

Seriously though, I would recommend it. That's a great price too, I paid double that.

I got this the last time it was on woot (just a couple of months ago).

A lot of people in the forum were complaining that the thing was really messed up when it arrived. Mine was alright except that the 'a' key was coming loose a little and was hard to press.

I use it to read guitar tabs, that way I have a computer right by my amp and don't have to print the tabs out from one of my other comps. For that purpose, this thing works alright...beyond that, I couldn't imagine really using it for anything else. The keyboard is way to small to comfortably type anything like a paper or report on, and out of the box it is so slow that even Youtube videos run choppily.

I would only recommend buying this if you have a very specific need for it like I did. You could upgrade the RAM and whatnot to make it a little faster, but then you still have the keyboard to deal with, and at that point you might as well spring for the average sized, average powered netbook.

Can you run powerpoint on this?

riizzoe wrote:Found the same laptop with 1gb RAM for $10 more Visit froobi! Just for those that might want the RAM upgrade. It looks like it only comes in White.

Not the same,
The 900a's use a different processor.

They use a 1.6g Atom processor vs the 900 Celeron on Woot's 900's (no-a).
The Atom's main benefit is it has a much lower power consumption (speed difference isn't as great as 900 vs 1.6 would suggest tho).

The a's come with smaller batteries tho, so you don't benefit as much as you could from the lower power draw.

Both good machines, but because of a battery drain issue, I'd have to give the edge to the a's (sorry Woot).
Lots of good reading on this forum http://forum.eeeuser.com/viewforum.php?id=48

These things are junk! I purchased 3 of these the last time they had them up. They only had 2 GB SSDs when they were supposed to have 4 GB SSDs,one would not boot, and two had bad batteries. It's been over a month of fighting with Woot to get a refund. Let Woot keep this garbage!

I got this exact computer at this exact price at the end of April when Woot offered it before.

It runs a flavor of Knoppix that is in sore need of updating (Firefox and OpenOffice 2.0 installed). I had a lot of issues getting the updater to work correctly, as the service doesn't appear to load up by default. When I did get everything updated, the feeble 4 GB drive was almost entirely filled.

Since it had a lot of stuff I didn't want, and I wasn't entirely fond of it, I just installed Ubuntu Desktop on it. You could also run Ubuntu Netbook Remix or Easy Peasy if those are more to your tastes, but I didn't like how it enlarged all dialog boxes. There are plenty of resources online to help you stick the OS on a flash drive so you can try it out before you install it permanently.

With Ubuntu Desktop, it takes a bit longer to load up, but performance is suitable for its power. After installing Ubuntu, OpenOffice 3, Firefox 3, Pidgin, Photoshop (through Wine), and a few other small services, I still have about 600 MB free for updates.

You will want to use external flash for saving documents. This is more secure anyway, in case someone runs off with the netbook.

To answer GlazedFaith, yes, it does have a removable panel to access the RAM and SSD. I haven't tried removing the SSD yet to see if it has any on-board storage, but I'm presuming not. There is only one slot total for RAM.

All in all, this netbook does what I bought it for--portable browsing and desktop publishing--and I'm pleased with the purchase.

A few caveats I encounter(ed). First, the embedded mic on mine was absolute rubbish. Recording makes it sound like I'm some demon with laryngitis. I have a tiny mic I can plug into the microphone port, though, and I don't plan to use it much anyway. Your mileage may vary--and if someone else got one without a rubbish mic, please post so we know it's not all units being affected!

Second, the screen resolution is a bit limited in terms of height, so you may find yourself tinkering quite a bit if you install Ubuntu in order to maximize screen space for browsing and document editing.

Third, I'm still looking for drivers and utilities and such to get full functionality out of the special function buttons, but I'm sure they're out there. I'm just lazy.

And finally, it is crazy easy to bump the touchpad, and there's no button that disables it like normal laptops, so you will want to install an applet that locks the cursor (I ctrl-shift-click a square in my notification area, and do so again to unlock it). Otherwise, you may find yourself editing a part of your documents you didn't intend to.

Overall, very nice and handy to have. I plan on alerting a few friends to the Woot.

Invisiblemoose wrote:Is it possible to upgrade the SSD? Possibly to a HDD?

Yes but only to another SSD it using what looks like a PCIEx1 slot, there are drives on newegg that people have used successfully, some are pretty cheap. So it's pretty cool that unlike the 700/701 the SSD isnt soldered-on! Makes you unafraid to actually use it!

The 4G that comes with it is very VERY slow but works OK.

I have this exact model, bought from buy.com for 179. Same exact refurb deal. (Actually was 199 when I bought but then it dropped to 179 and they credited me the 20 bucks.)

I love mine even with the slow 4g. For 149 I'm tempted to buy 3 more!, Except I just bought a macbook and I'm broke!

PS I installed XP on mine so I can play counterstrike on it. The native linux looks nifty but if I were gonna run linux on it it would be the ubuntu netbook distro.

Zip Zoom fly has a XP home model with double the storage (8GB) for the same price. These micro laptop prices are going to the floor. I expect they will be $100.00 before it's done.

http://www.zipzoomfly.com/jsp/ProductDetail.jsp?ProductCode=10010513&prodlist=cj

bro3of4 wrote:Swap space should not be configured! It should be disabled. A swap partition on a SSD will burn through the maximum writes in a relatively short time plus the writes are sloooooooow. You are better off getting more RAM and running everything in memory.

Agreed about the swap space for drive longevity. What I did is upgrade to 2gb ram and made a 512 mb ramdrive which I use for firefox and other apps that constantly cache to the HD and I also put the pagefile on the ramdrive for apps which demand one. And also because a ramdrive pagefile is kinda like giving back whatever portion of the ramdrive that isn't being used for cache files back to ram.

monkeytig wrote:damn this is tempting.....
$150 + $80 (runcore) + $30 (ram)= pretty good laptop on the cheap

Exactly. With this unit you can add a faster 32GB SSD, 2GB RAM, and install a better OS (Ubuntu NBR or Easy Peasy) for a total cost of under $300, and it will perform better than one of the newer $400 ones.

ripprsoul wrote:If you want to replace the SSD to gain performance, be sure to pay attention to the specs. A lot of people are linking to the Super Talent drives on Newegg, which I've personally used and are great. But they come in 2 forms, a slow 40mb/s version (the same speed as the stock EEE drive), and the fast 90mb/s version, which is the one you should get.

True! The biggest beef people have with the stock 900's is their speed, which is largely due to the system waiting for SSD read/writes to complete. The biggest performance increases come from (a) speeding up the SSD; (b) expanding the RAM to incorporate a RAM disk, eliminating the need for many of the SSD read/writes; and for XP users, (c) nLiting the OS to eliminate all unnecessary drivers and features.

There are two "flavors" of SSD's made by Super Talent, it's the faster (and yes, more expensive) ones you want:

SLOWER:
FPMxxGHAE (where xx is the capacity in MB)
Rated Speed (MB/sec): 40 (Read), 15 (Write)
Data Sheet: http://www.supertalent.com/datasheets/6_145.pdf

FASTER:
FPMxxGRSE
Rated Speed (MB/sec): 95 (Read), 55 (Write)
Data Sheet: http://www.supertalent.com/datasheets/6_158.pdf

You can get them from NewEgg and eWiz.com

FPM16GHAE: $45 eWiz
FPM32GHAE: $83 NewEgg & eWiz
FPM64GHAE: $149 eWiz

FPM16GRSE: $55 NewEgg
FPM32GRSE: $86 NewEgg
FPM64GRSE: $149 NewEgg

Most folks seem to be migrating to the 16 and 32 MB sizes. I have the FPM32GRSE and love it.

RunCore also makes SSDs that are optimized for read/write speed and (reportedly) for performance with the ASUS line of netbooks. They're speedy, but really expensive:

RunCore PATA 16GB (75/55): $80
RunCore PATA 32GB (75/55): $120
RunCore PATA 64GB (75/55): $220
RunCore PATA 128GB (75/55): $390

RunCore SATA 16GB (125/55): $80
RunCore SATA 32GB (125/55): $120
RunCore SATA 64GB (125/90): $220
RunCore SATA 128GB (125/95): $400

You can get them from MyDigitalDiscount.com, but they're on backorder while RunCore works an issue regarding misalignment of the installation screw holes.

Here's the discussion thread from Sellout, regarding the trials and tribulations of folks going down the upgrade path. The SSD and RAM upgrade discussions are common to both the XP and Linux versions, while the XP optimization discussions will be primarily of interest to folks looking to significantly speed up their XP installs:

http://sellout.woot.com/Forums/ViewPost.aspx?PostID=3146511

For anyone looking to get this and install Windows XP:

A friend of mine bought one during the last Woot-off and I installed XP successfully using the directions found here.

It worked perfectly, and as a bonus I now have a USB flash drive that I can use for installing XP any computer going forward, instead of having to have the CD.