windows xp home and netbook

[Tracy]

hello,

i am looking to buy a netbook in the next few months.

i noticed that they come with windows xp home.

i've never had a computer with the home version of windows.
does xp home come with outlook express?

that would be helpful because i could migrate my email accounts from other
computers and have all of them on this netbook, which is my #1 reason for
buying one, well, that and being able to sit in the bed and reply to email.

are there any limitations in windows xp.
i looked on microsoft's web site for information, but every link that i
clicked on went to a page for windows vista.
probably not a good idea, since many netbooks come with xp home.

i understand that netbooks do not come with a cd/dvd drive.
on my laptop now, i can install software from an external hard drive via a
usb port, is that option available on netbooks with windows xp home also?

i understand that i can't install software that requires a lot of ram or
processing power, like photoshop, but will software like office 2003, adobe
acrobat, virus protection, firewall and openoffice, run fairly well?

i won't have to need to use this software on a regular basis, but i would
like to install this software as a back up in case something happens to my
primary laptop.

i also understand that i can't install software like crystal reports, which
is fine.

and my final question is, is there anything that i need to be aware of for
buying a netbook, in terms of hardware? i do want one that has built in
wifi, so that i can use it in hotels, when i travel.

any recommendations would also be greatly appreciated.

thank you

 

[Malke]

i am looking to buy a netbook in the next few months.

i noticed that they come with windows xp home.

i've never had a computer with the home version of windows.
does xp home come with outlook express?
Yes.

are there any limitations in windows xp.

http://www.winsupersite.com/showcase/windowsxp_home_pro.asp

Unless you want to join a domain (unlikely) or set advanced permissions
(also unlikely), XP Home will be fine on your netbook.

i understand that netbooks do not come with a cd/dvd drive.
on my laptop now, i can install software from an external hard drive via a
usb port, is that option available on netbooks with windows xp home also?

Yes. You can also purchase a USB external DVD drive. This has nothing to do
with XP Home vs. Pro.

i understand that i can't install software that requires a lot of ram or
processing power, like photoshop, but will software like office 2003,
adobe acrobat, virus protection, firewall and openoffice, run fairly well?

Yes. Buy a netbook with enough RAM and hard drive space for your needs.

and my final question is, is there anything that i need to be aware of for
buying a netbook, in terms of hardware? i do want one that has built in
wifi, so that i can use it in hotels, when i travel.

Use Google to look for reviews about the different netbooks. This has
nothing to do with Windows XP. Here's a good link to get you started:

http://www.umpcportal.com/

Malke

 

[Tracy]

malke,

thank you for the links.
since i posted this message, i read an article which stated that some
netbooks will come with windows 7.
i don't think i'm going to wait that long though.

when i asked about using an external drive, i meant i was going to use it to
copy my software cd install files to it on another computer and then hook
the external drive up to the netbook and install the software that i need

i've read a few reviews before posting here and they didn't cover my
specific questions.
i guess most people truly only plan to use their netbook for email and
surfing (smile).

--


Tracy
* * * * * * * * * *

: Tracy wrote:
:
: > i am looking to buy a netbook in the next few months.
: >
: > i noticed that they come with windows xp home.
: >
: > i've never had a computer with the home version of windows.
: > does xp home come with outlook express?
:
: Yes.
:
: > are there any limitations in windows xp.
:
: http://www.winsupersite.com/showcase/windowsxp_home_pro.asp
:
: Unless you want to join a domain (unlikely) or set advanced permissions
: (also unlikely), XP Home will be fine on your netbook.
:
: > i understand that netbooks do not come with a cd/dvd drive.
: > on my laptop now, i can install software from an external hard drive via
a
: > usb port, is that option available on netbooks with windows xp home
also?
:
: Yes. You can also purchase a USB external DVD drive. This has nothing to
do
: with XP Home vs. Pro.
:
: > i understand that i can't install software that requires a lot of ram or
: > processing power, like photoshop, but will software like office 2003,
: > adobe acrobat, virus protection, firewall and openoffice, run fairly
well?
:
: Yes. Buy a netbook with enough RAM and hard drive space for your needs.
:
: > and my final question is, is there anything that i need to be aware of
for
: > buying a netbook, in terms of hardware? i do want one that has built in
: > wifi, so that i can use it in hotels, when i travel.
:
: Use Google to look for reviews about the different netbooks. This has
: nothing to do with Windows XP. Here's a good link to get you started:
:
: http://www.umpcportal.com/
:
: Malke
: --
: MS-MVP
: Elephant Boy Computers - Don't Panic!
: http://www.elephantboycomputers.com/#FAQ
:

 

[Malke]

malke,

thank you for the links.
since i posted this message, i read an article which stated that some
netbooks will come with windows 7.
i don't think i'm going to wait that long though.

when i asked about using an external drive, i meant i was going to use it
to copy my software cd install files to it on another computer and then
hook the external drive up to the netbook and install the software that i
need

i've read a few reviews before posting here and they didn't cover my
specific questions.
i guess most people truly only plan to use their netbook for email and
surfing (smile).

Some ways to get a program's installer onto a netbook:

1. If the installable media is on a CD, copy the contents of the CD into a
folder (called a "flat file"). Now you can send that folder to the netbook
by:

a. Putting it on a USB thumb drive (size permitting)
b. Copying it over the Local Area Network

2. Purchasing an external CD/DVD drive. Attach it to the netbook via USB.

3. You could do it your way, with an external hard drive too.

People use their netbooks for all sorts of things. I don't think you can
generalize like that.

Once again, searching with Google is A Good Thing. If you had looked at the
link I gave you in my first post, you'd have seen that they have a forum
where the questions you need answered could be addressed.

Other useful sites - which have user forums:

http://forum.eeeuser.com/index.php (Asus EeePC)
http://gottabemobile.com/ (they have user forums)
http://www.liliputing.com/ (they have user forums)

That should certainly be enough to get you started.

Malke

 

[Frank Slootweg]

when i asked about using an external drive, i meant i was going to use it to
copy my software cd install files to it on another computer and then hook
the external drive up to the netbook and install the software that i need

For my netbook - an Acer Aspire One A150-Bw - I just put the CD in my
'big' computer and use Windows Explorer to copy-and-paste the contents
over the network via a network share. To speed things up, it often works
better if you first copy the contents from the CD to the hard-disk of
your 'big' computer and then over the network to the netbook.

For the installation CDs I've used sofar, this method worked fine, but
if you have payware - i.e. software which costs money - the installation
may force you to re-install directly from CD. In those cases, you will
probably need to have/buy an external (USB) CD/DVD drive.

Having such a drive may be needed anyway, in order to make/use
bootable recovery CDs/DVDs in case you netbook does not boot and can not
be 'fixed' in any other way, or its hard-disk is defective.

i've read a few reviews before posting here and they didn't cover my
specific questions.

As mentioned, check the (web) *forums* for the brand/type you intend
to buy. For mine, there were/are excellent forums.

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