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Virtual Desktops for your HP mini-note running Windows XP

Published

chris

on June 24, 2008

in Software

. 1 Comment

Over the next few weeks, I’ll highlight some of the best free software that is available for the HP mini-note, running Windows XP. Today, I’m recommending you take a look at a cool Open Source virtual windows manager.

We all know that the HP2133 mini-note has a great display. The 8.9 inch high resolution (1280 x 768) screen is perfect for viewing a single document, watching a movie or browsing the web, but since moving to Windows XP I miss the advanced virtual desktop software that comes with many of the Linux distributions, like Ubuntu. Recently to plug this functional gap, I installed an Open Source Virtual Windows Manager, called VirtuaWin. I’ve been running it on my mini-note now for a few weeks without problems. Now I can easily switch between web browsing, itunes, document editing and editing my blog with a single keypress. No more fussing around with minimizing & maximizing different windows etc. The software is initially configured for 4 virtual desktops, with simple navigation keys (which can be easily redefined) and has additional modules that you can use to add functionality. I kept the default number of desktops and modified some of the navigation keys. I’ve been using v4.0.1 which seems very stable.

You can download the software or read more about it at SourceForge.net (the home of all things Open Source).

Configuring VirtuaWin on the HP mini-note

A new, improved HP2133 Mini-note

Published

chris

on June 23, 2008

in Hardware and Software

. 1 Comment

After successfully upgrading my first HP Mini-note to 2GB of memory with a 120GB hard drive, I decided that when I upgraded my second machine I would use the largest (reasonably priced) capacity hard drive available.

So, for my second system upgrade I selected a WD Scorpio 320GB SATA drive ($129.99) and a 2GB memory stick (KVR667D2S0/2GR) from Kingston ($40.99). To reduce the setup time of the new machine, I also created an image of the hard drive from my first mini-note installation using Acronis True Image and restored the image to the new hard drive.

Unfortunately the process of creating and restoring the hard drive image was not as straight forward as I expected, and I was unable to restore the drive image back to the new hard drive directly in the second mini-note, due to the Acronis boot loader causing the mini-note to hang. It’s certainly possible that Acronis has resolved this issue with later versions of their software (I was running v8, and their latest version is v11).

Instead, I restored the image to the second drive by using a hardware device that enables you to plug any hard drive in to your USB port (these devices are called SATA to USB hard drive adapters). The mini-note recognized the hard drive without a problem through the USB hardware device and I simply restored the image from my 120GB drive to the 320GB drive and dropped the drive in to my second mini-note. To complete the process, I formatted the unused space on the 320GB drive.

Presto, my second mini-note was upgraded to a 320GB hard drive, 2GB of RAM, running Windows XP SP2 (Home Edition) with all my applications already loaded and installed. Total installation time for upgrading the RAM, replacing the SSD drive, system image creation and restoration was about 90 minutes.

In building out this second mini-note, it appears that the wireless card in my first machine is actually faulty. I now need to figure out how I can get it exchanged after making so many system modifications.

Here’s links to the parts and products I used from the modder’s good friend, NewEgg.com:

Hard Drive

Memory

SATA to USB hard drive adapter

Acronis True Image

Mini USB Game pad enhances the Mini note gaming experience

Published

chris

on June 8, 2008

in Drivers and Hardware

. 1 Comment

If your a HP2133 mini note gamer, you might want to consider picking up a mini usb Game pad. I found this gamepad at my local Walmart and was very impressed with the size, sturdiness and general build quality. At $11 and requiring no drivers to work with your mini note (Windows XP), I think it was a real bargain. You can also find them on ebay.

Gamemon USB Game pad in action with the HP2133 mini note

Gamemon USB Game pad is slightly thicker than the mini note

The Gamemon USB Game pad has a retractable USB cable (ideal for traveling)

A quick size comparison of the Gamemon USB Game pad with the mini note

The Gamemon USB Game pad in the retail packaging (from Walmart)

HP adds SuSE Linux Source ISO to HP2133 support page

Published

chris

on May 13, 2008

in Drivers and Software

. 0 Comments

It looks like HP have got around to publishing the ISO of the default HP2133 SuSE 10.1 installation on their driver/download page.

http://h20000.www2.hp.com/bizsupport/TechSupport/SoftwareDescription….

Mininoteuser.com have already got a discussion thread started on the subject, if you prefer to not be the first to experiment with it.

http://forums.mininoteuser.com/viewtopic.php?f=6&t=233

Retro gaming on the HP2133 mini-note

Published

chris

on May 12, 2008

in Software

. 1 Comment

Now I’ve got Windows XP running on my mini-note, it’s time to have some fun with it. Tonight, I tried the latest release of a very popular arcade emulator for Microsoft Windows. I’m happy to report that many of the games I tested worked very well, with a 100% frame rate or at least a frame rate that was decent enough to play the game with various optimization settings (un-throttling, auto frame skip, no sound). The games I tried were mostly from the early 1980’s video-gaming arcades and if your old enough to be in the arcades in the 1980’s you’ll know very well what games I’m talking about.

To learn more about retro arcade gaming visit one of the popular web sites including:

http://www.mameworld.net/

http://mamedev.org/

http://www.awecades.com/

Happy Gaming, Chris.

Upgrading the HP2133 mini-note hard drive (with photos)

Published

chris

on May 9, 2008

in Hardware

. 13 Comments

Upgrading the drive in the HP2133 mini-note is straight forward, as long as you have a steady hand and the right tools at your disposal. I took some photos of the internals of my mini-note during the upgrade from the 4gig SSD that comes with the base model, to a 120gig Western Digital drive. Here’s a quick breakdown of what you will need and the steps involved.

What you’ll need:

- A very small philips (crosshead) screwdriver
- A small torx head driver (or you can use a very small slotted screw driver)
- A pair of pliers
- A notebook SATA drive (i used a Western Digital Scorpio drive)

All the tools can be obtained from your local hardware store. I bought my hard drive from newegg.

How long will it take:

About 15-30 minutes (it took me about 20 minutes once I located the correct tools for the job).

Step-by-Step:

- Remove the battery
- Remove the three philips screws located behind the battery
- Gently lift up the keyboard to access both the memory slot and the hard drive enclosure
- Position the keyboard where you can easily access the drive enclosure (I placed it at the front of the mini-note - see photos)
- Remove the two philips screws holding the drive enclosure (on the left hand side)
- Remove the torx head screw holding the drive enclosure (on the right hand side)
- Gently lift up the drive enclosure, and disconnect the SATA cable

- Unscrew the factory drive from the enclose and replace it with your new drive

(To complete this step you may need to carefully bend back several tabs on the drive enclosure, the 4 Gig SSD that comes with the base model is smaller than a regular note book SATA drive)

- Re-install the drive in the mini-note (I suggest you insert the torx head screw first, as I dropped it a couple of times in to the machine and had to take out the two philips screws more times than I would like)
- I suggest that you don’t screw the unit back together until your sure that your new drive is functional

When you power the machine back up, you should hit F10 to look at the ROM (BIOS) setup to make sure your drive has been recognized.

After installing the drive, I loaded Windows XP Home on to the mini-note, and I’m so happy I did after my experiencing with SUSE!

Photo’s:

The mini-note after carefully lifting up the keyboard

The drive enclosure inside the mini-note

The mini-note drive bay, with the drive enclosure removed

The original 4gig SSD drive (left) and the Western Digital 120gig SATA drive (right)

Close up of the 4gig SSD that comes with the mini-note

Preparing for Windows XP installation

Published

chris

on May 6, 2008

in Software

. 0 Comments

Frankly, I’ve been very disappointed with the default SUSE Linux Enterprise Desktop Edition 10 running on the mini-note. I still have not got wireless networking to work and even with upgrading the mini-note to 2 gigabytes of RAM, performance is still very sluggish. In preparation for installing Windows XP, I removed the internal 4 gigabyte SSD drive and inserted a Western Digital Scorpio 120 gigabyte drive tonight. I plan to install Windows XP home on the drive and configure it with 2 additional partitions, one for the installation of a working copy of SUSE Enterprise Desktop (assuming HP releases one that works at some point) and the other for a version of Ubuntu.

Windows XP Drivers now available on HP Support Site

Published

chris

on May 5, 2008

in Drivers, Hardware and Software

. 0 Comments

It looks like HP is starting to get their act together to support the Mini-note. They have just posted Microsoft Windows XP drivers for most of the hardware in the Mini-note. The drivers can be found at:

http://h20000.www2.hp.com/bizsupport/TechSupport/…

XP on a USB Stick

Published

chris

on April 30, 2008

in Hardware and Software

. 3 Comments

Brad Linder at Liliputing.com has gone to considerable trouble to explain in detail how to get Windows XP on to a USB stick so you can install it on your HP2133 mini note. He also explains in the article how to then partition the drive after installation for use with Linux or other operating systems using Parted Magic (an Open Source hard disk partitioner).

http://www.liliputing.com/2008/04/install-windows-xp…

HP2133 mini-note memory upgrade

Published

chris

on April 30, 2008

in Hardware

. 1 Comment

Laptopmag.com has a video of Joanna Stern upgrading the memory on her mini-note from the factory shipped 1 Gig module to a Corsair branded DDR2 SO-DIMM 2 Gig module. Unfortunately for Joanna, it really didn’t help the system performance running Windows Vista. Sorry Joanna.

http://blog.laptopmag.com/upping-the-ram-on-the-mini-note…