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Do netbooks run the regular full function version of Windows XP or is it a special netbook version with fewer features? If so, what features are no longer available?
Also, does not having an optical drive make it a pain to install new software? Can you install virtual drives like Daemon tools?
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With XP Home. I can't see where anything less was installed.
As to the no optical drive, I spent 25 bucks for an external DVDRW for that unit at geeks.com. Why would this be an issue?
Bob
I barely use discs anymore anyway, get most of the software online, only needed a drive once to install a game but again Daemon tools worked
Here's a link to some info: http://blogs.zdnet.com/microsoft/?p=2859.
The netbook I have came with XP, but I've got Windows 7 running on it right now. Not saying it's going to work in every instance, but for me, it's working well.
Cheers,
Ron
Windows Outreach Team
I have a ThinkPad X40. No CD Drive. However it came with a Docking Station that had a drive. Most software I use is available over the net. Thus you download and install. Some software I've purchased and requires a CD/DVD Drive. I had to hack some of it to make it run without the CD/DVD check since I normally don't have the drive.
Short answer. "Yes no CD/DVD drive is a PITA" if you need to intall some software. If you can get all that software over the net, or alreayd do, then it won't be a problem.
Re-formating the computer without a OS disk should be interesting.
Netbooks are intended to be portable companions to desktops and/or full-sized laptops, not as a primary (only) computer. That's part of the reason they lack the optical drive, it's assumed that the owner of the netbook has another machine with an optical drive.
All you have to do is copy anything from a disc on your regular machine, then transfer it to a flash drive or external hard drive. Plug the drive into the USB port on the netbook and install from there!
Or you can share the optical drive with your home network, and use your netbook to connect to the network... then you will effectively have an optical drive (even though it's not physically attached to your netbook).
Else, you can get an external drive... which can be cheap depending on where you get.
To me netbooks are kind of a hassle. I mean I see the point in them.
But notebook computers are SO cheap nowadays. I mean you can get a decent full running PC notebook pretty cheap. For just a little bit more or even the same price as these netbooks you can get a budget notebook that will actually be faster and have a lot more hard drive space with CD drive.
Theres also a lot of 14.1 inch screens out now that have really powerful processors and lots of ram. so, if you wanted small that would work also.
But I still do see the need in a netbook for some people. Although I'd much rather have my standard 15 inch screen notebook. I have 4 gigs of ram, 320 gig hard drive, core 2 duo processor, hdmi port, dvd rw... And it definitely feels portable enough for me. Stick it in a back pack and go!
Chowhound
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GameSpot
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