Upgrade A Netbook?

[RWebb]

be sure a new one wouldn't be a better idea - notebooks are almost like an impulse purchase these days

also, it could be a holiday gift - maybe one she can return if she still wants the old one

[jyl]

I did think about that, considering that a new Mini 110 is only about $300. But they still only come w/ 1GB DRAM (I think that's mandated by either INTC or MSFT), and wouldn't have an SSD for that price. I like the HP's keyboard a lot, another reason to stick w/ this one. For her, this machine is (will be) fine.

[red-beard]

FWIW, I just bought one of the Adata 64GB units, along with a different 128GB model.

[island911]

Aspect ratio; many net-books are 1024x768 (native)

If you want her to have a totally kick-ass netbook, go to Sony ...128Gb-SSD, 1600x768 8" screen, all in a form smaller than the HP slate. (Sony P series) it even comes in pink.

[red-beard]

The ACER I have is 1024x600

[jyl]

So is my HP Mini 110. Red-b, do you have the trouble w/ dialog boxes having their bottoms cut off and not accessible or scrollable?

[red-beard]

Not usually. Can you do a screen shot and then post it here?

I have my font size set to a minimum, maximize the real estate...

[KFC911]

Originally Posted by jyl

So is my HP Mini 110. Red-b, do you have the trouble w/ dialog boxes having their bottoms cut off and not accessible or scrollable?

Haven't read all of this thread, but do you have things like "Favorites bar" checked? They consume "real estate" and I occasionally turn them off on some pages depending upon the layout.

[jyl]

Crap. Houseguest tripped over the netbook cord - daughter had left the computer charging with the power cord across a walking area - and the upper left of the screen is broken. Not a big deal, a new screen is $50, but just another chore to take care of.

[jyl]

Interesting. The stock screen is a 1024x600. HP made some minis with the "WXGA HD" screen, 1366x768. Apparently I may be able to upgrade the (doghouse) daughter's mini to that screen, which would solve my screen resolution issue. First I have to disassemble the netbook to identify where the connectors are. Sigh.

[stomachmonkey]

Originally Posted by jyl

Crap. Houseguest tripped over the netbook cord...

That's why I think the MagSafe was one of the coolest innovations Apple has ever come up with.

[jyl]

The only better thing would be some common sense in a 14 y/o girl, grrrr.

Parenting issue: Do I make her pay for the repair part? She's recently accumulated about $500 via baby-sitting, working in the school cafeteria, selling buttons at a recent market, allowance, etc. She's spending about $100 of that, buying XMas presents for her brother and mother. I've decided I'm not going to have her pay, but will have her help w/ doing the netbook display surgery, and the SSD/RAM upgrades.

[stomachmonkey]

Originally Posted by jyl

The only better thing would be some common sense in a 14 y/o girl, grrrr.

Common sense knows no age.

One day the wife has her 15 in TiBook plugged in on the dining room table. I notice it and mention to her it's a bad idea.

30 minutes later we are in the kitchen and the dog starts barking and tears across the house. We hear a ssshhhssss BANG.

Wife says "what the **** was that?"

Well dear that would be the dog catching your power cord as it ran to the window causing your laptop to fly off the table and slam onto the floor.

She lucked out, no damage and the disc that she had been burning finished without fail.

[jyl]

Sounds like it was your fault. Hope you apologized.

Originally Posted by stomachmonkey

Common sense knows no age.

One day the wife has her 15 in TiBook plugged in on the dining room table. I notice it and mention to her it's a bad idea.

30 minutes later we are in the kitchen and the dog starts barking and tears across the house. We hear a ssshhhssss BANG.

Wife says "what the **** was that?"

Well dear that would be the dog catching your power cord as it ran to the window causing your laptop to fly off the table and slam onto the floor.

She lucked out, no damage and the disc that she had been burning finished without fail.

[MysticLlama]

Not sure when the magsafe came out, but the original XBOX from years ago had breakaway cables for that very reason. Just sayin'

With a busted screen, I think I might just go for a new one. I hate changing those things, and esp if you're gonna change a bunch of other stuff out too.

[jyl]

Naah, I can fix this one's screen for about $60 all-in, and I'd do the RAM/SSD upgrade to a replacement netbook anyway (plus I already bought the RAM/SSD).

Anyway, I hate throwing out stuff, and would like the daughter to realize that (1) someone has to fix the stuff she breaks, and (2) stuff can be fixed rather than thrown away and replaced.

The fix-it projects are kind of piling up, though. On the backlog now:
- Daughter's netbook
- Kitchen sink faucet leak (fixed - $15 in parts and a $11 basin wrench)
- Kitchen garbage disposal/drain jamming/clogging (still haven't gotten up the motivation to get in there)
- OTR microwave door hinge (still figuring that one out, may take some jerry-rigging)
- Two ancient food processors need re-wiring w/ switches
- 911 CV joint (been a total PITA but EASY Porsche appears to have come through with a CV flange not attached to a $150 complete axle assembly)
- MacBook screen and intermittent shutdown
- Dryer vent hose
- Broken floor tile in kitchen
- Sagging plasterboard in study from prior roof leak (this will be a hire-it-out I suspect)
- Treehouse roof leak (temporarily "fixed" with a tarp and some binder clips, how white-trash of me or should I say yellow-trash)
- Vanagon spongy brakes and spoingy shocks
- Son's electric model train not working (big crisis since it traditionally runs around the tree delivering presents on XMas Day)
- Son's R/C helicopter tail rotor busted (by daddy)
- and the list goes on . . .

[island911]

Originally Posted by MysticLlama

Not sure when the magsafe came out, but the original XBOX from years ago had breakaway cables for that very reason. Just sayin' ....

searching . . .

circa 2001 for fryers, apparently. CNN.com - 'Break-away' cord aims to make deep fryers safer - July 4, 2001

...and 2006 for Apple products.

but at least Apple sues people for using 'their invention" . . .even those who buy the cable from Apple, and repurpose it for resale. Must be great to have so many lawyers.

[red-beard]

Originally Posted by jyl

Interesting. The stock screen is a 1024x600. HP made some minis with the "WXGA HD" screen, 1366x768. Apparently I may be able to upgrade the (doghouse) daughter's mini to that screen, which would solve my screen resolution issue. First I have to disassemble the netbook to identify where the connectors are. Sigh.

If you do find a hires screen, let me know. I may upgrade mine as well. The SSD is working well in my desktop. I may put in a 128GB unit in one of my netbooks and a 256GB unit in my laptop.

[jyl]

Update - netbook is all disassembled and broken screen removed. eBay has some vendors with screens that look suitable. LG Philips LG101WH1 TL B3 10.1" WXGA, advertised as 1366x768. I'm going to buy one and see if it fits. One issue is where the connector is located and if the cable will reach. The other issue is if it takes the same 40-pin connector. About $40, so worth trying.

[jyl]

Update - new 1366x768 WXGA screen is installed and working fine. Now I'm trying to download some cloning software so that I can clone the HDD to the SSD and get that swapped out. The SSD came with cloning software on a CD but, of course, the Mini 110 doesn't have an optical drive.