Many Questions - Old computer dead

Discussion in 'Acer Aspire One' started by Guest, Nov 3, 2008.

  1. Guest

    Guest Guest

    Hello,

    I had a few questions about the one. I did a quick search and checked the first page of the relevant forums, but I apologize if these were answered already. I'm kind of rushed because my old computer died on my and I need to decide on a replacement.

    There are a bunch of questions, but most are fairly simple.

    I just want to add for the purpose of all these questions, I'm looking at the Windows XP HDD version.

    1.Can you boot from a CD/DVD if you plug in an external CD/DVD drive, or is this not supported?

    2. Does the One come with any kind of recovery discs/cards/USB keys to do a fresh install of Windows?

    3. Is the HDD used basically the same as any laptop HDD? Could I replace it if it got old or broke or whatever? And do you need to get to it by going under the keyboard, or can you just unscrew a panel on the bottom?

    4. Does that Linux OS come with windows versions as well, or do you choose one or the other?

    5. Does the 6-cell battery stick out and make the laptop look funny, or is it the same size as the 3-cell? Trying to decide if I should get the 6-cell with the One instead of the 3-cell for a few extra dollars. Has anyone had problems with the battery?

    6. How does the One (1GB RAM) perform doing these:
    -Multitasking (say, several IM windows or Firefox with 10 or 15 tabs open)
    -Video playback, assuming it's DVD-like quality?
    Don't much care about gaming, as much as it can be enjoyable the main thing for me right now is just to get to a working computer.

    7. Is the XP installed just basic XP Home, or is it some special acer version of XP with changes made to it?

    8. Is noise and heat an issue when working properly?

    9. How is the overall quality of construction?

    10. Hows the support? I hear acer is not great about that?

    Thanks very much to anyone who takes the time to read and answer.

    -John
     
    Guest, Nov 3, 2008
    #1
  2. Guest

    nmesisca

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    1) yes, you can boot with a USB external optical drive. Need to configure the Boot Order option in the BIOS.
    2) the Linux version has a recovery CD that you can just pop in and it reinstalls the whole lot. The Windows XP version does not come with Media, so the suggestion is always take an image of your OS first.
    3) Its a normal laptops hard drive and can be replaced. however, when searching for replacement, please be aware of the different 'thickness' of hard drives. Some of the bulkier models may not fit.
    4) there are 2 models, with Linux and with Windows, no dual boot straight out of the factory.
    5) sticks out a bit (1.5cm more or less). Aestetically its not as good as it is with the 3cell one, but dont mind that and get the 6cell. you wont regret it.
    6) Multitasking is ok, but its not a dual core. Nothing to be worried about, performance is more then acceptable. Multimedia performs ok too.
    7) I believe its WinXP Home.
    8) For some people it has been an issue. Some can work around the noisy fan, some have asked for a replacement unit. Was not a problem in my unit.
    9)Feels ok.. however, I dont want to think what happens if it drops on a hard surface. the bottom doesnt look very sturdy. Again, I doubt there is much difference with the average full size laptops out there.
    10) Not a clue about support, but my rule is "never expect anything from support".. and.. well I worked in Support for some 10 years..

    Hope this helps.
    N
     
    nmesisca, Nov 3, 2008
    #2
  3. Guest

    Guest Guest

    Thanks very much for the detailed answers - most of the answers were pretty much what I wanted to hear :)
    Only a couple of follow-up questions:

    1. I'm glad to hear that the HDD can be replaced fairly easily - I was looking at one at best buy, and there's a small compartment underneath the unit with a screw holding it in place, would anyone happen to know if this is where the HDD is? If not does that mean its one of those things you need to start taking the thing apart to get to?

    2.When you say take an image of the OS, is that through the "acer e-recovery" program I've heard about that allows you to burn your own restore discs? Has anyone actually done this before? I'm curious how well the discs work.

    Thanks again :)
     
    Guest, Nov 3, 2008
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  4. Guest

    nmesisca

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    1) nonononono man... I said it can be replaced.. never said a word about it being an easy task :?
    it is indeed a quite complicated task because the only way to get to the hard drive is by, basically, taking apart the whole laptop. I have done it to upgrade the ram.. but i ve done this for the past 20 years, i kind of know what i m doing. There are plenty of guides though on this site and on youtube.

    2) i refer to an image of the phisical media.. have a look at Symantec Ghost, or Acronis True Image. I have seen quite a few people on this forum using similar solutions, try running a search for image or ghost or acronis and see if that helps.
    To be honest I have used them all extensively, but at the moment i just nlited (www.nliteos.com) my WindowsXP, and it takes me 20 minutes to reinstall the whole thing, so no point for an image really.

    hope this helps you,
    N
     
    nmesisca, Nov 3, 2008
    #4
  5. Guest

    Guest Guest

    Thanks very much for your response, again :)

    1. hahah I guess I assumed the "easy" thing :p
    I looked up some instructions, it doesn't seem impossible but it does seem like you'd need to be careful not to break something - I guess there won't likely be any need for me to get in there anyways since I'd be getting the HDD version. Maybe I just won't format my HDD every week with this computer :lol:

    2. So basically the program creates an ISO file of your entire hard disk? How would that fit on a DVD if there's a 160GB drive? o_O

    Also how does nLite differ from the other programs you mentioned? Doesn't it also create an image for burning to a disc?
     
    Guest, Nov 3, 2008
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  6. Guest

    nmesisca

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    Acronis or Ghost create an image of your Windows installation. So you need to install windows first. And you're correct, if you fill your hard drive then the image is not going to fit on a DVD. You must install the OS, tweak , trim and only then take an image of it.
    nLite works differently:
    - you feed it your Windows XP original media
    - you feed it addons, drivers that you want to include, service packs you want to integrate etc
    - it spits out another media (with the above mentioned features) ready for installation
    The advantage is that, for example, you can strip all the features of the OS that you dont use from the installation media. My resulting windows XP ISO is 320MB, and its tailored to my AAO.
    There is a lot of documentation available on the nlite website, and its forums.
    Have a look, shout if you need help!

    N

    PS partition your hard drive to keep the OS separate from your data,, and facilitate reinstalling of the OS
     
    nmesisca, Nov 4, 2008
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  7. Guest

    oh_johny

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    if you use Acronis, to backup your drive there is an option to "break" the backup into a particular size automatically - one of the options is for cd size (700mb) another is dvd(4.3gb) and if you choose it, it will indeed cut the backup images into 4.3gb slices suitable for burning to discs.

    However the easier way is to use the clone drive option, you can put the acer drive into an external usb case and clone your existing hardrive onto the acer - you will need the acer drivers off the acer website to enable wireless, webcam, chipset etc. and XP will probably ask you to recertify or whatever they call it when you have to get a new activation key from Microsoft for your copy of XP. I think it runs for 30 days before it locks up and will annoy you with many warnings until you reactivate it.

    When you clone it you will have the option of keeping the restore partition or wiping the drive clean and writing over it. The choice is yours depending on what you expect to do.

    If you have a lot of data, it would be easier to burn it to an external hd and then copy it over or use a network connection. I used to upload my entire hard drive to my email account back in 10 mb hard drive days.
     
    oh_johny, Nov 4, 2008
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