[cassmat]

I have a Dell Mini 910...it has become a PITA!!

Warranty expired in May...about a month ago the OS just disappeared, no way to factory restore it...

My brother was visiting, used an external drive, re-installed windows, but did not properly re-intsall all drivers, I couldn't do it myself, no external drive, so I paid Future Shop $50.00 to re-install all the drivers.

Worked very well for weeks, then same thing...no OS!!!! Grrr...

Now what do I do...pay them again to reinstall windows, if they do it, maybe it will be right...no clue where to start..it makes a pretty paper weight...

[grassle]

You can get all drivers from the Dell website and install them yourself to save the bucks -- you obviously got web access

And maybe it may be necessary to invest the 50 into a new ssd...

[Dunhamzzz]

Welcome to the forum!

Sounds like a fried SSD.

If you wanted a quick solution, you could investigate Ubuntu for Netbooks, the download comes with instructions to install it to USB drive so you can jut put it on your Mini 9 (it wont need any drivers!) and see how long it lasts.

To be honest it may not be worth investing any money in an SSD unless you can get a really good deal (I do actually know our sponsor is having a Mini 9 specific sale tomorrow) as the SSDs can end up costing as much as the Mini itself. Dell recently released the Dell Mini 1018, and it's pretty good value for money, this might be a better long-term investment. Of course you'll be getting new technology too!

[reflex]

Welcome.

Originally Posted by Dunhamzzz

Sounds like a fried SSD.

If data keeps getting corrupted ("no OS"), Dunhamzzz might be right.

Originally Posted by Dunhamzzz

If you wanted a quick solution, you could investigate Ubuntu for Netbooks, the download comes with instructions to install it to USB drive so you can jut put it on your Mini 9 (it wont need any drivers!) and see how long it lasts.

Ubuntu's installer is a mostly functional system (it's called a LiveCD, or LiveUSB, as appropriate), and it will happily run off a flash drive or USB hard drive. Or you could actually install Ubuntu to a USB drive. Most hardware will work without effort, but you will need to install the driver for the Broadcom wireless. More info about the necessary driver.

As an aside, many wireless cards work without effort, like my Mini 9's new Intel card, or my 1012's Atheros card.

Dunhamzzz's link is messed up, but Googling "ubuntu netbook" should find the right site. Ubuntu's netbook version basically amounts to a theme designed for small screens.

Ubuntu isn't difficult to use or install for the most part. But it can be daunting for people only accustomed to Windows. But if you just use it for web-browsing, you probably won't even notice the difference

Originally Posted by Dunhamzzz

To be honest it may not be worth investing any money in an SSD unless you can get a really good deal (I do actually know our sponsor is having a Mini 9 specific sale tomorrow) as the SSDs can end up costing as much as the Mini itself. Dell recently released the Dell Mini 1018, and it's pretty good value for money, this might be a better long-term investment. Of course you'll be getting new technology too!

A new, 16GB Mini 9 SSD can be had for around US$50, but then you'd also need a USB optical drive to reinstall Windows properly (another US$50), and you need OS install/restore discs, and you also want a knowledgable person to setup everything up correctly (drivers and such). So, Dunhamzzz might be right about looking at a new netbook... at least for non-technical users. If you hunt/wait for deals, new netbooks can be had for US$200, and factory refurbs with full warranties (like my two Minis) can be had for less.

You could also consider running Ubuntu off a small flash drive as described above. I'd probably recommend an 8GB drive, they can be had for US$20 or less. This isn't the best solution, and if you require Windows-only software it might not be useful to you. But it's the cheapest way to get a Mini with a failed SSD working again for simple uses, like web browsing.

Good luck.

[grassle]

If you go for Ubuntu, check out Linux Mint as well. Some people prefer it for its appearance or for the less strict approach of its developers re what they call 'ideological' about Ubuntu.