[jamesham]

I am talking myself into purchasing a Dell Mini 10v and would just like some clarification on a few issues.

I am going to buy from Dell, with 160GB hard drive, Bluetooth and stock Wifi card.

Then hopefully upgrade the RAM to 2GB using the methods on Youtube. I have been put off with the idea of breaking the ribbon cables or something like that as from what I have read, the upgrade doesn't make much difference.

I would like to use OSX 10.6.1, which I have no problem installing, Windows 7 and a spare partition that I can use to experiment on Ubuntu or Modbin etc

If I want to triple boot am I forced to go MBR instead of GUID?

Will the Bluetooth card support Bluetooth stereo music?

Is the BIOS downgrade easy to do 1st time?

Thanks all I can think of at the minute, thanks alot to anyone that can help me. I have been very impressed with the forums and have spent about a month reading into this, before I actually make the purchase.

[thesensiblerebel]

Hey there,

The only question I can help you with is the downgrading BIOS part. I used the method as shown here
Downgrade your Mini 10v BIOS to A04 (Requires Windows)

As stated there is some risk, but I went from a06 to a04 no problem, just follow the instructions and remember, add forceit/forcetype to the command when running the little app.

Also remember to download the DOS version of the bios. And finally if your using a USB stick with U3 software preinstalled be sure to UNINSTALL it, formatting wont get rid of it all.

Good luck

t.s.r

[hootoot]

Originally Posted by jamesham

I am talking myself into purchasing a Dell Mini 10v and would just like some clarification on a few issues.

I am going to buy from Dell, with 160GB hard drive, Bluetooth and stock Wifi card.

Then hopefully upgrade the RAM to 2GB using the methods on Youtube. I have been put off with the idea of breaking the ribbon cables or something like that as from what I have read, the upgrade doesn't make much difference.

You can buy a 10v with 2 GB RAM if you specify the ubuntu version and customize it. It costs an extra $50. Those 10v RAM upgrade vids on youtube look scary to me

[TheAAPLFreak]

After you get the Mini, just use NetbookCD to start up your Mini into the SL installer, and make sure that you partition the drive before installing. Although it certainly is possible to partition after installation, I prefer to do it before installation, as file fragmentation can cause it to be impossible in the future. Chameleon will allow you to start up from all three partitions.

[downhiller2010]

Originally Posted by hootoot

You can buy a 10v with 2 GB RAM if you specify the ubuntu version and customize it. It costs an extra $50. Those 10v RAM upgrade vids on youtube look scary to me

I looked for this in the customization options on the dell ubuntu site and didn't see it.

[jamesham]

Originally Posted by hootoot

You can buy a 10v with 2 GB RAM if you specify the ubuntu version and customize it. It costs an extra $50. Those 10v RAM upgrade vids on youtube look scary to me

Not in the UK

[ajclarkson]

While the upgrade vids look hardcore the procedure isn't so much hard as just very long! It really is a lot of messing about just to upgrade the RAM.

Saying that, I did mine yesterday and I wouldn't worry about the ribbon cables breaking, they really are quite robust and as long as you take your time over it you wont have any problems at all. This is only the second laptop I have taken apart (eee 701 was first) and I managed just fine.

The frustrating bit of it is getting the palm rest off. If you don't have nails a lot of the videos suggest using a small screwdriver, but be careful because I managed to nick the top of the palm rest with the screw driver and put a small scratch in.

Best bet is to look for a site with both videos and text instructions, there are a couple of them out there!

Good luck!

[jamesham]

Originally Posted by ajclarkson

While the upgrade vids look hardcore the procedure isn't so much hard as just very long! It really is a lot of messing about just to upgrade the RAM.

Saying that, I did mine yesterday and I wouldn't worry about the ribbon cables breaking, they really are quite robust and as long as you take your time over it you wont have any problems at all. This is only the second laptop I have taken apart (eee 701 was first) and I managed just fine.

The frustrating bit of it is getting the palm rest off. If you don't have nails a lot of the videos suggest using a small screwdriver, but be careful because I managed to nick the top of the palm rest with the screw driver and put a small scratch in.

Best bet is to look for a site with both videos and text instructions, there are a couple of them out there!

Good luck!

Thanks mate, just for everyone else. Dell Mini 10v is currently £20 off @Dell so this should cover the price of the 2gb RAM. I think I will try it after I buy my Mini.

[cleankidnyc]

I am seriously looking into a mini10v. Can you buy the Dell Outlet version with XP preloaded and still load OSX?