[thatguy0109]

Hey Guys,

First post on this site.

I don't currently have a mini 9 but I am really thinking of purchasing one. My question I have and it may sound silly is:

Can I purchase the mini 9 w/ Linux installed ($40 less than XP) then reformat the SSD and install XP (I have a legit copy at home)?

I know $40 isn't much, but it covers the cost of the bluetooth as well as an extra battery.

Thanks in advanced,
Thatguy

[Miss_Ellen]

I don't see why not. I mean, if you have a legit copy of XP and all, then I wouldn't see a problem with that.
Just make sure you get the smallest RAM and hard drive if you are planning on modifying and upgrading your unit first thing.

[strider_mt2k]

The WinXP drivers are readily available so I also say go for it!

[thatguy0109]

Thanks Guys! This made my decision a whole lot easier. I know in the end it is only $40, but I like to save a little money and I really like XP (over Linux). I am happy they also started selling the extra battery. I currently have an XPS1210 but I find it some what heavy and clunky (even though it is quite small) and the boot speeds that I would get from the SSD would be nice. I would primarily use it for my school (University of Phoenix) via tethered access with my Blackberry (bluetooth). Any of you use Norton Internet Security on the mini? Or better yet, what would you recommend for an Anti-Virus/Firewall?

Thanks,
Thatguy

[Miss_Ellen]

Originally Posted by thatguy0109

Thanks Guys! This made my decision a whole lot easier. I know in the end it is only $40, but I like to save a little money and I really like XP (over Linux). I am happy they also started selling the extra battery. I currently have an XPS1210 but I find it some what heavy and clunky (even though it is quite small) and the boot speeds that I would get from the SSD would be nice. I would primarily use it for my school (University of Phoenix) via tethered access with my Blackberry (bluetooth). Any of you use Norton Internet Security on the mini? Or better yet, what would you recommend for an Anti-Virus/Firewall?

Thanks,
Thatguy

I know how that is. I have a XPS 1210 also, and I love that thing to death. But that's going to be for home use now. I like the idea of mobility with the Mini. I've been using Norton on my computers, just because I like the interface and it's user friendly, and it does what i need it to do.

[medicThree]

avira antivir personal free edition is by far the best free scanner and minus the bloatware that is norton.

[thatguy0109]

I will check out that Virus Scanner. Any recommendation for a good firewall?

[EdTheUniqueGeek]

Yeah. Linux.

[ventoatx]

I just did this with a USB CD Rom. I wanted to do it the BartPE method of starting up the setup but I couldn't get it to work. I have the bare minimum specs for the mini and the install is around 1gb of space with nLite. The page file was 2gb when I first started it and I'll be trimming that down to 512mb until I get my 32gb SSD. It runs fine, a little hiccup every now and then when it hit the ceiling on the page file but no complaints.

You can get by with the original 4gb SSD but you'll want to upgrade. It's a little weird to have 2gb of memory and only 4gb of drive space.

Also wanted to mention this may push your ship date back, atleast for me it did. Linux based systems seemed to be shipping on average 1.5-2weeks later then the windows versions.