[qwester]

I am new to this forum ....
I have a 910 with a 4GB SSD and Ubuntu 8.04 OS.
Purchased this for my wife who did light emails and web-surfing.
After about a year the mail client froze up and I had to re-format the drive and since than have been unable to get the netbook to work.
I keep getting messages that the SSD may be dead.

I would like to purchase a 16GB SSD and load Win XP on it.
I have a Win XP cd.
I plan to buy a TRANSCEND 16GB SSD PATA 40-Pin SOLID STATE HARD DRIVE. Anybody have any experience with this SSD and the 910?
Do I need to upgrade my RAM or will the memory that came with the netbook suffice?
Will I be able to re-install the drivers for the wireless and webcam, etc, without any major issues?
Any help, links, etc. will be appreciated.
Thanks.

[holmes4]

You don't say how much memory you have. 1GB would be sufficient. The Transcend drive you mention is not compatible with the Mini 9. You need one that is the MiniPCIe form factor and which says explicitly that it supports the Mini 9.

[UNCNDL1]

Here's an example of one that will work-try this link:
Super Talent 16GB MLC Half Mini 2 SSD For Dell Mini 9 - eBay (item 200521002704 end time Jan-15-11 23:20:33 PST)

Product Condition:New
Specification
Mfr Part Number: FEM16GFDL
The Half Mini 2 PCIe SSD is an upgrade module specifically designed to be a drop in replacement for the Dell Inspiron Mini 9 netbook PC
Capacity: 16 GB
Interface: Custom IDE/PATA
NAND Flash: MLC
Operating temperature: 0°C to +70°C
Performance:
Sequential Read Rate: 80 MB/s (max)
Sequential Write Rate: 40 MB/s (max)
Power Supply: 3.3V ± 5% Dimensions: 30 x 51 x 3.5 mm with Super Talent’s 2 year warranty
Product descriptions and part numbers are subject to change, and may not reflect manufacturer product changes. Please check the manufacturer's website and use the item's manufacturer part number to find the most up to date product description.

[qwester]

Thanks Holmes4,

I have the Dual In-Line Memory Module 512MB,800,64X64,8K,200.

In your opinion, will I be able to run XP, if I upgrade the SSD to 16GB?

Who manufactures the " MiniPCIe form factor SSD " that you refer to?

What is your opinion of the Super Talent Half mini that is recommended by UNCNDL1?

[somms]

Intel 310 mSATA SSD knows that size matters, fits 80GB into less space than a credit card -- Engadget



Anyone have an idea if the above would be even close to the proper form factor compatible w/Mini9?

[reflex]

Originally Posted by somms

Intel 310 mSATA SSD knows that size matters, fits 80GB into less space than a credit card -- Engadget



Anyone have an idea if the above would be even close to the proper form factor compatible w/Mini9?

Unfortunately, it won't work in any Dell netbook. The Mini 9 needs a PATA SSD, that one's SATA.

[holmes4]

I think the Intel part is physically right but indeed it won't work in the Mini 9. It is a MiniPCIe card, but doesn't have the right interface.

The favorite brands of Mini 9 SSDs are RunCore and SuperTalent. (If you go SuperTalent, make sure it's the GFDL part and not GFHL.) Forum Sponsor MyDigitalDiscount carries RunCore and are good to deal with.

I would say that you CAN run XP in 512MB but you'd be better off upgrading to 1 or even 2GB (go for 2, it's not that much more.)

[qwester]

Holmes4,
I finally installed the SuperTalent 16GB on the mini-9 (had problems with removing the screws, but finally managed to get them out).
Is there a good step by step guide to install Win-XP on the mini? (I could not locate one).
I have a USB cd drive I can use to install using the OS and not mess around with using a thumb drive.
Thanks for any suggestions.

[holmes4]

I have heard of some people having trouble with an install of XP (as opposed to using the Dell restore CD). If you're using an XP SP3 CD it should work ok, but no guarantees. The problem seems to be that older XP installs don't recognize the SSD interface, though I don't know why that should be.

[qwester]

Homes4,

Thanks ..............
I had a Windows XP-SP2 cd and was able to install it on the mini.

I tried to install the Drivers and Utilities using the cd that came with the mini, but that did not work.

I assume it could be because the mini came with a Ubuntu OS and a 4GB SSD and the drivers were for that system. I would have still thought that the audio, video and wireless card would probably be the same. However the Dell cd did not launch.

I am downloading drivers from the Dell site and hopefully they will work.
Any trick to installing drivers?
Would they install from a USB stick or do they require a CD?

Thanks for your help................