Computer question

[boatmike]

I recently bought an Asus Eee notebook. Generally I am pleased with the size and 11 hour battery life which was why I bought it but it is so slow!! On my Virgin media wireless at home it runs at less than half the speed of my Vaio laptop. Is this because it's running Windows 7 starter? Could I get it running faster by loading some other operating system? It's driving me nuts!

 

[charles_reed]

No! it's because it's got an singlr-core Atom processor and only a small RAM - if you load one of the Linux distros, you'll double its speed and add 40% to the battery life, but WinXP will be even slower.

 

[SailorBill]

Charles is right. This should be your next stop: http://www.ubuntu.com/

 

[boatmike]

No! it's because it's got an singlr-core Atom processor and only a small RAM - if you load one of the Linux distros, you'll double its speed and add 40% to the battery life, but WinXP will be even slower.

Actually Charles it is a "new generation twin core CPU" but is indeed Intel Atom.
It came with Windows already loaded. Would Linux be the thing or Ubantu? The latter appears to be a free download and on the demo version appears to be very simple. Any other votes for it?

 

[earlybird]

Actually Charles it is a "new generation twin core CPU" but is indeed Intel Atom.
It came with Windows already loaded. Would Linux be the thing or Ubantu? The latter appears to be a free download and on the demo version appears to be very simple. Any other votes for it?

I've got Ubuntu on a desktop, as an alternative boot-up programme, courtesy of my son.
OK to satisfy curiosity, but better for geeks IMHO.Stand-by for posts from outraged geeks.

 

[SvenglishTommy]

Ubuntu is Linux. There are various distributions, with Ubuntu being the most popular free one. It's definitely worth a try. The major problem with linux is that a lot of the programs you might want to run wont be available.

 

[prv]

Would Linux be the thing or Ubantu?

Ubuntu is a kind of Linux. It's probably the easiest for non-technical people to get to grips with, and it has a version specifically for netbooks.

Nevertheless, I nearly wrote "least difficult" rather than "easiest", if you get my meaning...

Pete

 

[sealegsjim]

I thought that this was a boating forum

 

[vyv_cox]

I thought that this was a boating forum

No computer on your boat?

 

[Ex-SolentBoy]

You are fortunate that lots of misguided people love small netbooks.

This means that you can sell it for a good price, buy an iPad and not worry about all that rubbish.

 

[savageseadog]

More processor speed = more power consumption, a direct relationship, you have to decide what you need. New technologies are constantly improving the power/speed relationship but for the time being and the foreseeable future we're stuck with it.

 

[prv]

No computer on your boat?

None on mine, nor likely to be. I go sailing to get away from that kind of thing

Pete

 

[SvenglishTommy]

None on mine, nor likely to be. I go sailing to get away from that kind of thing

Pete

Good idea. I sometimes think about just throwing my laptop overboard.

 

[vyv_cox]

None on mine, nor likely to be. I go sailing to get away from that kind of thing

Pete

But when I go sailing I'm away for six months. Not impossible to manage your affairs without one, we have done so in the past, but considerably more inconvenient.

 

[SvenglishTommy]

But when I go sailing I'm away for six months. Not impossible to manage your affairs without one, we have done so in the past, but considerably more inconvenient.

Which is why I have second thoughts when about to throw said laptop overboard

 

[nigelmercier]

Actually Charles it is a "new generation twin core CPU" but is indeed Intel Atom.
It came with Windows already loaded. Would Linux be the thing or Ubantu? The latter appears to be a free download and on the demo version appears to be very simple. Any other votes for it?

Don't do it! I have a similar spec model, and recently junked the Linux and installed Windows 7 Starter. No noticeable difference in speed, but a more familiar environment.

If your Windows is running slowly, there must be a reason. Perhaps you have two Anti Virus programs installed? Or something is loading at at startup and hogging the CPU or memory? There are loads of things to try before jumping into the GNU/Linux pit.

[Later] just re-read your OP. Are you saying that it is the Internet that is slow? If so, there must be a connection problem, possibly driver related.
[/Later]

All the propeller-heads will tell you that Ubantu (or any other flavour of Linux) is better than Windows, but for the average Joe, it simply isn't. For a start, none of your Windows programs will run.

If you consider going to Linux, and I strongly suggest you don't, then make sure you create a Windows re-install disk in case you change your mind.

 

[prv]

But when I go sailing I'm away for six months.

And are therefore the lucky exception

Pete

 

[SvenglishTommy]

Don't do it! I have a similar spec model, and recently junked the Linux and installed Windows 7 Starter. No noticeable difference in speed, but a more familiar environment.

All the propeller-heads will tell you that Ubantu (or any other flavour of Linux) is better than Windows, but for the average Joe, it simply isn't. For a start, none of your Windows programs will run.

If you consider going the other way, make sure you create a Windows re-install disk in case you change your mind.

Most notebooks these days have a recovery partition so you can always reinstall windows if you dont like Linux. Linux isn't 'better' than windows, but it is much lighter - you're right though, for web browsing there would probably be little difference in speed.

 

[nigelmercier]

Most notebooks these days have a recovery partition so you can always reinstall windows if you dont like Linux. Linux isn't 'better' than windows, but it is much lighter - you're right though, for web browsing there would probably be little difference in speed.

I get the impression that the OP isn't very "tech", so I'd be concerned about wiping the boot partition without a backup on an optical disk. This is also why I think Linux would be a mistake: I consider myself a total geek: I've been messing around with computers longer than Bill Gates, and my friends consider me a PC guru, but even I struggle to make sense of GNU/Linux.

May the grep be with you.

 

[prv]

I consider myself a total geek [...]
I struggle to make sense of GNU/Linux.

Seems an odd juxtaposition

Anyway, I work with Linux 8 hours a day and feel disorientated on the very rare occasions that I have to try something out on Windows. But I certainly wouldn't go round advising the general population to switch to Ubuntu without good reason.

Pete