Asus Eee PC 1000H and Win XP Pro

Most of the Asus Eee PC 1000H units are running on Windows XP Home. So what happens if you want to load or install XP Pro?

I mean, is it just as simple as attaching a CD/DVD drive via USB to the Asus Eee 1000H, and then installing XP Pro over the pre-installed XP Home? What about the required SP 2 and SP 3?

I dread the possibility of having the unit switch to XP Pro, and then painstakingly wait for the 100+ service pack updates. Given that it's a netbook, I wonder how long it will take to get the XP Pro O/S up to speed.

Alternatively, we can simply just live with the existing XP Home and go on our merry way, surfing the web and writing/reading email. The urge to go XP Pro, however, comes from visiting web sites via a proxy server that assumes you're using Pro instead of XP Home.

(For some reason, the proxy server keeps asking me for a username and password. Strange. If I connect using an Asus Eee 701 which runs on Linux, or via another machine running on Windows 98, the proxy server does not pester me with all these authentication requests. It only happens when I'm using XP Home.)

Another alternative is to just get an Asus Eee 900 (Linux) to get around the proxy server issue. Still, the larger keyboard and screen, as well as the longer battery life of the Asus Eee 1000H is quite appealing. As far as the placement of the right-shift key is concerned, that can be fixed with the help of the KeyTweak software, which allows you to reassign keys.

Now if only we take the time to figure out the best way to install XP Pro over the XP Home, especially given that the audio and video drivers supplied by Asus don't quite work well with XP Pro.

Updates and Notes:

Asus Eee 1000H for only P26,800? That's a nice, low price here in the Philippines, and CoolTOYZ has branches in Greenhills and Makati. A closer look at the specs shows, however, that it comes with 512kb (instead of the usual 1GB) of memory.

nLite Windows XP Install on Asus Eee PC shows you "how to rip the non-essentials out of the Windows XP installation CD, create a new CD with just the minimums, and allows for a fully patched Windows XP." Your 1000H comes pre-installed with Windows XP Home, so you can use this guide to give you ideas on how to install Windows XP Pro. Be sure to also read up on nLite.

How To Trim and Install Windows XP Without a CD-ROM Drive provides tips on how to install Windows XP on your Asus Eee PC, even if you don't have a USB CD/DVD-ROM drive. Among the important tips is this one: "Do not remove the "manual install" feature using nLite. This will make it impossible to load the files properly onto your USB flash drive. Also check out Eeeguides.com's Installing Windows XP from USB Thumb.

XP Recovery Without a DVD Drive gives you tips on how to restore the XP that came with your Eee. While it will be much easier to just use a DVD drive, get an 8 GB flash or thumb drive because 4GB will not be enough.

Anyway, some people consider the Asus Eee 1000H a "second laptop", so if you find yourself shuttling from place to place, and your primary laptop is starting to feel like a 20-pound weight, then try this handy 10" netbook.

[ First posted on 08/30/2008 by Manuel Viloria ]