I’m loving my Aspire One. I really enjoy the OS and it’s small and fast and exactly what I wanted, that was until I decided it was so wonderful that I wanted to start using my Sprint USB727 EVDO modem. Not only could I not get the instructions to work with this version of Linux, Sprint was clear on the limitations that exist with using the “generic” driver, namely the 500kpbs speed. With this I decided to give Windows XP on the Aspire One a try.

When I decided to install XP I hadn’t looked hard enough to find the Acer Aspire One User Forum, which I should have. And even when I found it… I should have read more and tried less but that’s not always my normal plan of action so I had a lot of missteps. The first big issue with installing XP on the One is that there is no CD/DVD drive. This is not an issue unique to the One, anyone installing XP on a netbook (i.e., EEE PC) deals with this, so I debated do I buy an external DVD? do I try to hobble one together with an old DVD drive? or do I follow the “install via jump drive” instructions? Wanting this to be as geeky an experience as possible… I went with the install via jump drive option. It was not TOO difficult tho there was lots of issue and problems. Not only did I pull the USB Jump Drive too soon which rendered the One unable to boot to XP without that in it, I also did used nLite to try to make a very small install of XP. This was not such a good plan as I took out too many components. More on that later.

Installing XP took forever. Seriously almost four hours. EACH TIME! It was painful. Once XP was installed, installing updates took forever, apps… forever… everything forever. It was really slow. On my way in to work I decided to install the Sprint SmartView software (for my EVDO) Modem. It usually takes about 3 minutes to install on my work machine, but it took almost 40 minutes to install on the One. A quick call to Pinoyboy revealed that the SSDs in these machines aren’t very fast and that things like indexing and the page file don’t help. I decided to turn off the page file and get some more RAM. The One has 512MB inside and can support up to 1.5 GB of RAM. Off to Best Buy (I got quite a few birthday gift cards) to get some RAM. I scored a 1GB PNY SO-DIMM and headed home to start the install process. It did not go so well.

Installing RAM in the One is really tough. The expansion slot is not only not accessible externally, it’s damn near impossible to get to it internally. I began by taking the bottom case off. My normal computer screw driver’s tip was too pointed and I had some serious problems trying to get the screws off. I ran off to Lowe’s and got a new set and got the screws off. Next came getting the keyboard off. This was really hard as there are three tabs you have to push back and they really have to go back far, so far I broke one. Once the keyboard was off, another seven or eight screws and then you have to pry the top case off. Now that you’re One is completely in pieces you have to start unscrewing the mother board. It was really a lot of work and a lot of frustration but finally I got the mother board out and installed the RAM. I reassembled the whole One and when I pressed the power button… nothing. No power. Nothing. I know I should have NOT put it back together before I checked and now I had to dismantle it again. I was sure I had borked something but after another hour I determined it was the RAM. I did what I should have and ordered RAM from Crucial. The One is in a pile of parts now until I get the RAM.