how do I update netbook OS and upgrade HD?

[doug1947]

I'm a complete novice at this so may I first apologise if I seem
to be asking daft questions.

I have a EEEPC1000 netbook running Linux (don't know what it is however) but as it's a few years old I would like to update the OS and put in a bigger HD as well.

Trouble is the netbook hasn't a dvd drive and I don't know whether the usual drives will work OK with a linux OS or if fitting a bigger HD is possible.

As I bought the netbook secondhand I have no paperwork to go with it.

Could someone tell me if it will be possible to do what I have set out above and if so how I go about it please?

Also are there any external dvd drives that will work with Linux OS systems.

Sorry for the long-winded query but i'd be grateful for any help and advice.

Thank you.

[elija]

This one?

If so, it will probably have Xandros on it which frankly is hopelessly outdated. That machine should be able to handle most modern distributions but I would go for one that is optimised for Netbooks as they tend to be a bit lighter. Have a look at Distrowatch for some options.

As for DVD drives, they should be fine with Linux as long as they are seen by the device. One gotcha with my e-machines netbook is that USB devices will only boot from a specific port!

I'm afraid I have no idea if the ssd can be upgraded, but a typical Linux install (with all software) is between 3 and 6 GB so there will still be plenty of room for document storage.

[Leeky]

You should be able to install your chosen distro of Linux by making use of a USB thumb drive, or even a media storage card if your netbook comes with a SD card slot or similar.

The hard disk replacement will depend entirely on whether the existing SSD fitted uses a normal sized bay and connection interface. If it does then any 2.5" hard disk should work absolutely fine. That said, 40GB is more than plenty for a netbook optimised distro of Linux with space to store personal files for every day usage.

A quick search for that model number reveals your model being fitted with 160GB hard disks, so it should be fine.

[doug1947]

elija/Leeky thank you both for your advice.

The netbook does have a SD card so(another daft question) how do I go about downloading a new OS?

Don't know what size SD card it will take but is it then just a case of downloading to the SD card?
and then running the installation from it?

Assuming I can find what the SD card is called on the netbook.

Reason I asked about dvd drives is that I bought an external HDD for my wife to use on her laptop which is fine but the netbook doesn't respond at all when it's plugged in hence wondering if a dvd might have a similar problem.

[Leeky]

Have you looked in BIOS to see if the external drive is identified in the boot priority options?

It will accept any SD card (as long as it has the slot for one) or a Micro SD with a SD converter. If you have access to a Windows based computer (your wifes laptop?) you can run Linux Live USB Creator to setup the SD card to install your preferred distro.

There are Linux based versions of the software above, but I wouldn't know what to recommend as I've always used this as have a Windows PC for gaming.

Grr, forum restriction bites me again. Link to that USB creator is: linuxliveusb dot com

[elija]

I don't know about the sd card as I have never used one for that but there ais also Unetbootin which makes creating a live USB key a doddle.

[sgosnell]

I've used SDHC cards both for installing and running Linux distros many times. It works well, and you can also use a standard USB flash drive if that's what you have. You need a drive or card of at least 1GB for the installation. Install unetbootin and have it download and burn the .iso for the distro of your choice, boot from the flash drive, and run the install program. If you prefer, you can install unetbootin on Windows, and burn the .iso to the flash drive there. The hardest part of the process is deciding which distro you want to install. That's where having another SDHC card is handy. If you have one 8 or 16GB, you can install to that instead of the internal drive, and try out different distros until you find one you want to keep. You can use regular flash drives, but they stick out the side and are inconvenient. With the card, you can keep it in the slot and boot from it or the internal drive at will, by pressing Esc when the BIOS flash screen appears.

[doug1947]

Thanks to everyone who has helped me with this. To be honest I'm still trying to take it in!!

Probably worth buying a new SD card (4gig or more?) and maybe I can test it out on my netbook before I jump in and load it on - is that possible?

Otherwise could I load it onto a USB stick using a windows pc and then use that to load or test it on my netbook?

Finally would I have a problem connecting wi-fi with a new OS as I tried Linux mint on my aged PC but it wouldn't connect. Is that because my USB wireless dongle is maybe just for windows and need to buy a Linux compatible one?

Lots of questions I know but I am trying to get a grip on this.

Thanks to you all again.

[sgosnell]

Yes, get an SDHC card, 8GB is better, and still pretty cheap, and you can run Linux on your netbook without changing the internal drive. If you don't like one distro, wipe the card and install another. You can do this from Windows, using unetbootin, if you like. Buy a $5 card reader, and you can use the card just like a USB drive, if the PC has no built-in card reader.

Your dongle should work in Linux, you just have to find the right drivers. Google should help with that, you just have to find the right search terms. Google searches are more of an art than a science, it takes experience to know the best words to put in the search box.

[doug1947]

Yes, get an SDHC card, 8GB is better, and still pretty cheap, and you can run Linux on your netbook without changing the internal drive. If you don't like one distro, wipe the card and install another. You can do this from Windows, using unetbootin, if you like. Buy a $5 card reader, and you can use the card just like a USB drive, if the PC has no built-in card reader.

Your dongle should work in Linux, you just have to find the right drivers. Google should help with that, you just have to find the right search terms. Google searches are more of an art than a science, it takes experience to know the best words to put in the search box.

Thank you, that's really helpful and I'll give it a go.

And while I think about it a happy new year to you from Manchester UK - where it's raining. (Well we are called the rainy city!)