Acer Aspire One Ram Upgrade

I updated my ram! Here are the pics. Follow instructions from YouTube like I did if you want to do this.

Step 1: Closed computer - unscrew all screws underneath

Step 2 - Open up computer to remove the keyboard.
Step 3 - Don't panic, remove the plate under the keyboard.
Step 4 - Remove the valuable wifi card and sideboard.
Step 5 - Finish unscrewing everything and insert your 1 Gb ram stick UNDER the motherboard
Don't lose your pieces - place everything where it will be safe while you work!

Last step - Jump up and down when you turn it on and it 1) works and 2) recognizes the increased ram - 1.5Gb!!!

Acer Aspire One running Arch Linux and KDE4 is Awesome!!

Hardware:
I really like my AAO. I have now upgraded to 1.5 Gb ram following YouTube video examples. It was straightforward, though tougher than the usual "unscrew small compartment under the laptop." I have a subjective feel that it runs faster and smoother - who knows for sure :)

Distro:
I recently dropped my Ubuntu distribution for my netbook to Arch Linux. Why? - Because I have never installed it before and I always hear good things about it. I liked Gentoo because of the rolling distro part of it, but I did not like compiling all the time. I like the balance of the rolling distro but binary. It also works extremely well and fast (as advertised by Arch Linux fans).

KDE4:
I hesitated installing KDE4 as I previously tried Kubuntu and was disappointed by the speed of the DE. I loved the idea of Plasma, and with 4.2 in Arch Linux and my increased ram, I decided to try it. I still love it. I have been customizing and beginning to really like what I have.

(Caution Ahead - weak rant on KOrganizer next)
Even so, I have been sadly disappointed in KOrganizer! I want what Kontact offers - mail, calendar, journal, todo, notes, and a summary screen - BUT - Kmail does not want to keep copies of my imap messages locally (so if I am not on a network - I cannot respond/go through my email) and Kontact will not 2-way sync with google calendar! I cannot believe that these things have not been addressed or described as a working high priority so far by the KDE team! They have sure come a long ways in very short time with the KDE4 release, but with the popularity of Google's services and the abundance of netbooks/laptops who might want to work on email while offline - I am just amazed and disappointed. I will continue to use a conglomerate of other programs to do what I desire, though none would fit as nicely with what I want as KOrganizer does.

I am sure more things will pop up that I won't like, but with KOrganizer suite as my only large criticism/disappointment, this is not bad for all the work the KDE team has done. Strong work!

To the KDE team: Even so, please enable 2-way sync for Kontact and offline cache for imap in Kmail.

Windows-7 Beta in Ubuntu on my Acer Aspire One with VirtualBox

Wow, what a night! I was able to successfully install Windows-7 Beta in Ubuntu on my Acer Aspire One with VirtualBox.

This is not a tutorial - just a documentation of what I was able to do!

I would like to start out by referencing sites that helped me out.

- Getting wireless networking was key

- How they did it at Sun

Ok, First .. a pic of my success!

Ok, Here is how it goes down:

The black screen seems to last too long - but I think it is because of the tiny bit of ram I allowed it to use (512mb)


Before long, though, things start to look pretty and I begin a simple install process:


Always - The need to agree to the EULA - actually, a very straightforward EULA, not unreasonable to my untrained eye. Logical for a Beta product from a closed source company.


I had to make sure to give myself a 20Gb drive - It apparently wouldn't recognize my previous 10Gb drive. I read somewhere it needs 16Gb to be installed. I picked 20, and it worked ok.


Some pics of the installing:





Then, the moment of truth .. will it work?


This is pretty - the bright light thing is going back and forth light NightRider :)

Looks like it is working...

Whoo Hoo!

Internet Explorer opened up for the first time (with my successful wireless internet connection)

The default desktop - classy, practical, stable so far for this Beta product!


All in all, I learned A LOT about virtualization, and as much as I dislike the products of this company (as those who know me will attest), this is a promising product. I look forward to participating in this Beta testing and hope to be able to assist in finding/confirming bugs (as much as a closed source project will allow me). I will definitely support Microsoft with my feedback (see the icon on the Desktop).

This is my first attempt at something like this - I will also need to start seriously helping out Ubuntu in a similar way - any suggestions?