I have a toshiba netbook with 1.6 processor, 1GB ram, W7 starter, it runs just fine, generally just have google chrome open but use it occasionally with office 2010 and that works just fine too, cost $334CAD, i'm quite happy with it.

ps. my main computer is an iMac so i was ready to hate it 🙂

{Re: three app limit} – I humbly disagree. I have a HP netbook on XP with 2GB RAM, and run Word, PowerPoint, several multitabbed firefox windows, VPN, Skype etc etc 90% of the time and don't have problems doing it.

That'd be three apps, then. Multiple instances of the same application (let alone mere tabs) are counted as one app, and the VPN and Skype probably wouldn't count.

Multiple instances of the same application (let alone mere tabs) are counted as one app

Have you checked Task Manager when running multiple tabs in a browser, or multiple instances of the same application? It would seem that Windows doesn't really care whether it's a different app, a new instance of the same app, or a new tab.

Has anybody got any suggestions on what Linux distro I should use for dual boot on my new W7 laptop (for a power user not afraid of configuring things, but also wanting drivers which work)? Or should I open a new thread?

Also any comments on whether the 3G card in my laptop will work seamlessly with a SIM from any network, so if/when I get mobile broadband I can dump the dupplied USB stick?

Have you checked Task Manager when running multiple tabs in a browser, or multiple instances of the same application? It would seem that Windows doesn't really care whether it's a different app, a new instance of the same app, or a new tab.

My understanding of the restriction, and I'll be honest I've not looked at it hugely closely, is that it doesn't matter. It's not a limit on threads or processes, you're allowed to run multiple copies of the same application.

I can see where the confusion is. konabunny was replying to the suggestion that you wanted a laptop not a netbook to run more than 3 apps, rather than the comment about the W7 limit – if you check what you've quoted she's running XP.

Acer Aspire One – now have 2 of these in the house. Very happy with the first one, so went out of my way to get WinXP on the 2nd as I knew all my older programs and the netbook itself would all run fine.

I think Win 7 has some limitations that XP does not – like running additional screens off the netbook. There used to be a list of the differences and limitations on the web but I cant remember where it was now. Might be worth searching for a comparison page.

My sister passed a Compaq mini 700 net book on to me the other day.

She said it was slow when it worked and had stopped charging.

I've got a universal charger knocking about and surprise surprise, it worked. It was sooooo slow though. Full of spyware and the odd virus(The free avg virus protection wasnt updated and disabled)

I've tried cleaning it up but I'm still having a few issues. I disabled everything, uninstalled all the crap, ran a clean up program, installed nod32 which is fairly resource light but something is slowing it down still and it blue screened towards the end of the scan and now upon restart it hangs as nod32 is loading.

Its a decent spec..

Intel 1.60GHz Atom N270 processor,
Intel GMA950 graphics,
1GB of RAM
60 GB hard drive

…and I thought it would be ideal to just lob in the glove box on the car and carry around with me but I'm getting fed up with it now lol! I've installed win7 on mine and my missus' Dells and it is ace and I'd like to install it on the netbook just to eliminate and software issues and perhaps nail a hardware one, but I don't really want to have to buy an external dvd drive to do that..Is there any other method I can use to install win7 on it if it will work?.. I don't see why it wouldn't. The spec run pretty close to the basic specs for Vista and win7 should be alot lighter on resources.

The spec run pretty close to the basic specs for Vista and win7 should be alot lighter on resources.

Now there's a fallacy for you. What W7 have you got to install on there? Anything but Starter is likely to be too demanding.

I'd suggest re-installing the factory config, which is presumably XP. If that doesn't sort your issues then you have a HW problem which a W7 install won't fix.

Now there's a fallacy for you. What W7 have you got to install on there? Anything but Starter is likely to be too demanding.
I'd suggest re-installing the factory config, which is presumably XP. If that doesn't sort your issues then you have a HW problem which a W7 install won't fix.

Win7 ultimate on the Dells but I was planning putting nothing stronger than basic on the netbook.

There is no factory config or back up on the hard drive unless you know better and I don't have a backup usb drive. 🙁 and yes, it is xp

My plan was to beg steal or borrow a dvd drive and suck it and see.

There is no factory config or back up on the hard drive unless you know better

No restore partition? They normally come with one of those, and surely if you know what you're doing well enough to get rid of that to free up disk space you'd make recovery discs first and keep them somewhere safe?

No restore partition? They normally come with one of those, and surely if you know what you're doing well enough to get rid of that to free up disk space you'd make recovery discs first and keep them somewhere safe?

Wow, wheres all the aggression come from ? 😀

Like I said in my initial post, my sister passed a non working netbook onto me to fix if I wanted to 😉

And no, there is no restore partition on the hard drive. I have no idea what happened to any recovery usb drives she may of had when she bought it but she doesnt have them now 🙁

Both my Dells came with recovery partitions, but the operating system was vista so I did a fresh install of win7 and have back ups of those.

Liam – linux on that, for sure.

Liam – linux on that, for sure.

Its going to have to be windows I think. I will run some vehicle diagnostics software (op com) on it and I think its highly unlikely to run with linux. I may be wrong however unless I can boot linux from an SD card which would help hehehe!

Wow, wheres all the aggression come from ?

Apologies – wasn't meant to read that way, just trying to help 😕

konabunny was replying to the suggestion that you wanted a laptop not a netbook to run more than 3 apps, rather than the comment about the W7 limit – if you check what you've quoted she's running XP.

This is correct. I know bugger all about W7. I think I may have misunderstood what was being said and confused the issue. Sorry!

Apologies – wasn't meant to read that way, just trying to help

I'd have said 'what aggression?'