Windows XP, Best Buy, and the Eee PC
April 7th, 2008 by antMicrosoft recently announced that they will be keeping Windows XP alive until 2010, mainly for the Eee PC and other low cost tiny notebooks.
This goes hand in hand with Best Buy now offering a version of the Eee PC 4G (the 4G-X) that comes with Windows XP preinstalled. It is available in black, and apparently is (or will be?) available in actual stores. I ran a couple zip codes into the store availability/inventory part of the Best Buy website, but none seem to be in my area at least.
Users in the last post we had about this have done some investigating, and while the Best Buy employees don’t seem to know much, it looks like inventory might start to arrive on April 14th.
April 7th, 2008 at 5:27 pm
This pisses me right off- why is the XP version the same price as the Linux version? If I buy an EEE with Linux, am I subsidizing part of the cost of an XP license for someone else? That’s enough to make me consider getting something else.
April 7th, 2008 at 6:02 pm
Same here.
I tried running my zip, and nothing.
I hope this makes the cost of the Linux ones go down, because if I get one, Im going to use it with Linux, but if the cost wont change, Ill just get an XP one, so I have an extra XP license, and install Linux on it myself.
April 7th, 2008 at 6:29 pm
I’m guessing that they will drop the cost of the linux version. It’s not uncommon for initial pricing to be re-evaluated after 6-8 months of shelf space.
Having both XP and linux versions will be healthy for the platform. In fact, the XP version will present better market opportunities for developers as it’s much easier to design and deploy an application on XP then the version of Linux that comes with the EEE.
April 7th, 2008 at 6:33 pm
I did notice that my local BB at least has a few other Asus laptop models. It was quite a suprise and when i asked about the EEE, the shop clerk only said he didn’t know.
April 8th, 2008 at 1:34 am
haven’t you heard of Microsoft tactics? It is called “Monopoly killing the Competition”. Microsoft could well have highly subsidized the XP version on Eee.
A smart business move by Microsoft to kill competition…..Linux is the only danger to them.
I will be getting the XP installed one.
April 8th, 2008 at 7:08 am
About the pricing being the same for both Linux and XP models, I wonder if this has anything to do with the fact that Xandros is the Linux distribution used. Xandros isn’t free of charge to anyone. Isn’t the home edition like at leastin the US $40 range or so? Whereas any of the others (Ubuntu, Mandriva, etc) are available totally at no charge.
April 8th, 2008 at 8:54 am
True enough about Xandros. Maybe a Kubuntu or Xubuntu install would be more economical?
According to this site:http://www.blogeee.net/2008/04/04/le-eeepc-900-en-vente-en-france-des-juin-prochain/
The Eee PC 900 will be available in France in June. What’s the latest news for the North American market?
April 8th, 2008 at 9:36 am
I don’t need XP license as a developer has MSDN license. However, I would like to have a full-size keyboard. For the original one is too small for me to type fast!
April 8th, 2008 at 12:02 pm
I am guessing that ASUS set the same price for Linux- and XP-model by differentiating the battery size; Linux has 5200mAh, XP has only 4400mAh.
April 8th, 2008 at 12:58 pm
Boring?
http://h10010.www1.hp.com/wwpc/pscmisc/vac/us/product_pdfs/2133.pdf
Try this?
April 8th, 2008 at 3:48 pm
May seems to be the release date for the 900, makes me sad, I thought it was in April
April 8th, 2008 at 4:25 pm
Microsoft has likely priced XP for this computer very low, maybe even free. Nothing in writing but it’s easy to speculate that if Asus charges more for the XP version, then they may have a hard time getting a good deal on M$ products for the rest of their offerings.
If XP was available when I bought my eee, it’s likely I would have gotten it. I’ve dabbled with Linux in the past, but never really used it until the eee.
Shortly after I bought it, I helped a friend set up a new Vi$ta laptop. Every time I tried to do something, I was confronted with another ad or trialware popup. The Linux experience was serene in comparison.
I liken Windows to buying a new car and having it covered with bumper stickers for places you should visit with it, or perhaps a radio that comes with pre-installed commercials that it plays at random intervals.
April 9th, 2008 at 1:04 am
here in NZ the XP version is 699.00 whilst the Xandros version is 599.00
I got the Xandros model, don see the need for windows on the EEE at all
April 9th, 2008 at 4:51 am
Ordered my Windows version through the Best Buy site. Arriving today. The blogs state this morning that the Windows version does not have the SD slot…
April 9th, 2008 at 10:01 am
I bought one today 4/9 but OMG no SD card slot!!
April 9th, 2008 at 10:32 am
Charlie, do you actually have the computer, or are you depending on Best Buy’s apparently erroneous specs. (I know there’s at least one error, it says the Linux version has no touch pad)
April 9th, 2008 at 12:34 pm
This is really disappointing. The whole point of the eee is bringing power and flexibility to a low power laptop by using Linux. I think XP users will quickly be disheartened with the small screen and software that expects more powerful hardware. It won’t be long before the forum is full of XP users complaining that this and that won’t run.
I’ve had my eee for 3 weeks now. I’ve loaded Xubuntu and haven’t looked back. Any problems are part of the fun and makes you part of a community, rather than the microsoft masses.
I agree this is part of microsoft’s protectionist policy. Its a shame everyone falls for it.
April 9th, 2008 at 2:36 pm
I thought really hard about getting the XP instead, but after having gone thru setting Advanded Desktop mode and installing Citrix, I probably won’t get the XP.
BTW, if the fact that the battery is the lesser capacity on the XP version (thought someone mentioned it here), and if the SD slot is truly missing, the XP version may be 2G with 2G SD rigged to a total of 4G, which makes available about 80USD to put XP Home on the thing??!
April 9th, 2008 at 3:40 pm
Hmmm…I was thinking about getting this one and using it as a nice little portable + GPS (MS Streets) and if that didn’t fly, just blowing away XP and putting Ubuntu on it. Now, I’m not sure. It will hopefully be nice to be able to walk into a store finally and see one in action though. I’d like to touch it first before I plunk down my hard earned moniez.
April 9th, 2008 at 4:14 pm
The blogs were incorrect….the WinXP ASUS arrived from Best Buy this afternoon with its SD card intact!
April 10th, 2008 at 6:52 am
yeh last night my friend Kitty got Hers with XP, in the box was a mouse and a 4GB SD card, it makes the price pretty reasonable imo
sometimes people just jump to crazy conclusions
-Stevie
April 10th, 2008 at 11:13 am
Stevie,
Was your friend’s XP EEE from the Best Buy? What size was the batttery (5200 mAh or 4400mAh)? And it came with a 4gb SD card and mouse on a 4gb EEE for the same price as a Linux 4gb EEE?
If the battery is the 5200mAh (same as the Linux one) it might be worth buying the XP version just to get the goodies, as I’m looking to put EEEXUbuntu on it anyways. On the other hand, I’d feel kind of dirty by capitulating to Microsoft the first time I have a decent alternative in the retail space.
April 10th, 2008 at 7:31 pm
Interesting comparison video of the Eee & HP 2133 at
http://www.pcworld.com/businesscenter/article/144222/hps_2133_a_tiny_laptop_an_adult_can_really_use.html
April 10th, 2008 at 10:05 pm
P C Club has them in stock. Or at least one you can look at and touch.
navydad
April 11th, 2008 at 9:02 pm
Whats the point of buying the linux version at this point? If you would rather run linux, you can still buy this one for the same price and get a xp license. I know I’m going to keep an eye on the stock at my area stores. Tax free, dont have to pay shipping, no brainer…
April 12th, 2008 at 3:32 pm
Sometimes I wonder if people ever actually think beyond their blinkered views. Seriously Prattfall, think about the bigger picture, even in GCSE Business Studies I learned that the up front price of a product was not the only cost… TCO for a linux product to Asus would clearly be as much, if not greater than MS… think support infrastructure.. think returns from customers not understanding it’s not MS and not liking it being linux.. some retailers have had 30% returns on them from customers expecting a familar Windows..
Me.. I run linux on my eee and I have a linux appliance, so I am no MS lover… but I run a Windows desktop and a Mac notebook.. I use whatever is best for the application.
Your attitude it mis-gudied, ill informed and ultimately unhelpful to the linux community.
April 12th, 2008 at 7:34 pm
I earned every penny I am spending on this computer. I’m going to make sure I get what I am paying for. I love linux. I use linux on most of my computers. If asus drops the price of the linux version, I will buy it in a heartbeat. I will not pay the same price for linux as I do for windows. If you want to pay a premium to use linux, be my guest. Asus is hurting the community by charging the same, regardless of operating system. Not my attitude. If you want to call me a pratt, fine. If you want to bash my views, thats cool too. I don’t have any GCSE Business Studies in my educational transcripts, so I guess my opinions aren’t worth considering.
April 13th, 2008 at 12:24 am
I just discovered the eeepc recently, and like many of you, I suppose, my mind has been running non-stop with all the fun applications it might just fit into. We first saw the linux model at MicroCenter in the twin cities, and immediately started searching around, running across the Best Buy model.
After seeing all the questions regarding battery size, etc. I’m glad I didn’t jump the gun. If the XP version is pretty much the same for my uses, then I will probably get the XP version, providing I can turn around and load linux on it. It’s all about the options. It’d be neat to run streets and trips on it (and then tie the sound card to my ham radio for APRS) but if I’m almost always happier with the linux options available to me, so I want that as well.
Of course, with Xandros not being available as a free download, I might have problems with my little plan (free software not being free has always been a pet peeve) but we’ll figure it out. I’m happy to see that I’ll at least be able to test drive the XP model sooner or later. I have had enough trouble just downloading a video driver at 800×600, I can’t imagine what the usability is like on that 7″ screen.
April 13th, 2008 at 12:33 pm
I was reading the description of the Best Buy XP version. It clearly states in the specs that there is No Media Drive. Which means no SD slot.
Bummer, because I was thinking of getting the XP version, but am now going back to thinking about the Linux model. Though as I think about it, just means I do storage and editing of files on a pen drive…
Decisions, decisions…
April 13th, 2008 at 1:46 pm
The XP version at Best Buy does have a SD Card slot. I have one and it works good; however, sometimes after being in standby mode the card does show up. A simple restart rectifies this. It happened a couple of times when I first got the eee pc, but has not happened this weekend.
April 14th, 2008 at 10:14 am
My friend just bought yesterday a ASUS Eee PC 4G XP Galaxy Black Intel Mobile 7IN 800X480 WLAN LAN 512MB 4GB XP Home Notebook, with a asus mouse and included a 4gb sd card and the rest of the typical accessories. the price was not $399 but $469 plus taxes at ncix.com store in Vancouver, B.C. Canada. I guess the extra $70 was for the XP and SD card that came in the box. Asked at the store how many were left and they said 1 of the same but in white.
April 14th, 2008 at 9:14 pm
@Simon Cole
Simon, you are mistaking TCO with support costs of a manufacturer. As far as I know, TCO is a term used explicitly for consumer expenses.
April 14th, 2008 at 9:23 pm
“at ncix.com store in Vancouver, B.C. Canada” …. i LIVE IN VANCOUVER AND I DIDN’T FIND THIS 469$ WITH EXTRA OPTIONS. COULD U HELP ME PLZ.
April 15th, 2008 at 6:52 am
@Milen
Not that I need to justify the meaning because it’s clear my point is that there is more to a cost of a product than the upfront cost in hardware and software (even though Xandros costs money!). TCO in this context means Total Cost of Operation in the context of Asus being the manufacturer calculating the entire BOM/service for a product.
You can pick on minor points to raise an argument, the point needs to be made that whilst the prices may be similar/same, it’s to do with fundamental business reasons, nothing more, nothing less.
April 16th, 2008 at 5:17 pm
@Simon Cole
I was not trying to raise an argument, but rather made a clarification. Whether the post-sale expenses for Asus for a Linux-based product would be higher compared to a Windows-based one is an arguable issue, but news comments are hardly a suitable place for such an argument.
April 17th, 2008 at 12:38 am
does the XP version have 4GB or 8GB total disk space. From the notes it appears the XP versions has 4GB + additional 4GB ?
The corresponding linux version that sells for $399 (4G-galaxy) has only a 4GB card. Which means the XP version is giving more hardware for the same price.
Doesnt seem to make any sense ?
April 18th, 2008 at 4:55 am
http://www.bestbuy.com/site/olspage.jsp;jsessionid=MV0F2SNZOVE1XKC4D3IVAFY?_dyncharset=ISO-8859-1&id=pcat17071&type=page&st=eee&sc=Global&cp=1&nrp=15&sp=&qp=&list=n&iht=y&usc=All+Categories&ks=960
Well I think BestBuy is lying thru there teeth again. It shows one model at most stores with the other models online only. When I search for Washington,Oregon,California I get a none available.
So exactly where are the stores that have them?
I have been checking the last 11 days now with no joy.
I wish I could zap websites with fraud charges for things like this.
April 18th, 2008 at 8:34 pm
I canceled my order from amazon for an 8GB that I waited 2 months for. I bought a 4GB with XP on line from Best Buy and picked it up at the store in Stockton, CA. I have a 16GB SDHC card ready and I ordered a 2GB SODIMM from Crucial I would have bought both of these even if I got the 8GB. I’m good - 20GB instead of 24. It’s not a replacement for my 17″ notebook and the 17″ is not a replacement for my desktop. And my smartphone with Win Mobile 6.0 will never replace the EEE PC.
April 18th, 2008 at 8:51 pm
Asus-Eee PC with Intel® Celeron® M Processor-Galaxy Black-EEEPC4G-BK010X
@chuk: It shows 2.45Gb used space & 1.25 free total =3.70GB. No other cards or memory included. 900MHz & 504 MB RAM
April 19th, 2008 at 7:54 am
I have the Best Buy Windows XP Version. IT DOES HAVE AN SD SLOT! If you are losing hard drive space mysteriously, reduce the space that windows allocates to system restore. Problem Solved.
April 19th, 2008 at 1:17 pm
On 4GB with WinXP preloaded the 16GB SDHC doesn’t work in this computer for adding programs. I should have researched the forums before throwing those bucks away. ASUS told me to try loading some different programs to the card but none have finished.
Save yourself some money and research the forums before buying anything extra for this eee.
April 19th, 2008 at 4:04 pm
Well, I broke down and ordered the Black XP model from Best Buy, but because I don’t have a credit card, I went to the store to do the ordering. Should have it next week.
Am now thinking I will get the White Linux version later, and then I can say that I went to the Dark Side of the Force (using XP) and also have a Jedi Light…
April 19th, 2008 at 4:19 pm
here is the deal,i remember when people were bitching and moaning how much windows xp sucked compared to windows 98 second edition.its true,everybody was saying how much better windows98 second editions was compared to windows xp.then windows xp was constantly being hacked into,especially through the internet explorer and e-mails,we all become aware of adware/spyware keyloggers and other hacker spyware programs that would instantly install on your windows xp without your knowledge most of the time.but after your windows xp started slowing down,then people started noticing something was wrong with the windows xp because adware/spyware program gobbles up all your memory and takes over your pc and steals your information.so as time goes on windows xp becomes the worst windows os ever with hardly any security protection.so with bill gates and steve ballmer being so behind on security issues with the windows xp,then a whole wild bunch of idiots decided that this is a multi million dollar market trying to sell people security protection against adware/spyware programs that take over your pc.i did buy windows vista ultimate edition last year,this is the most best windows os i have ever had.the windows vista ultimate editions runs so smooth,starts so quick,everything seem to work really really great.i think its the best windows os yet.i would give it a 9 on a scale of 1-10,thats how excellent windows vista ultimate edition is.
April 22nd, 2008 at 11:24 pm
I hope someone can help me as I am a little computer challenged. I bought the EEE pc with XP from Best Buy. I love the computer but after only using it for a few hours and not downloading any programs on it I am already getting a message saying my memory is very low. It seems like XP takes up most of the 4gs. Help what can I do. All I have used it for it surfing the web and emails. I have had to clean off my temporary files over and over or I keep getting the message. I have a 4 g card ordered but not really sure how to use it. Will it solve the problem just by my installing it or do I have to tell the computer to do something to use the card. Yes I am definately computer challenged!
Can someone email me and help?
Thanks so much
zanalady@aol.com
April 23rd, 2008 at 10:15 am
Went to Best Buy yesterday to get a hands on play with the Eee with XP. They didn’t have it on the display floor aloth the website said they had it in store. Nobody knew what an Eee PC was, only one sales guy said “yeah, thats that childrens computer, right?” He went on to say that it isn’t a big seller. I went on by saying “How can it be a big seller if it’s not on display?” and he laughed, “you’re right, we’ll put it on display, sir” After about 10 minutes, people were like “wow, is that really a laptop? it looks like a toy?”
Needless to say, I really liked it. I have questions but I’ll save them for the forums.
April 23rd, 2008 at 7:18 pm
Well, it’s heeeeeere! I have not turned it on yet. The manual said it was advisable to let the battery charge fully before first use, though I suspect that means before taking it off the charger and using it without the charger… At any rate, it didn’t come with goodies (from Best Buy), but it did come with an SD slot. Of course, I will probably save files to my 4 gig thumb drive, whereupon I have a copy of AbiWord. Will report as I go.
April 26th, 2008 at 10:26 am
I’m in LOVE….
April 26th, 2008 at 11:40 am
Hi All. I found the EEE PC 4GB Win Xp Galaxy Black $ 399 at my local BEST BUY (# 374 in Yonkers, NY 10710) by going on-line and finding that it was available. I ordered on-line at 9 am and picked it up in the afternoon. The machine is outstanding. If you don t mind paying a little more, you may want to wait for the PC 900 version 12GB Win/ 20GB Linux $ 549.99. We all have our favorite applications & downloads that we like to use, so the extra hard-drive space would be nice. Also, the bigger screen may also help.