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Asus Eee PC 1005HA-PU17-BK 10.1 inch Intel Atom N280/1 GB/250 GB/W7S Netbook Computer (Crystal Black)

User Reviews about Asus Eee PC 1005HA-PU17-BK 10.1-Inch Intel Atom Netbook Computer (Crystal Black)

Very versatile little netbook. Has anything you would currently want in a netbook for a handsome price. I looked around for different kinds of deals (even going as far as buying a cheaper model and upgrading the battery) but this, by far, is the best netbook for the price.

-Windows 7 Starter
First thing you have to realize is that Microsoft took a lot of tweaking out of this version of the OS for some reason. Basic functions like changing your background are simply not there in the Starter edition of Windows 7. This is a simple fix if you have about an hour and some money to play with, but it is really not necessary. Windows 7 Starter does what it needs to do on a netbook, which is provide a stable and lightweight operating system to work in on the go.

-Linux
The first thing I did to this computer was dual-boot it with Ubuntu (a form of Linux). Overall, everything worked, except for two or three things that needed a little tweaking. Such as, the external microphone was trying to record from the headphone port. A little tweaking fixed this issue along with the multi-touch trackpad and everything runs like a charm. If you want to run only Linux or dual-boot Windows with Linux, This would be a great netbook to try it out with. I did it and haven't looked back.

-RAM
The RAM was a bit of an issue for me. Again, I shopped around for RAM (like I did for the netbook) and ran into a few snags. I found that my local Best Buy was selling a PC2-5300 stick for much cheaper than online and anywhere in the area. From my experience (I may be wrong), most computer RAM is interchangeable between the 5300 and the 6400. This is not the case with these computers. My 2GB 5300 only registered with 1GB. I exchanged it for a 6400 which also registered as 1GB. I had to start up into BIOS for this netbook to recognize the increased RAM. It works fine now, but was a bit of a pain to get going.

-3-cell vs 6-cell batteries
Like I said above, I looked at several different models. This as well as the 1005HAB are, more-or-less, the same netbook, except one has a 3-cell Li-ion battery and Windows XP and the other has a 6-cell battery with Windows 7 Starter. After a lot of digging and many phone trees I found out that the 6-cell battery will work on both laptops. This intrigued me knowing that the 1005HAB is around $100 cheaper than this particular netbook. My interest was broken when I found that the truly genuine ASUS battery ([...]) carries these batteries for around $178. So, again, for the price this is the better deal.

-Keyboard tactility
I have played with several netbooks (with ASUS being at the forefront) and noticed that each netbook is manufactured the same. Many ASUS netbooks seem to have a "spongy" feel to the keyboard. Every time you hit a key, the plastic backing the keys are fixed to flexes like there is empty space back there. This was VERY annoying to me and I was a little scared of buying a computer online where I couldn't test it out first. To my relief, the 1005HA-PU17 did not exhibit the "spongy" feeling behind the keys. This keyboard is very solid and very suited for the computer.

Overall, I am EXTREMELY happy with this purchase and am currently recommending this to all of my friends. The purchase combination of the netbook, a 2GB RAM card, and an SD card to hold data between OS swaps is perfect for what I need in my netbook. Everything fits into the case and into my backpack. -- Will recommend this to everyone.

Personal Background: 18 Years Systems Admin.

Pros: Light-weight, very portable and yet functional. Keys are well laid out, crisp display. Runs Windows 7 nicely. Plenty of disk space. Free online space a plus!

Cons: Ships with 1 GB RAM. Max ram supported is 2 GB.

Comments:
NetBooks are designed to be highly portable. They ARE NOT laptops. Don't get caught up in reviews that try to hold NetBooks up to Laptop standards. This is definitely a 5-STAR DEVICE.

Everything worked well right out of the box.

Suggestions: Purchase the 2 GB memory upgrade and usb DVD drive as recommended by Amazon

Technical Notes:
2GB memory module will not be recognized by system until you go online and update the BIOS. Asus has a pre-installed utility to do this online from within Windows. Upgrade BIOS, then install memory. If you changed memory and have not upgraded your BIOS, your system is only using 1 GB.

Be aware, by pressing a couple of keys the U,I,O,J,K,L keys become number keys. If your password includes any of these keys, you may find that you cannot logon at times. The Fix - press the "Fn" & "NumLk" key at the same time. This will restore your keys back to default. It is a standard feature in NetBooks/Laptops and can be very frustrating if you are not aware of this.

Download latest Widnows7 Chipset & Video Drivers as it does make a difference:
http://support.asus.com/download/Download.aspx?SLanguage=en-us

Be sure to download "System Setting Utility for changing wallpaper in 1005HA Windows 7 Starter version " as well.

If you plan to use this NetBook to browse the net and send emails from home, having a usb mouse/keyboard and external monitor are nice additions.

Final Comment: Windows 7 is awesome - settle for nothing less. And if you're buying new, DO NOT get a system with WindowsXP. XP is good, but 7 is sooo much better!

Fare Ye Well!





-- Sweet!

Think it's harder to find a list of things I DON'T like about this netbook. The only, and I mean ONLY 2 things, which I haven't liked were as follows:

1: Windows 7 Starter won't let me change the background
-Easily corrected with a google search and a work-around, 5 minutes tops.

2: After going into hibernate mode (think that's what it's called), won't wake up correctly.
-This hasn't been much of an issue to be honest. If it were more annoying I'd look into it.

...That's it. Everything else about this netbook is great! I didn't expect to get attached to it, and I find myself taking it everywhere. So damn handy to have with me. Been driving around town a few times, gotten lost finding somewhere, and simply pulled into a McD's parking lot to use their wifi so I could get to googlemaps.

The battery life is great, I've never managed to come close to draining it by accident (6 hours of classes for notes and internet + messing around after classes). Recharge is fast, but the box on the cord does get a little warm during recharge. Not enough to scare me, more then enough to be noticeable. Normal temp when it's maintaining charge.

This is (of course) not a gaming rig. I was however able to throw a few pop-cap games (peggle/bookworm) on it easily, and good old "Alpha Centari" on it without much trouble (at least not more trouble then I would have expected).

Built in webcam and microphone both work exactly how you'd expect them to. Wifi does what it's meant to (this little guy loves to sniff out wifi spots).

Anyway, that's my review. I love this netbook, and I'd recommend it to anyone. As long as you are aware of what you're buying, meaning a netbook and not a desktop, you'll be happy with this little guy. So many of the bad reviews on here seem to be people who didn't understand what a netbook really is. -- Impressed.

Extraordinary battery life - so far the best in it's category. Crisp, clear display, fast bootup and shutdown, almost full-size KDB, great touch-pad, modest webcam, generous storage and wonderful connectivity through wireless N and BlueTooth. The only upgrade needed is 2GB memory. Note: This netbook has only one memory slot, so buy a 2GB DDR2 SO-DIMM PC5400 200 PIN memory and replace the factory 1GB with this 2GB. And do yourself a favor - install anti-virus software and take daily backups. -- Money's worth, does everything it's supposed to.

Excellent product!!!!!! The battery life is astonishing as I actually had it operating and unplugged for approx 11 hours without so much as a squawk. Real light weight and portable. Have had no issues what so ever. We love it. -- Asus Eee PC 1005HA-PU17 Black 10.1 inch Netbook