New Dell Mini 9 for CPS

[4n6inv]

I just ordered a new Dell Mini 9 "Netbook" for use with CPS. I've used it on P-25 radios with the USB programming cables and it works flawlessly. The "Acid Test" was using my I/O Gear USB to serial adapter to program the Astro Spectras that we have tons of out here. Again; it worked flawlessly! I've used it on Astro Spectra consolettes, mid and hi-power mobiles without a hitch! It has 2GB RAM and a 32GB solid state hard drive, which is more than enough to load all of my CPS's and Microsoft Office 2007 and still have 17GB of "hard drive" space left. That's plenty of room for a LOT of codeplugs. I upgraded to XP Professional from the "Home" version that cam on it. Pretty cool little piece of equipment that doesn't weigh a ton or take up lots of space. This is very helpful when you're lying in the trunk of a patrol car or working in a cramped area of a fire truck or ambulance. I ordered the external DVD R/W drive, as well, to load my software. I've loaded CPS from my thumb drive and from the external DVD with no poblems.

Just thought I'd pass this info along for anyone considering doing the same...

The best part is; with all of the accessories (Bluetooth, Wi-Fi built in, and the external DVD), the total cost was $552.00. I think the cost with all of the accessories compares favorably to the 9" Acer Aspire that everyone has been talking about.

Anyone else have any experiences with "Netbooks" that they'd like to share?

[Tom in D.C.]

Does Dell still provide XP as an option or what? I thought most or all of their stuff
these days was being shipped with (Urk!) Vista.

Sounds like a really nice machine. Let us know how it works out for you.

Regards,

[4n6inv]

Most of the "Netbooks" (Acer included) are shipping with XP Home. I decided to do the Professional upgrade, just because I have used it since it came out and didn't want any surprises or learning curve that might be involved. I did the Professional upgrade from an unopened set that I had laying around. But, yes; you can still opt for XP from Dell (one of few manufacturers from what I understand) for an additional cost on their equipment. It stinks, because Vista is a huge PITA. I have it on my new home machine, and I prefer XP by a drastic margin. Many of my add-ons (scanner, printer/fax) are no longer supported by their manufacturers for Vista. These aren't that old of equipment, either! Pretty much the rule of thumb that I've found is; if it's three years old or older, they won't support it on Vista. Some things I just had to bite the bullet on and replace, since I couldn't "downgrade" my new computer to XP Pro. Stinks; doesn't it?!

I've always been an uncomitted Microsoft "fan" - meaning; I'd just rather go with the flow, until now. I'm pretty pissed about Vista... I know; I know: Everyone has their preferences...

[fineshot1]

I have been playing around with my sisters mini 9(she temporarily cant use it) but it only has the 8gig ssd and 1gig mem chip
so its not suitable for programing use configured like this but from what I have read up on them they are easy to upgrade.

Yes - Properly configured I would think its the perfect little netbook for programing the newer astro gear.