Asus EeePC 900 (XP and Linux versions)

This is a great little netbook, it was so good I have two. The white one was the first one, with the black one following later.
The white netbook originally came with Windows XP, and the black one came with a custom version of Linux, which had a custom menu system rather than a desk top, but the desktop could be "unlocked"
Specification wise, they were mostly the same, just differing in SSD size, the Windows version had a smaller SSD to offset the cost of the Windows licence.
Common specifications include, a 900MHz single core Celeron processor, a 1024x600 screen, 1GB of RAM, three USB ports, a 1.3MP camera, and an SDHC card reader
The storage in the Windows version was a 4GB fast SSD and a slow 8GB SSD, whereas the Linux version had the same 4GB fast SSD and a slow 12GB SSD
There are no legacy ports on the netbook

The SSD arrangement was a bit strange, Windows XP could just about fit into 4GB, but didn't leave enough space to do anything. There was a patch released to move the Program Files and My Documents folders to the larger SSD, which helped. I used to use a 16GB SD card as my workspace which worked well.
I have upgraded both these machines with a fast 32GB SSD and adding another 1GB of RAM to make 2GB in total, with these upgrades the netbook flies



The top of the machine is what you would expect, the bottom has the RAM and SSD cover and various labels, the Windows version also has the licence sticker, which is a bit worn out now



We'll look around the white version, the black is identical.
This is the back without the battery fitted, you can see the power socket, which is just a 12V supply with a standard barrel plug



The left side has an Ethernet port, a USB, and two audio sockets, while the right has the SDHC card slot, two USB and a VGA port



These are the batteries, the black netbook came with the extended battery whereas the black one did not.



You can see the 32GB SSD at the top and the 2GB RAM module at the bottom



At the moment the white machine has Windows XP Pro installed, and the black one has Raspbian X86 installed, if you zoom in you can see the white Windows machine has a Windows key whereas the black one has a home key instead





Lets fire them up and see which boots faster



Still going, neither of these have been switched on for a while



The black Linux machine has arrived at the desktop, but the menu button isn't responding yet



Linux is ready to go, Windows XP is still booting



XP has arrived at the desktop now



Both netbooks have finished loading now, Raspbian is the winner. But both machines didn't take very long to boot

For more retro hardware check out my online museum here