THE OFFICIAL: Dell Inspiron 9 (Mini I) Thread...

Nice - going to download the upated bios now and give it a try.

 

How do you get windows 7 to run it?

 

Will it boot off of SD or SDHC cards?

 

I am planning some upgrades for my Mini 9. I ordered it with 512MB of RAM and the 16GB SSD drive with the integrated 1.3MP camera and Bluetooth. I figure the PCI-e SSD drives will drop in price as technology improves so I'm going to skip on the 32GB SSD for now. However, I do plan to upgrade to 2GB of RAM.

Can I use a DDR2 PC-6400 SODIMM stick? Will it just revert to a slower speed for the Mini 9?

 

If you are buying RAM you would probably want to get PC2-5300. However if you already have the RAM, it'll work and it will just downclock.

 

Is there an advantage to buying either 5300 or 6400 for the Mini 9? I don't have any 2GB DDR2 sticks at home, just a few 512MB.

 

If you buy 6400 it is just going to downclock to 5300 speeds.

 

Ok, that's what I was assuming. I also found that name brand 5300 and 6400 sticks cost the same.

 

You may find 6400 sticks with better timings, but I suspect on the Mini you really aren't going to see that dramatic of a difference.

 

Thanks, it looks like a win-win situation.

How do you like your Studio 15 w/ the 3450 and LED backlit screen?

 

There is a discussion here about how CL4 RAM works and revs up the system.

http://www.mydellmini.com/forum/cl4-ram-works-p3075.html

 

So far it has worked great. I really do like the screen; it has been one of the best I've owned and I've had a lot of notebooks. I still haven't gotten around to playing games on it, specifically the Orange Box, but I would like to after this semester is over and I have some more downtime.

 

Haven't taken pics yet but I will try to soon and post them here.

 

I have been trying to keep up on this thread, but I might have missed stuff. Has anyone been able to figure out how to get the battery to show estimate time remaining yet?

Also, I just installed Ubuntu 8.10 on it. There is an option to create a bootable USB drive to install from when you boot from the LiveCD which makes the install very easy. I haven't used it a lot but so far it looks like everything just works.

 

Great! Can't wait to see them!

Hey...I don't even know if this is close to what you are looking for in regards to the battery meter..but I will give it a shot..and let me know if I'm wrong

Download in order for Fn+3 to work (to show the Battery meter pop up).
http://support.dell.com/support/dow...1&impid=-1&formatcnt=1&libid=25&fileid=264714

A link /download for the battery meter:
http://ftp.us.dell.com/app/R192569.EXE


Cin

 

Thinking about picking up an Aspire One via Costco - its just the 3 cell 120 Gig version but with Costco Warranty I thought I'd give it a shot to see if it has a bit more juice than the Mini as I could use a bit more running Outlook.

 

Gave that a shot but it still doesn't give me an estimated time. I think it gets around 4 hours on a full charge so I'll just have to extrapolate out from that. Oddly enough Ubuntu does give me an estimate...

One thing that I didn't notice when installing Ubuntu was the lack of sound. Luckily there is an easy fix, you can find that and a bunch more tips for Ubuntu at: http://www.ubuntumini.com/2008/10/user-guides-for-ubuntu-810-intrpid-ibex.html if anyone is interested.

 

I could never get passed the mouse buttons being on the side of the trackpad for those.

Besides the hard drive instead of SSD, I am not seeing much of a difference, am I missing something?

 

I'm getting about 2.5 hours - max a bit under 3 on my XP 16gb mini's - full backlight on etc... 4 would be nice but probably need a 6 cell to do it.

The Aspire from what I have read seems to have a bit more juice - wont know until I try them side by side. Agreed the mouse side buttons are a PITA but overall the design looks good - from quick play at Costco the screen appears a bit nicer than the Mini.

 

Well, at least you tried it!
Those that are using Ubuntu will like that linky you supplied!

Let us know how it's working for you if you get it!
A comparison would be cool


Cin

 

I thought someone posted a link earlier to a battery monitoring software.

 

As found & posted by zinite. I have not tried it on my mini so I can't say how well it works.

http://www.mioplanet.com/products/batterymeter/
Platforms: Windows 98, ME, NT4, 2000, XP, Vista

 

Yeah, me too...I was trying to find it earlier.

Thanks for linking it!

Cin

 

For anyone looking I have a no doubt feeling someone did post a battery monitoring software. It would be probably easier dong a google search knowing what you are looking for.

 

Tried it but it just gave a percentage - which is what XP does by default. Unless I'm missing something it needs to give hours/minutes left to be of any use.

 

I have gotten close to 4 hours on my battery on my mini 9..
Love it.

 

That is odd. I'll have to try to install it on my mini when I get home later this evening. The screen shot on the website clearly shows time remaining. In addition the descriptions of the functionality of the program states that it shows the time remaining on the battery. When you installed the program it doesn't look like the screen shot on the website? Later tonight or tomorrow I'll let you know what it looks like when I install it.

http://www.mioplanet.com/products/batterymeter/
Functionalities:
Remaining time before battery is fully charged;
Remaining time before battery is fully discharged;
Total charge and discharge times;
Map of charging and discharging time.

 

Same here. We've been getting about 3.5 - 3.75 hours when using Microsoft Word & Firefox.

 

If you let it run a bit, it figures it out and displays time remaining.

 

Will let it run for a while and see if the percentage changes to time left.

 

Ok all I just found this deal for the I9..(and if someone already posted about this..sorry) or $359.10 after applied discounts!

Dell Inspiron Mini 9 w/8GB SSD, Windows XP for $399.00 ($25 off normal price), at dell.com. No upcharge for either color ~ black or white!
Use this 10% coupon code: 7$T?3Q9X96FSBZ, saving an additional $40 and get it for just $359.10. When I applied the coupon it stated it expired today, but it still worked!

Total savings of $65 (includes free shipping)!

Link: to Dell I9 Configure site:
http://configure.us.dell.com/dellst...&oc=dndaxa1&s=dhs&dgc=CJ&cid=27811&lid=918685

Who knows just maybe...I will *bite* on this!


Cin

 

Thanks for the info, but the link doesn't work. I went to dell.com and I am not seeing that they are offering Vista...

I haven't given that battery program a try yet since I am only running Ubuntu right now but I was kind of hoping there was a way just to get Windows to show it like it has done for every other laptop I have had (most have been Dells).

 

I just got my mini (with Ubuntu), I had two questions:

1. When installing XP (for a dual boot), is there anything special that Dell did for the mini 9 with XP or will a regular XP installation be fine?

2. Is the Dell Ubuntu cd a restore cd or an installation Cd?

 

Try this linky:

http://configure.us.dell.com/dellst...&oc=dndaxa1&s=dhs&dgc=CJ&cid=27811&lid=918685

And, it is XP..my bad

I am hoping this will work for yah!

Cin

 

Ok - let the battery program run for a bit and it did indeed post an (time left) instead of the percentage... will need to use for a while to see if its accurate.

The 15 percent off outlet mini's last week was a sweet deal -- ended up at about $330 for xp mini fully loaded. 10 percent off normal dell site is still better than no 10 percent.

 

Yeah my brother got in on that one (that was a great deal)! So far, he is liking his I9 very much. I still have to my hands a hold of it, got busy after he rec'd it

So, I dunno..I'm still pondering over this deal. I need to play with this and my EPP discount...



Cin

 

EPP deals have been poor as of late --- standard 7 percent is all I have seen.

 

XP Resolution fix here!!

I found this fix for the XP resolution problem. The screen will no longer change from 800x600 to 1024x600 when logging on and your icons will not rearrange. I found the fix here: http://www.0xyg3n.com/?p=219 Make sure you download the 1.4.0 BETA1 version of AsTray. I tried the 1.3.7 first and it doesn't work the same.

This fix will also let you set your screen for resolutions up to 1920x1080. Of course, when displayed on the Mini's screen you will have to scroll around to see all of the screen.

You can also uncheck igfxpers from autostarting. This will stop the screen from the refresh flicker when XP boots.

 

Yeah..I checked a bit ago

Hey! Nice and helpful information!


Cin

 

Dell Ubuntu Mini restore DVD or downloaded img will do a restore to factory settings. It is not an install disc. It is not interactive. Start it up and it wipes your drive and lays down the factory image.

Nothing special about the Dell XP home disc that comes with the unit. Its not a restore disc you have to install XP home and then install the drivers.

 

I'll have to pay closer attention to my boot-up as I have not seen or don't think I have seen the Res problem. I have XP on all of my mini's but use HIB 90 percent of the time - especially since I got my Ram (Yes Newegg FINALLY delivered!!).

 

Not sure if this was posted yet...but I just read on blackfriday.info that Dell will be selling the Mini 9 for 24hrs starting on 6am Thanksgiving November 27 for only $299 with FREE shipping too. I believe that price is for the base model with Ubunto. That's $50 off the normal price. I wonder if they all will be on sale? I want one with XP, bluetooth, and webcam.

Dell Inspiron Mini 9 Laptop 8.9" E-Value Code 16254-DNPHXD2 - $299.00
The ad scan is at blackfriday.info

 

Thanks! I saw that too! nice.
Looks' like the I9 is the basic system

Here is the ad scan from blackfriday.info:

http://www.blackfriday.info/sales/dellhome-black-friday-ad.html

Click Ad Scan if you want to see the ad..vs. the product list!


Cin

 

Now that I have mine in hand, and don't have to worry about Dell canceling my order, I'll let you guys in on the deal I got and how I got it.

Total cost of my, brand new, Mini 9 was 112.94. So, it was 99 dollars, plus tax and shipping. I didn't purchase this machine as part of a package deal, where I had to buy another system to get it for this price. This Mini is the only machine I purchased.

Basically, Dell screwed up on the pricing one day, and I was in the right place at the right time. They inadvertently placed a 250 dollar instant rebate on the machine. Based on the rebate description, it should have been for a Studio Desktop.

From what I could tell, after I purchased my machine, whoever made the error was frantically trying to clean up the mess. Every time I'd go back, bits and pieces of the rebate would be missing. All of this happened in about a ten minute span.

Funny thing was, I didn't even want a Mini 9. But, at that price, I would have been nuts not to buy it.

 

Well done One of life's little victories.

(Waddles off to check the price of every piece of kit I've had my eye on in the last few months. I wonder how many others will do the same)....

 

No kidding. It was one of those "right place at the right time" situations that you always here about happening to other people, but they never happen to you.

I feel pretty darn lucky, and so far I'm very happy with the device. It was the best hundred bucks I've ever spent.

 

Wowsa! How lucky that this happened to you! And, yeah to walk away from something like that, at that price! ...GoYOU!

Are you liking it so far?

Cin

 

You used to be able to buy a qualifying product - get your mini for 99 - then return the qualifying product. Guess too many people did this and now Dell requires return or exchange of both qualifying product and mini.

 

Take these opinions with a grain of salt at this point. I'm heavily medicated, and I've only spent a short time with the system. So, my opinion will definitely change.

First, a little history. I've owned three netbooks: 701 Eee Pc, HP Mini-Note, and now the Mini 9. I love the idea of a netbook, and have the receipts to prove it. Unfortunately, as great as the idea of the netbook is, I have yet to find one that really fits for me.

The 701 was great, but for one issue. The keyboard gave me some serious issues, including developing an RSI problem because of how I had to contort my hands to type. If it weren't for the keyboard, I'd probably still have that 701. I love the overall size of the device, and I liked the durability of the plastics. I felt like that thing could really take a pounding.

The Mini-Note solved the major issue that I had with the Eee. The keyboard is best in class. I really can't say enough good things about it. Overall, the device was very good, but my list of dislikes was longer than my list of likes. The thing was entirely too slow and heavy, and as good as aluminum looks, I really didn't like it for a netbook. It's not durable enough for a machine that, for me, part of the draw is that they're so inexpensive that I don't have to worry too much about abuse.

I was always worried that that Mini-Note would get scratched or dented. I don't want to have to think about things like that, not with a machines like this.

So, now on to my impressions of the Mini 9:

1. I love the durability. This thing is solid, and looks really good.

2. I like the keyboard. I think the changes that Dell made were worth it to get the larger letter keys. Yes, the "Quote" key is annoying, but I'm already getting used to it.

3. I like the Ubuntu install. I've tried both Linux and Windows on netbooks. I've come to the conclusion that these custom Linux installs are ideal for netbooks, and this Ubuntu install is really nice. I'm glad I didn't pay for Windows.

4. The machine is a bit slow. I'll probably bump up the RAM to a gig, which should help.

5. The trackpad is a bit annoying. It can be a bit jumpy, even though I've slowed its setting down quite a bit. I'd assume I'll get used to this, and the size of the pad is excellent.

6. The size and weight is perfect. It's note too big, like the Mini-Note. It's a lot closer to the 701 Eee size than the HP size. This is a major plus, IMO.

7. The screen is very nice. The lighting is good and colors are very crisp. I really like this resolution over the HP, which was a little too high for a screen this size.

8. The silence is really neat. I'm sitting here waiting for a jet engine to kick in, but it won't be happening with this little guy. Sweet.

9. According to the timer, the battery life looks to be great. It beats both of my previous machines.

10. I really like how the machine looks. As good as the HP looked, I think the Dell has it beat. As I've said, I'm a fan of plastic netbooks, and these plastics are high quality. I went with a white one. I didn't want to deal with the shipping delays that people were experiencing with the black one, and I didn't want to add unnecessary cost to such a cheap machine. I really like the white. It's a nice change entirely too small for me, and it doesn't show all of the finger prints that you'll get on glossy black.

11. The machine gets warm, but not too warm. It's definitely tolerable, unlike the HP Mini-Note, which gets painfully hot.

At this point, this machine is my favorite of the netbook crop. I think I'll be keeping it, and I don't think the honeymoon will be ending as quickly with this one as it did with the Eee and Mini-Note. I may have finally found my ideal netbook, but I reserve the right to completely change by mind, based on, utterly, superficial reasons.

I'll post more opinions as they crop up. When I'm up to it, I'll post some pics, since I haven't seen many white ones in the wild.

 

ha - for 100 bucks I think even with tons of problems it would be a KEEPER. I like the idea of having a larger HD like on the Aspire, EE etc... with the Dell you can have SSD or SSD. I spec'd all of my Mini's with 16's since at this point the price to replace the a 4 or 8 with the 16 aftermarket is not worth the cost. The 16GB is supposed to be significantly faster than the 4 and 8SSD's. Curious to see if bumping up your ram will increase performance of if its your SSD?

I plan to run HDtune on my 16GB Mini's as well as the Aspire to get some #'s. I like SSD's so much that I'm running two 128SSD's on my laptops.