got Mini-note 2133 today...It blows

Hi All, someone please test , which highest resolution is supported by 2133 for the external monitor and please run 3dmark on XP !

Thanks !

 

Just tried the Test Sound Hardware, and yep - feedback at first! Had to turn down the volume to stop the feedback. It's all working, though!

I also upgrade to 2GB RAM. One weird thing I noticed - Linux recognized 2GB, but Windows only shows 1.75GB. What is everyone else showing in Windows?

I also noticed the blue / orange light working in Windows for WiFi.

 

OK, I managed to get the USB boot to work. For anyone else that has problems use the right USB port. The left would not allow me to boot from it, although it did work fine in Linux. No idea why that's the case.

Now for my problem. I'm able to get through the text setup of XP but once it reboots and begins installing I get an ACPI error stop screen every time. It says to press F7 during the storage driver setup to disable ACPI. When I do that though it locks up and gives me a stop screen before text setup is finished each time.

I'm able to reproduce it over and over so I don't think it's some random problem.

How did everyone else install XP? Anyone else encounter this? I did manage to but to a Backtrack2 Live CD but now SuSe is gone (wiped it out with XP) and I'm unable to install XP. Kind of in no-man's land here. Anyone able to help?

Thanks a ton!

edit: I also noticed the blue / orange light working in Windows for WiFi.
That's good to see! Mine never changed off of orange in SuSe. What the hell was HP thinking rushing this thing out the door with SuSe so borked??

 

Odd ... did not get any errors during Windows XP installation. Was a normal installation like any other. I also used the left USB port when I installed XP (the powered one) with no issues. This is XP Home if that makes any difference.

 

Thanks for the responses! Sounding more and more like this may be heading back to HP. Too many strange bugs that are seemingly unexplainable

 

The keyboard comes off pretty easy. Remove battery, remove three small keyboard screws under the battery. Slide a knife blade along L/R side of keyboard to pry under/around tabs. Lift carefully, and the ribbon is pretty long - I did not detach the keyboard. The RAM and HD are sitting under keyboard. Easy.

The HD cable has a small loop you can (carefully) pull straight up, and it pops out a surface mounted square plug with the SATA connector. There are three screws to remove the HD holder and a plastic tab on HD you can pull up to get it out. The SATA connector ribbon cable slides off the drive and there are four screws in the HD holder holding the drive, too. You need a good screwdriver with at least two different (small) sizes to do everything.

 

There is now an Unofficially official support community with its own website at
http://mininoteuser.com/

 

Also, 1.75GB of RAM under XP SP2.

 

Noob here. I don't understand "powered USB" unless it has an extra power plug - the USB port looks bigger? Because, I needed two USB cables to get my Sony external slim DVD working. Hmmm...

 

The power USB means it will power whatever you plug into it directly. If you plug an external hard drive to an unpowered USB port, it won't work, thats the difference. Only one USB on the mininote is a powered USB.

 

this web http://visitsignagi.com is complete flash and is killing my eee-pc clocked at 900 mhz !! please try it on 2133 . Also please test what is the maximal resolution for the Vga output.

 

If you are having issues installing XP from a usb CD-Rom drive make sure your disk is SP2. I tried installing XP on my mini-note with a "Version 2002" retail XP disc and it would not work. I received the ACPI errors and tried the F7 option when choosing raid controller drivers. Neither way worked. I then went to my help desk guys and asked for an XP PRO SP2 disc and voila, it works.

Just wanted to add some input since some of you helped me out with the sound driver issues.

Thanks guys!

--Chris

 

Since I'm doing this again from scratch, I'm going to document the process this time around.

1) Plug in USB DVD / CD drive, insert WinXP disk.
2) Boot computer, hitting F9 at bootup to choose boot volume.
3) Choose your DVD / CD drive to boot from, then hit any key to boot from CD.
4) During XP setup, blow away all existing paritions (leave the small 400mb if you ever plan on reinstalling Suse Linux - I did not).
5) Format as NTFS - I used the "Quick" option as it takes forever the other way.
6) Install XP as normal from here forward.
7) Once installed, grab the Broadcom Ethernet driver and install it via CD or SD card:
http://www.broadcom.com/support/ethernet_nic/netxtreme_desktop.php
8) Once you have a working NIC, connect to the internet, activate your copy of XP, and go to the "Windows Update".
9) From Windows Update, choose "Custom" and install all of the hardware drivers it offers.
10) Reboot.
11) At this point, everything should be working except sound and HP Quicklaunch button support.
12) Download the KB888111 patch and install for the first part of the sound fix:
http://www.hydrogenaudio.org/forums/index.php?showtopic=47079
13) Download the Vista sound drivers for the Mini-Note from the HP website:
http://h20000.www2.hp.com/bizsuppor...EnvOID=2094&swLang=8&mode=2&swItem=ob-59522-1
14) Run the install for the file above. It will unzip to a folder of your choosing, try to run, and then bomb because you don't have Vista.
15) Go to Device Manager, double click on the "?" for sound device, choose Update Driver, and point it at the Vista driver folder unzipped by the above application.
16) At this point, you should have sound when finished.
17) Install the HP QuickLaunch button drivers (it's under "Official Site 1"):
http://notebook.free-driver-downloa...ck-Launch-Buttons-6.00-D-Windows-2000-XP.html
18) Ignore the popups for new hardware during this install - they will go away on their own.
19) Hit the "Start" button, click "Run", then type "msconfig".
20) Once inside msconfig, click the "Startup" tab on the right, and turn OFF "smax4pnp".
21) Reboot.

Check Device Manager after this, and everything should look perfect. You now have a working copy of Windows XP a full month before the official drivers are released!

Enjoy!

 

Thanks. I'm going to go ahead an order one. Is it powerful enough to run dreamweaver? I'd like to do web design on the go using this. Let me know.

 

You rule, thanks!!!! That's definitely the problem then since my disc is the original version (pre-SP1 even).

 

That is incredibly nice of you to document this. By far the best early adopters I've ever encountered

 

I used a USB wireless adapter on step #7. Wondering how you did it, though.

Here are HDTune results on Crucial 32G SSD inside the HP2133 ::
http://i255.photobucket.com/albums/hh124/mhthomas5/ct32g.jpg

Here are 3DMark05 results (LOL)
185
http://service.futuremark.com/results/showSingleResult.action?resultId=4210067&resultType=12

@DellFanBoy

The graphics are 1280x768 and I have not noticed the small screen at all - vs 800x480. It feels almost like I'm on my regular laptop.

I measured the power plug with a digital caliper and it seems to be 7.40mm OD X 5.1mm ID with a center pin providing (+) rated 18.5v (mine measures 19.9v on meter with no load from 120v AC).

 

I think I would want to use a larger screen for web design. I do this at work on a 20" widescreen with an 18" secondary and it still feels small. I like to have Eclipse up on one window and the web page on the other.

 

Hi,

Thanks for the replies. I just wanted to know if it had enough power to run it smoothly. Is anyone running dreamweaver?

 

Any comments on battery life? TIA!

 

I get 2 hours of battery life in both linux and XP. It's actually quite fast in XP...I'm surprised. I've installed Office Ultimate 2007 and it loads that up quicker than my Tablet PC that's running a Core 2 Duo processor! Right now I'm running Rhapsody, Word 2007, Pidgin, Yahoo Widgets, Internet Explorer, and Google Talk on it at the same time and it seems fine. It's still with the base 1 gig ram and 120 gig 5400 HDD, so you guys shouldn't worry--this machine has enough power. Coming out of sleep is fast too, and boot-up is about 40-45 seconds. The only thing I've noticed is that the fan stays on most of the time. Very rarely does it become silent. Not a huge deal but something to be aware of.

I'm seriously thinking of selling my slooowww HP 2710p tablet and keeping this as my main laptop...hmmmm

 

Does anyonee have the xp wifi driver as a standalone I dont want to update xp and no broadcom driver ive tried works. Ive been able to scrounge up drivers for everything but the wifi and some other mystery device.

 

Did anyone get the wifi to work in windows xp? if so where did you get the drivers from.

 

HELLLO ! What is maximal output resolution for VGA !

 

The drivers come up automatically on Windows Update under the hardware section. That's where all the other ones come up too (except for sound).

I have mine working with everything installed now too. This thing is incredibly snappy. I was actually going to return it because SuSe worked like crap. I had a lot of stuttering issues when I was typing and things were buggy and crashed a lot. I have absolutely no issues now in XP. The Wifi light even works now (sad that it doesn't even work with the default OS).

Even the screen seems so much better. The default SuSe theme had really big icons and weird text and Windows doesn't have any of these problems.

For the poster above asking about standalone wifi drivers. I would guess you could find it on Broadcom's site or the internet somewhere since Windows Update has the driver.

 

I'm going to reinstall xp again . I installed it with a usb flash drive and xp haven't been working right. Im going to try with a external cd-rom and see if it works better.

 

according to wiki specs it's:
Display

* Internal:8.9-inch WXGA display with 1280 x 768 resolution,Scratch-resistant treatment
* External:Up to 32-bit per pixel color depth,VGA port supports resolutions up to 2048 x 1536 at 75 Hz, and lower resolutions at up to 100 Hz

I doubt it's very good at driving that high a res over the VGA though, but it would suffice for most needs 1024x768 or 1600x1200.

http://www.wikispecs.org/index.php?title=HP_2133_Mini-Note_PC

 

The Mini sucks!!! the tx2000z is 100% times better look>>> here

 

Some questions with regards to the mini:

* Has anyone run a DVD movie (or movie of similar size) on it? Does it stutter or can the CPU handle it?
* Also can the device handle several tabs in IE7 while having Microsoft Outlook/Express open?
* I am also still wondering what the battery life is with the regular 3 cell battery, Windows XP Pro and CPU powered to low when running a movie and with just regular internet browsing? How is the experience with Windows Vista Home?
* Is the touchpad easy to use? How does vertical scrolling work?
* Do you think it is a better deal than the Lenovo X61 with a similar weight, 4.5 cm larger in size, 12" screen, Intel Core 2 Duo processor and a $900-1000 price tag?

 

If any of you are waiting on your mini-note still and paid for two day shipping you should call and switch to the normal shipping because it's going to be stuck for a few days in customs: http://www.hp2133guide.com/two-shipping-on-the-mini-note-is-a-rip-off/

 

Or better yet, call up an complain about missing the ship date and get 10% off. Saved me $54 and they ended up shipping on the day I was supposed to receive it (2 days late). Was really easy too...

 

I've played a few full-length XVID rips (~1.5GB). Works really well locally. I get a slight audio hiccup every 15 seconds or so in VLC. I'm sure it's something that can be corrected... just haven't looked into it yet. Video quality is amazing!

I had 8 tabs open in Firefox all day today with no problems at all. I think the concerns about the CPU are way overblown.

Can't comment on battery life. Been plugged almost the whole time. When unplugged Windows reports a little under 2 hours (wifi on, full brightness).

That Lenovo is an entirely different machine. You won't believe how small this unit is until you actually use it. I've had three different 12" models and it's not even close. This is smaller than anything you have ever used. Completely portable but with super-high resolution screen. If you don't need the portablility and have that much to spend that's probably a good option. I had an IBM T40 before this and loved it. Just an apples to oranges comparison though.

 

I should mention that I have the 1.2GHz w/ 1GB in XP Pro...

Also the mouse buttons take some getting used to but it's not too bad. I'm used to left-clicking by tapping the touchpad from my T40 so it wasn't a big deal at all. It's awkward when click-dragging and selecting with a box in Windows.

I'm typing on the keyboard now and probably getting around 40-50 wps. Maybe even easier than my fullsize keyboard.

I hope I'm not sounding like a fanboy --- I was actually going to return this after the experience I had with the SuSe install but XP on this thing is a whole different experience.

Only gripes I have is that it gets hot on the bottom when using it plugged in (not too bad on the top though), and that I didn't get integrated bluetooth (have to find an express card now).

 

So it seems most people have decided to install XP over SUSE. I have the 1.0Ghz version running SUSE and originally had problems installing new software (had that stupid insert DVD problem). Well, I toughed it out and searched the internet for some help and found that by replacing the installation source (the DVD) with online repositories, I was able to install software. So far I've only gotten a media player as that seemed to be missing in the original install of SUSE. Video playback is smooth and definitely well worth my efforts.

Also, regarding the wifi light in SUSE, I've noticed that if you look straight into the light there is a blue light that is on when wifi is toggled on and the blue light turns off when wifi is toggled off. The orange light seems to be always on though.

 

http://www.infosyncworld.com/reviews/laptops/hp-2133/?n=3

I think that hole next to the USB is what HP means by powered USB. But, I don't know what uses a hole like that for power.

 

mhthomas: I downloaded the Broadcom driver onto an SD card from my Macbook Pro and just popped it in the Mini-Note.

Movies play great - I haven't noticed any skipping when played locally. I did notice skipping when playing over the wireless network, but I've noticed that with all of my machines. Need to get rid of all the 802.11b adaptors in the house!

Haven't ran the battery down yet to determine total battery life. I did go into the BIOS and turn off the Express Card slot and Ethernet port. I read that reduced power draw by 2 watts on another forum. Figure every little bit helps, and I don't plan on using those two features often.

For standalone drivers on wireless, I do not have a link handy. I do know that you do not have to go through the Windows Update to get the drivers, however. If you go into Control Panel, click on the wireless adaptor, hit "Update Driver" and let it search online, it will find it and install (this is assuming you have the Broadcom ethernet working).

The machine would be fast enough for web development. Mine runs Photoshop just fine, although I've not loaded any large photos ( > 10 MB) to see how it performs when pushed. I don't use Dreamweaver, but Homesite runs very well. It also handles SecureCRT, NaviCat, Office, etc just fine. I set this up just like I do all of my Windows boxes, and it is performing better than I expected. The screen is just too small for any serious graphic work, so keep that in mind.

I can tell the CPU is the weak point. Browsing puts more load on the CPU than I like to see, but most browsers tend to be hogs anyway. I have occasionally noticed the mouse "skipping" when I have it doing several things at once. Nothing that cannot be overlooked for the convenience of its size, however. My model is the 1.2Ghz, 5200 RPM model, btw.

Overall, I'm very happy with this machine. My only issue thus far is an inability to get the Nortel Contivity VPN client installed. If any of you have to install this on the Mini-Note for work, please let me know how it turns out for you.

 

I'm going to call tomorrow to see if we can buy extra batteries yet... I'll try that then and post back.

-the mole

 

Found the Wifi driver as a standalone:
http://www.station-drivers.com/page/broadcom.htm
(you want the BMC 34XX drivers right abve the bluetooth)

 

I called to check my ship date, which was pushed out another day, and they gave me free overnight shipping w/o me even asking. The rep told me it was 5/6 and said they would just give me free overnight. Better than nothing I guess...but I have a feeling they were probably going to be overnighting them anyways.

Also, no individual batteries for sale yet

 

Nortel VPN, are you using Vista?

--Chris

 

Negative - Windows XP. Nortel v5.01.110 installs fine on my IBM Thinkbad. Nothing but BSOD on the Mini-Note.

 

Anyone else having problems with the hp2133 freezing ?

 

Not here. 100% rock solid stable as long as the Nortel Contivity client is not installed. I'm using the company's SSL VPN now, and all is well.

Any particular program active when it freezes, or is it random?

 

I had problems in SuSe. Lots of freezing. Now that I have XP installed I have had zero hardware problems.

 

Same here--no freezes in XP.

 

Hey guys, could someone post a link to the 2GB ram module I need for the mini note? Also any suggestions for which 7200 RPM drive to get would be greatly appreciated. By the way, thanks for all the awesome information!! I am totally dumping vista and putting XP on this bad boy.

Oh and I love this keyboard, the tactile feeback feels great and actually like it more than my macbook pro.


T-X
EEEPC converted to Mini-Note

 

memory


http://h10010.www1.hp.com/wwpc/us/en/sm/WF06c/A10-51210-64186-1844696-64186-3411766-3411767-3411821.html



my 2133 came with a 120gb Hitachi 7200rpm drive but i would probably buy a Seagate to replace it.

 

how do you access the QLB ?

i see the app in program files but it does nothing when i click it.

 

it freezes when i first put it on at the login . than i restart and it works fine

 

Dude!!! Its 1:11am and I just finished installing Windows XP Media Center Edition on my Mini-Note!!! Mine had come with Vista Basic and I was second guessing my choice of selling my eeepc for this, but now HOLY CRAP! This thing rocks!!! Plays media center like a champ. Now I know why people hate VISTA. This computer is like 1000x faster in XP. I'm running the 1.2Ghz with 1GB of ram (soon to be 2GB). The post on how to install windows XP step by step made the whole process easy as pie! Thanks to everyone who contributed! Now I am installing office 2007. I just got this computer on Wednesday, now I feel like a got an even better one on Saturday! Don't miss my eeepc now. Damn friggen tiny keyboard... .

Love this computer!!

T-X