1. The K3520 Vodafone dongle does not get recognised by the network manager anymore. When I plug it in, it shows up as a CDROM drive, but does not get unmounted an then used as a modem like it was with Linux Mint 8 (Helena).
2. The Interface seems to be really slow as to make it nearly unusable. The delay between clicking on a program to launch it and the actual launch is around 3-5 seconds. This is unacceptable.

To keep myself sane, I think I will just go back to Helena for now and be happy that everything works well enough to use the netbook on the move.

So in a little over an hour you go from full charge to nothing just by using the laptop the way it was intended to be used. So despite its small size, the 2133 was never really designed to be too far away from a charger for too long. It is almost like having a car like a Honda Jazz with a petrol tank the size of a coffee cup. “Yes it is frugal, sir, but it will only go for a half a kilometre no matter how you drive it.”

Recently I discovered the wonderful Linux Mint 8 (Helena), while searching for a desktop linux distro to install as a virtual machine on my MacBook Pro. Despite all the misgivings that I have had in the past for the various Linux distros, I must say that they have been improving all the time. The last time I tried to install Linux on the 2133 was when Ubuntu 9.10 came out. What a disaster that was. Wifi did not want to work, then I went back to 9.04 but found that I could just not get my Vodafone Prepaid Mobile Broadband stick to work (K3520). In the end, out of frustration and spite I decided to whack XP back on and because I needed a little mobile word processor.

Linux Mint seems to run with a little bit of lag sometimes, but overall the experience has made my faith in Linux desktop distro strong again. Using Helena I could use my Vodafone Prepaid Broadband to connect to the net and wifi worked right out of the box.

If you need a decent desktop distro that looks half decent (who like brown anyway?) and works well out of the box for your 2133, then I can recommend Linux Mint 8 (Helena).

I suspect the new OS will be based on one of the pre-existing Linux distro (Ubuntu?) with the Google layer built on top to enable constant synchronising of data when online and caching mode when offline (ala Google Gears?). When it is released, hopefully it will free us all from having to worry what or which computer we are working on at any given time. To a certain extent, I have already implemented some of the ideas of cloud computing by using Google services to synchronise my calendar on my notebooks and phones. I guess the only other thing that I would like with the Google Chrome OS is cheaper data rates. This issue of data charges is what prevent a lot of people from utlising cloud-based services more often on their wireless devices (phones).

The only issue that can be noted is with the wifi connection manager. It seems after a few hibernates that the connection is stuck at the “getting ip address…” stage. This can be quickly fixed with a reboot. Other than this issue, I have not found any major ones to mention. Sound works flawlessly, Bluetooth works normally and the webcam works with Cheese (I have not tested it to work with Skype or anything like that).

Recently, I also purchased the 6-cell battery for the Mini-note, which makes the notebook (or netbook, if you like) much more usable. Since I use this notebook mainly for writing text, coding and web browsing, I have found that having that extra amount of battery capacity makes the notebook a little easier to use. No longer staring at the battery icon every few minutes to see if I will have time to finish what I am doing. It puts the usability of this little notebook on par with my MacBook and my Dell Inspiron laptop. Using it with little power management and with wifi on seems to give around 3-3.5 hrs of uninterrupted use. What joy!

Had this notebook shipped with Jackalope instead of Windows Vista Basic (standard on all Mini-notes shipped in Australia), it would have been a winner from the start. A 6-cell battery, even though it adds a little to the price should have been standard on all models.

Having upgraded the BIOS last time around, this time installation was quite sane and smooth. It was so smooth that it happened while I was watching TV without a single glitch. When install was done, I rebooted and voila! The screen worked OK, there was no need for funny hacks or even VIA’s driver to install and Wifi and Bluetooth worked out of the box! When I plugged in my USB modem from Three networks (Huawei E220), it was recognised straight away.

When I was done entering my wifi configuration, I was online surfing the net with a fresh install of Ubuntu 9.04 on my HP mini-note 2133. I have not tested everything so far, but everything that I need from a basic notebook perspective was working quite well.

UPDATE

I have now had sometime to test the webcam and bluetooth and they are both working fine. Webcam works fine through Cheese, but I have not tested through Skype.

1. Update the BIOS
   The latest version of the BIOS is F.05F for the Mini-note that was released in Australia.‭ ‬You can download it from‭ ‬here.‭ ‬Instructions on how to update the BIOS can be found inside the zip package and you will need a USB flash drive to format and use as a boot device,‭ ‬which should automatically update your system’s BIOS.‭ ‬I found that once the BIOS has been updated,‭ ‬you can install Ubuntu in the normal way instead of having to rely on the‭ ‘‬xforcevesa‭’ ‬option when starting the installer.
2. Download the latest driver from VIA
   Download the latest‭ driver ‬ from VIA,‭ ‬make sure it is the one intended for Ubuntu‭ ‬8.10‭ (‬there are two drivers,‭ ‬one is marked as the‭ ‬2D driver and the other one is called gfx,‭ ‬the one with “2D” is the one I am using as I don’t care too much about Compiz and such‭)‬.‭ ‬This has to be done after installing Ubuntu‭ ‬8.10‭ ‬using the vesa driver‭ (‬very basic graphics functionality and it does not support external monitors‭) ‬such as shown in the‭ ‬ Ubuntu Wiki.
3. ‏Unzip the package from VIA and run the setup process by using the the file called‭ “‬v2dinstall‭”‬.‭ ‬This has to be done as root,‭ ‬so the command may look something like this:‭
   sudo‭ ‬./v2Dinstall‭ [‬will prompt you for your password‭‬].‭
   When the installer is done,‭ ‬edit your xorg.conf file so it will look somewhat like this:

   #‎ ‏xorg.conf‭ (‬X.Org X Window System server configuration file‭)
   ‬#‭
   ‬#‭ ‬This file was generated by reidy90,‭ ‬by copying correct settings from‭
   ‬#‭ ‬the xorg.conf that was provided with the SUSE hp‭ ‬2133.‭
   ‬#‭
   ‬#‭ ‬Edit this file with caution,‭ ‬and see the xorg.conf manual page.‭
   ‬#‭ (‬Type‭ “‬man xorg.conf‭” ‬at the shell prompt.‭)
   ‬#‭
   ‬#‭ ‬This file is automatically updated on xserver-xorg package upgrades‭ *‬only‭*
   ‬#‭ ‬if it has not been modified since the last upgrade of the xserver-xorg‭
   ‬#‭ ‬package.‭
   ‬#‭
   ‬#‭ ‬Note that some configuration settings that could be done previously‭
   ‬#‭ ‬in this file,‭ ‬now are automatically configured by the server and settings‭
   ‬#‭ ‬here are ignored.‭
   ‬#‭
   ‬#‭ ‬If you have edited this file but would like it to be automatically updated‭
   ‬#‭ ‬again,‭ ‬run the following command:‭
   ‬#‭   ‬sudo dpkg-reconfigure‭ ‬-phigh xserver-xorg‭

   ‬Section‭ “‬Device‭”
   ‬BoardName‭    “‬Framebuffer Graphics‭”

   ‬#Change the line underneath to‭ “‬via‭” ‬after you have installed the driver‭ (‬step‭ ‬3‭)‬.‭
   ‬Driver‭       “‬vesa‭”
   ‬Identifier‭   “‬Device‭[‬0‭]”
   ‬Screen‭       ‬0‭
   ‬VendorName‭   “‬VIA Technology‭”
   ‬Option‭ “‬NoDDCValue‭”
   ‬Option‭ “‬ActiveDevice‭” “‬LCD,CRT‭”
   ‬Option‭ “‬PanelID‭”      “‬3‭”
   ‬Option‭  “‬DisplayHardwareLayout‭” “‬LCD‭”
   ‬Option‭  “‬ForceLCD‭”
   ‬#‭[<‬bool‭>]
   ‬Option‭  “‬VideoOnDevice‭” “‬LCD‭”
   ‬#‭  ‬Option‭ “‬LCDPort‭” “‬DVP0‭”
   ‬EndSection‭

   ‬Section‭ “‬Monitor‭”
   ‬DisplaySize‭  ‬250‭ ‬150‭
   ‬HorizSync‭    ‬28-500‭
   ‬Identifier‭   “‬Monitor‭[‬0‭]”
   ‬ModelName‭    “‬VIEWSONIC VA912-4SERIES‭”
   ‬Option‭       “‬DPMS‭”
   ‬VendorName‭   “‬VSC‭”
   ‬VertRefresh‭  ‬43-60‭
   ‬UseModes‭     “‬Modes‭[‬0‭]”
   ‬EndSection‭

   ‬Section‭ “‬Modes‭”
   ‬Identifier‭   “‬Modes‭[‬0‭]”
   ‬Modeline‭      “‬1280×800‭” ‬120.33‭ ‬1280‭ ‬1368‭ ‬1504‭ ‬1728‭ ‬800‭ ‬801‭ ‬804‭ ‬839‭
   ‬Modeline‭      “‬1280×800‭” ‬118.88‭ ‬1280‭ ‬1368‭ ‬1504‭ ‬1728‭ ‬800‭ ‬801‭ ‬804‭ ‬839‭
   ‬Modeline‭      “‬1280×800‭” ‬116.21‭ ‬1280‭ ‬1360‭ ‬1496‭ ‬1712‭ ‬800‭ ‬801‭ ‬804‭ ‬838‭
   ‬#‭  ‬Modeline‭     “‬1280×768‭” ‬114.53‭ ‬1280‭ ‬1360‭ ‬1496‭ ‬1712‭ ‬768‭ ‬769‭ ‬772‭ ‬806‭
   ‬#‭  ‬Modeline‭     “‬1280×768‭” ‬113.01‭ ‬1280‭ ‬1360‭ ‬1496‭ ‬1712‭ ‬768‭ ‬769‭ ‬772‭ ‬805‭
   ‬#‭  ‬Modeline‭     “‬1280×768‭” ‬111.63‭ ‬1280‭ ‬1360‭ ‬1496‭ ‬1712‭ ‬768‭ ‬769‭ ‬772‭ ‬805‭
   ‬Modeline‭      “‬1280×768‭” ‬80.14‭  ‬1280‭ ‬1344‭ ‬1480‭ ‬1680‭  ‬768‭ ‬769‭ ‬772‭ ‬795‭  ‬-HSync‭ ‬+Vsync‭
   ‬Modeline‭      “‬1024×768‭” ‬92.05‭ ‬1024‭ ‬1088‭ ‬1200‭ ‬1376‭ ‬768‭ ‬769‭ ‬772‭ ‬806‭
   ‬Modeline‭      “‬1024×768‭” ‬90.83‭ ‬1024‭ ‬1088‭ ‬1200‭ ‬1376‭ ‬768‭ ‬769‭ ‬772‭ ‬805‭
   ‬Modeline‭      “‬1024×768‭” ‬89.72‭ ‬1024‭ ‬1088‭ ‬1200‭ ‬1376‭ ‬768‭ ‬769‭ ‬772‭ ‬805‭
   ‬Modeline‭      “‬1280×600‭” ‬88.68‭ ‬1280‭ ‬1352‭ ‬1488‭ ‬1696‭ ‬600‭ ‬601‭ ‬604‭ ‬630‭
   ‬Modeline‭      “‬1280×600‭” ‬87.48‭ ‬1280‭ ‬1352‭ ‬1488‭ ‬1696‭ ‬600‭ ‬601‭ ‬604‭ ‬629‭
   ‬Modeline‭      “‬1280×600‭” ‬85.59‭ ‬1280‭ ‬1344‭ ‬1480‭ ‬1680‭ ‬600‭ ‬601‭ ‬604‭ ‬629‭
   ‬Modeline‭      “‬1024×600‭” ‬71.11‭ ‬1024‭ ‬1080‭ ‬1192‭ ‬1360‭ ‬600‭ ‬601‭ ‬604‭ ‬630‭
   ‬Modeline‭      “‬1024×600‭” ‬69.32‭ ‬1024‭ ‬1080‭ ‬1184‭ ‬1344‭ ‬600‭ ‬601‭ ‬604‭ ‬629‭
   ‬Modeline‭      “‬1024×600‭” ‬68.48‭ ‬1024‭ ‬1080‭ ‬1184‭ ‬1344‭ ‬600‭ ‬601‭ ‬604‭ ‬629‭
   ‬Modeline‭      “‬800×600‭” ‬55.22‭ ‬800‭ ‬840‭ ‬928‭ ‬1056‭ ‬600‭ ‬601‭ ‬604‭ ‬630‭
   ‬Modeline‭      “‬800×600‭” ‬54.47‭ ‬800‭ ‬840‭ ‬928‭ ‬1056‭ ‬600‭ ‬601‭ ‬604‭ ‬629‭
   ‬Modeline‭      “‬800×600‭” ‬53.80‭ ‬800‭ ‬840‭ ‬928‭ ‬1056‭ ‬600‭ ‬601‭ ‬604‭ ‬629‭
   ‬Modeline‭      “‬768×576‭” ‬50.62‭ ‬768‭ ‬808‭ ‬888‭ ‬1008‭ ‬576‭ ‬577‭ ‬580‭ ‬605‭
   ‬Modeline‭      “‬768×576‭” ‬49.92‭ ‬768‭ ‬808‭ ‬888‭ ‬1008‭ ‬576‭ ‬577‭ ‬580‭ ‬604‭
   ‬Modeline‭      “‬768×576‭” ‬49.32‭ ‬768‭ ‬808‭ ‬888‭ ‬1008‭ ‬576‭ ‬577‭ ‬580‭ ‬604‭
   ‬Modeline‭      “‬640×480‭” ‬34.80‭ ‬640‭ ‬672‭ ‬736‭ ‬832‭ ‬480‭ ‬481‭ ‬484‭ ‬504‭
   ‬Modeline‭      “‬640×480‭” ‬34.38‭ ‬640‭ ‬672‭ ‬736‭ ‬832‭ ‬480‭ ‬481‭ ‬484‭ ‬504‭
   ‬Modeline‭      “‬640×480‭” ‬33.90‭ ‬640‭ ‬672‭ ‬736‭ ‬832‭ ‬480‭ ‬481‭ ‬484‭ ‬503‭
   ‬EndSection‭

   ‬Section‭ “‬Screen‭”
   ‬SubSection‭ “‬Display‭”
   ‬Modes‭      “‬1280×768‭”
   ‬EndSubSection‭
   ‬Device‭       “‬Device‭[‬0‭]”
   ‬Identifier‭   “‬Screen‭[‬0‭]”
   ‬Monitor‭      “‬Monitor‭[‬0‭]”
   ‬EndSection

4. Under the driver option,‭ ‬you need to change the driver from‭ “‬vesa‭” ‬to‭ “‬via‭”‬.
5. Reboot the machine and you should end up with a netbook running Ubuntu‭ ‬8.10‭ ‬utilising the newest‭ ‬2D driver form VIA.

I have not actually used the gfx unified driver provided by VIA,‭ ‬because I personally I do not care about or need the compiz desktop effects on a netbook as tiny as the HP‭ ‬2133‭ ‬Mini-note.‭ ‬I just want a netbook that I can write reports on.‭ ‬It just needs to have basic media capabilities such as playing video or audio files,‭ ‬without any major problems.‭

Good luck.

I was then wondering whether it was worth installing XP on this machine to somehow speed things up as far as boot and wake up times were concerned. I then proceeded to create a custom install disc using nlite. I thought:”why not install SP3 as well while I am at it?”, so I slipstreamed SP3 to my XP SP2 install disc and created a streamlined and slipstreamed install disc with SP3 built in. The wonderful thing about nlite is that it also allows you to incorporate drivers for your computer into your installation disc, so I incorporated all the XP drivers from the HP site. Everything was going really well until I actually installed it on the notebook.

After installation, the notebook booted fine and I must say it was noticeably quicker and wake up time was what I expected. There was, however, a problem between explorer and the graphics driver. On wake up from hibernation, the screen would flicker uncontrollably for about a minute or two. Sometimes this craziness will stop when I open a window, but not always. This cancels out the advantages of the quicker boot time with XP.I would have to wait a couple of minutes before the machine would settle and be usable again. I was glad to discover that Via had put out a new driver for its Chrome 9 integrated graphics chip. Alas, after installation of the latest driver, the machine still had the uncontrollable case of the flicker.

Working with a notebook that flickers after hibernation is almost impossible. In fact, it makes this notebook pretty useless since I bought it to be able to take notes and work pretty quickly during my day at work and during times I spend on public transport. I had to come up with a solution, so I gave XP SP2 a try and it seems to have made it a better notebook. I can put it into hibernation at anytime without any concern for what will happen when I start it up again. So, if you are having trouble with XP SP3 on your HP mini-note 2133, do not hesitate and install XP SP2 on it and you will have a nice and usable notebook.

I wish there was a netbook like the mini-note that has an instant-on feature to allow working in shorter stretches of time with a lot of sleep in between. Such a notebook, couple with a decent battery life will make a nice companion to people who need a lightweight machine to either write or code while on the move. Did you hear that HP?

For a while I was really comparing this machine to the Eeepc and the clincher for me was the storage capacity (120GB) as opposed to the various flavours of Eeepc which come in anything from 4-20GB, which means that this machine could also function as a mobile storage unit for photographs and other files when on the go. The other factor was the size of the keyboard. While it may be difficult to type quickly and accurately on the Eeepc’s cramped keyboard, it is, by comparison, quite effortless on this machine, which means that for typing documents and code the HP wins hands down.

The few gripes that I have with this machine are: no booting from the SD card slot, Windows Vista pre-installed (only the vista version is available here in Australia), it only comes with a 3-cell battery and (because of Vista) a long boot time and wake up time (from hibernation).
The specs:

• 1.6Ghz Via C7 processor
• Via Chrome graphics adapter
• 1GB of RAM
• 120GB HDD
• a/b/g Wifi
• Bluetooth
• VGA Webcam
• SD card slot
• 3-cell battery (expandable to 6)
• Express Card 54 slot
• 1280×768 8.9 inch screen

Pros:

• Relatively light, therefore easy to carry
• Large 8.9 inch screen
• Nice 92% size keyboard
• Spacious storage

Cons:

• Battery could be larger
• Awkward power switch
• Only comes with Windows Vista Home Basic
• Webcam utility (modelled on Apple Photo Booth) does not work properly

All in all, this notebook makes a great companion when you are out and about and not wanting to carry a 3kg+ load on your shoulders.