I know I promised to install Windows XP on the Asus Eee PC some time ago, but the optical drive I’ve been using for over three years has finally croaked. Yes, I could have gone through the effort of installing XP from a USB drive, but frankly, I didn’t want to spend the time. I nabbed a new portable optical drive and the install is currently underway.The new drive is from Targus and isn’t too bad for carrying around. It’s their USB 2.0 DVD / CD-ROM Slim External Drive (part PADVD010U) for the detail oriented) and ran me around $130. The drive does not write to any media, it’s simply a reader, but that’s fine because we have a few burners in our machines throughout the house. It’s rare for me to burn media while on the road with a UMPC, so this solution is fine for my needs.The drive measures 6.1″ x 5.6″ x .75″ and weighs 14.6 ounces, so it’s easy to carry around as needed. I tend not to carry an optical drive, but I can handle 14.6 ounces. The unit comes with a Y-connection cable: one end is a Type-B USB port that connects to the drive while the other end splits into two standard, or Type-A ports. To power the drive, it’s best to have both of the USB plugs connected to your device so that the drive receives optimal power. I like the fact that one of the two USB plugs acts as a USB pass-through so that you only lose one USB port on your computer even though you’re using two. Anyway: Windows XP Pro SP2 is coming soon on the Eee PC; I didn’t slim down the installation at this point, I simply want to see how well the OS does or doesn’t run on Eeegor. Who knows, the Eee PC might be my only computer at CES!
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