What's it Like to Run Windows without a Hard Drive?

This whole EEE PC phenomenon has been very intriguing for me. A computer without a conventional hard drive running a desktop operating system seems counter to all that is holy. I've been taught to buy the biggest hard drive you can afford. I hear about the "bloating" of operating systems and applications software. Yet, people are buying a small notebook with a 7"inch screen at 800x480 resolution with a 4G solid state drive? How does that work?

Quite well is my conclusion after finding a deal on an open box Asus EEE PC 4G Surf. I first spent a couple of days using the included Xandros Linux operating system. I think Asus has done an awesome job of configuring a user-friendly Linux experience. The device is extremely useful right out of the box, even in the default "easy mode". Yet, even still, Linux is a confusing mix of a graphical user interface (GUI) and old-school command line typing of text commands to install software, connect to other computers. It reminds me of a Hollywood movie set. The front facade of the buildings are all very impressive, but when you walk through the door you discover that the front is just plywood propped up by 2x4's. I'm not saying that Linux isn't substantial or stable, but that GUI is just a facade. It seems to my Noobie Linux brain that to get real work done in Linux, you ultimately have to get cozy with the Console or Konsole or whatever they call it.

So after a few days of experimenting with Linux, I decided to try a different experiment. I decided to install Windows XP on my 4G Surf. My original plan was to leave the standard OS on the EEE PC and install Windows on an SDHC card. I found instructions on the web but I decided in the end that it was just too much work when I didn't even know if the payoff would be worthwhile. Asus has this great recovery disk too. If I screw up my EEE PC by installing something wrong or something that I get tired of and want to return to factory default OS, I can boot the recovery disk from an external DVD drive and "bam" in minutes I'm back to my original EEE PC. I tried this just to make sure it works, and Dang! It does.

So, I ended up installing Windows XP onto my 4GB SSD in the EEE PC. I followed the instructions in the Asus user guide and installed the Windows drivers from the Asus recovery disk. I then followed the instructions in the Asus user guide for reducing the size of Windows' footprint. I installed Word, Excel and Powerpoint on an SD card. That's where I'll store documents and Internet temporary files, and virtual memory too. I ended up using about half of the internal SSD with the Windows install.

I'm just starting to mess around with it, but everything seems to be working extremely well and quite snappy, even though I haven't upgraded the RAM from the factory 512MB. One plus is that when you are ready to go, you can start hibernating the computer, shut the lid and go. You don't have to worry about whether your hard drive is "parked". This experience brings back fond memories of the old Toshiba Libretto computers, the 50CT and 75CT. I used one of these briefly when I was on crutches for 3 months and the Toshiba rep for my company loaned me one. I just loved that tiny little Windows machine. Asus takes it up a notch by showing me to let go of my hard drive hogging ways and embrace the cloud (or at least removable flash memory). An eye opener for sure.

That's my 2 cents. Your mileage may vary. What is your experience with the EEE PC or the HP Mini? Catch me on Twitter at Taxman45 or leave a comment.