Netbooking with W7SE: No Connectify!

I installed the Beta version of Connectify to turn my Windows 7 Starter Edition netbook into a wifi router for my Sierra Wireless card but I couldn't get it to turn on. I discovered that I needed to turn on internet connection sharing in my control panel, but I couldn't find the option to do that. Then, I found this in the help:

Internet Connection Sharing. A computer running Windows 7 Starter can't use Internet Connection Sharing (ICS) to share its Internet connection with other computers on the network. With Windows 7 Starter, you must use a router to share an Internet connection among several computers. For more information, see Setting up a home network.

Microsoft is just taunting me for that $80 anytime upgrade to Windows 7 Home Premium. Grrr!

HP Saved Me from Windows 7 Boredom

Tired of that one blue wallpaper that Microsoft so generously provides with Windows 7 Starter Edition? That badge of frugality that says I'm not paying you another $80 just so I can put a photo on my desktop? I decided to check out the software and drivers page for my HP Mini 110-1125NR and low and behold, they have a software download that installs a program called My Colors that allows me to change my desktop to one of those girly swirly ones that HP paid somebody to design or any photo in my pictures folder. Yeah!!!! Take that MSFT instead of my $80! Link

Windows 7 Starter Edition: Issues Confronted

In a previous post, I stated that the limitations of Windows 7 Starter Edition made it a non-starter for me on my next netbook. So what did I do next? Go out and buy a netbook with Windows 7 Starter Edition! Although the option for an "anytime upgrade" to Windows 7 Home Premium looms large on my start up menu, I'm resisting the urge to send Microsoft another $80 just yet. So, a week after buying my HP Mini 110, what do I think of Windows 7 Starter Edition?

First, let's start with an issue that was never an issue. Contrary to what many believe (and what Microsoft said during beta apparently) Starter Edition is not limited to running only 3 applications at a time. It will run as many as your memory and processor will allow. With an Atom processor, that's not a ton but it's more than 3. I think we're getting confused with the Holy Hand Grenade from Monty Python. Wait, I digress.

Second, Windows 7 Starter edition does not have multiple monitor support. I thought this meant no external monitors. That's not the case. What it does mean is no extended desktop. It probably will keep me from using the Mini is presenter mode when I use Powerpoint to make speeches. It doesn't keep me from plugging the Mini into the 24" LCD that I have in the home office. I can mirror displays (1024x600) or I can drive solely the external LCD. VLC also comes in handy if you download youtube videos to your computer for offline watching. I use Keepvid.com to download Youtube videos.

Third, Windows 7 Starter Edition doesn't include Windows Media Center and doesn't support DVD playback. What does this mean? Do I have to upgrade before I can watch a DVD using an external DVD player plugged into my Mini? Thankfully, you can plug in an external DVD drive and watch commercial DVDs just fine. However, you need to install third party software to view the DVD. I installed VLC Media Player and it works just great. Plus, VLC is a free download. Starter Edition does include Windows Media Player so I can still use the standard software to listen to music and view other video sources.

Fourth, Windows 7 Starter Edition doesn't include Aero glass features or permit any customization of the desktop. The pretty eye candy makes Windows 7 look stunning but it uses up precious processing power that I'd prefer to devote to other causes. Being unable to change the desktop photo is a totally lame limitation that is going to make some netbook buyers frustrated because they think they can't figure out how to do it and then angry when they realize it was a deliberate design limitation by Microsoft. I refuse to let this get to me. I am embracing the stupid blue desktop as long as it takes. Only some other limitation will get me to spend that money. I'm waiting you out Microsoft! Hopefully, enough people will complain about the desktop photo thing and Microsoft will cave.

In conclusion, Starter Edition is not as limited as my earlier post suggested since there are work-arounds to many of the limitations. I do recommend putting 2GB RAM in your netbook. Oh, and I absolutely love my HP Mini 110. I hope this helps clarify confusion that potential netbook buyers might have. My suggestion is try Starter Edition first and then decide whether you need the features of a more expensive version of Windows 7. An upgrade is just a mouse click and $80 away.

How Long Can I stand Blue Background?

Last night, I took the plunge and bought the HP Mini 110 with 6-cell battery and Windows 7 Starter Edition. I installed office and got the machine ready to use at client for several hours today. I upgraded the RAM to 2GB but I'm going to hold off activating the anytime upgrade to Windows Home Premium for a bit and see how it goes. Who knows? Maybe enough people will complain about not being able to change background that MSFT will give in and issue some sort of patch for netbook users. It's pretty telling that the Start menu has a button to launch the Anytime Upgrade right up top. That is just SO bogus!

Still, besides the blue background, I haven't found any show stoppers in using Windows 7 Starter Edition. My little netbook performed great at the client. I had wifi turned off because I couldn't access, but like Bill Curtis in the AT&T commercials, I fired up my Sierra Wireless 875U card several times when I needed Internet access. It worked great with Windows 7, even though it is one of AT&T's "legacy" cards.

Is Windows 7 Starter Edition a Non-Starter for Netbooks?

Photo from Redmondpie.com

Like this desktop? If you buy a new netbook with Windows 7 Starter Edition, you better because you can't change it. What?!! That's right.  Starter Edition is apparently only available to OEMs to install on low-end portable devices we call netbooks.  Netbooks sporting Starter Edition started appearing in stores on Windows 7 launch day (October 22) and more will be coming soon.  Machines with Windows XP installed should start to disappear as stocks get sold off.  If Windows 7 is so much better than Vista as Microsoft wants us to believe, this is a good thing, right?

I'm not so sure.  According to the Windows Team Blog, Microsoft has imposed some pretty significant limitations on Starter Edition that may make netbooks running this OS less useful than the same machines running Windows XP.  What are these limitations?

First, as I mentioned above, users of Starter Edition cannot personalize the Windows desktop in any way. No color changes, presumably no bumping the font size for readability, and no changing the desktop background.  Got a JPG of the kids or that cool volcano you saw in Hawaii you want to see on your desktop?  "No desktop for you! Next!"  Guess what? I can show whatever background I want on my XP netbook.

UPDATE: My trip to Microcenter showed that there is an option in control panel on Windows 7 Starter Edition to display everything at 125% of normal for improved readability.  But there is no way to change the desktop background.  That is just flat evil to make people pay for an $80 upgrade to Windows 7 Home Premium just so they can view the new puppy on their desktop.

Second,  Windows 7 starter edition won't play a DVD.  Sure, netbooks don't HAVE a DVD player, but ever heard of a USB external DVD drive? My XP netbook can play a DVD.

Third,  netbook screens are small, right?  Maybe you have a nice big LCD screen at home that you'd like to plug your netbook into when you are using your netbook at home.  Maybe, you think your netbook is perfect for taking along on the road when you need to make a presentation with a projector.  Not so hard to imagine, is it?  Maybe you should rethink getting Windows 7 Starter Edition installed on that netbook.  My XP netbook can do these things.  Windows 7 starter edition has disabled multi-monitor support.

UPDATE:  A trip to Microcenter calls for a correction.  I found a Toshiba NB205 running Windows 7 SE next to a LCD panel that was connected to a Sony netbook.running XP.  I quickly unplugged the VGA from the Sony and plugged it into the Toshiba.  What Windows 7 Starter Edition disables is extended desktop mode. You can mirror displays (at 1024x600) or display only on the LCD (at display's native resolution) or display solely on the netbook.  Thus, with Windows 7 SE it is possible to plug the netbook into a larger screen and work off the big screen. My apologies for getting that wrong.

But, you've seen how pretty Windows 7 looks and you're tired of how boring XP looks after all these years, right?  Umm, there's just one little problem. All that eye candy is disabled on Starter Edition.

Folks,  something is happening here.One possibility is that Microsoft is hoping to cripple netbooks so that you pass over them for more useful computers that allow you to put a picture of the grandkids on the screen. Or, perhaps, Microsoft hopes that you will realize the error of your ways when your netbook won't do all these crazy "processor intensive" things like plug into a monitor and use the Anytime Upgrade feature to pay an extra $80 to install Windows 7 Home Premium Edition on your netbook (better pick up some RAM too).

Or, you could buy that same netbook with Windows XP and do all these things for even less than you'll pay for the Windows 7 Starter Edition version.

As the title to this post suggests, I think Windows 7 Starter Edition is a non-starter for netbooks.  Am I alone here? I've been searching Google and I don't see anyone complaining about this. Why not?