tech
geek tech
hp mini 1116nr
specs
| cpu | 1.60GHz intel atom n270 |
| cache | 512k l2 |
| ram | 2g ddr2 |
| hd | sandisk pssd 16g |
| graphics | intel mobile 945gse express (up to 128m) |
| display | 8.9″ wsvga led anti-glare (1024×600) |
| network | marvell 88e8040 |
| wifi 1 | broadcom bcm4312 802.11b/g |
| wifi 2 | rtl8191SU 802.11n |
operating systems
i partitioned the 16g ssd into two 8g partitions. i also used an 8g 30mbps sd card for a swap space for linux and a page file for windows.
ubuntu 12.04 lts
i installed ubuntu 12.04 using the minimal installation iso from a usb drive (the iso is only about 30m). this allowed me to heavily customize the install. the total space used on the drive is less than 2.5g – and thats with me adding in other programs and libraries. i went with xfce for the desktop environment. i had tried lxde and did not really enjoy it. below is a screenshot of htop after the os was fully loaded and running for 5+ minutes.
windows xp sp3
i used nlite and modified the stock iso from the oem cd for the 1116nr. (i will have another post with the modifications i made, including the various registry changes) the total size of the iso, with drivers slip-streamed in, was 240m. the os, with all software (including antivirus, etc) was under 5g. below is a screenshot of the task manager after the os was fully loaded and running for 5+ minutes.
overall i am quite pleased with the 1116nr. both ubuntu and windows are fairly responsive and perform far better than i had anticipated.
hp mini 1116nr antenna mod
i recently got a hp mini 1116nr from a local pawn shop. decent little machine and fun to play with.
naturally, within an hour of owning it, i was opening the case to see how much room was in it for mods. low and behold, i find the hp mobile drive bay, and an unused usb port. i took a premiertek usb wifi stick apart and cut the board down to fit in the case and ran the antenna jack out the side of the case.
here is the final result – using both my 5dbi and 10dbi antennas. i put electrical tape on the outside of the case – this is temporary until i find a similar usb wifi card that is wireless n or decide to hack something else into the case.
testing out a fax machine
i setup and configure a lot of fax machines for work and recently discovered that hp has a fax test service.
you can check the hp fax test service here.
its great, you can test a fax machine, without bothering anyone you know!
remove leading spaces in openoffice
i was working on a spreadsheet for a customer and it had over 6000 cells in it. every single cell had a leading space. after much searching on google, i finally found the correct answer, and here it is.
ctrl + fto open the search and replace dialog box- enter
^[:space:]+into the search box and leave the replace with box blank - done!
add multiple .vcf files to gmail
so the other day i had to import an address book from windows live mail into gmail. the issue was that every time i did an export from windows live mail, it would mess up the csv, so when gmail read it it imported all the email addresses and data into the notes field. however, gmail could import a .vcf just fine. so i exported all the contacts to .vcf format and dumped them into one folder. then ran copy /B *.vcf all_in_one.vcf. this copied all the .vcf’s into one file. i was then able to import the file into gmail no problem.
power supply calculator
i needed a power supply calculator the other day and found this one.
eXtreme power supply calculator lite v2.5
its awesome, i was able to calculate the wattage used for my server in a matter of a minute or so.
sweet home 3d
sweet home 3d is one of the best home design programs i have used. its interface is incredibly simple, easy to use and intuitive. within minutes of installing the program i was able to input the dimensions for my basement and create an outline and 3d walkthru of what i wanted to do and show my wife. this application has made home design amazing. if you or someone you know is planning on building, remodeling, or just moving around the living room, i recommend downloading and installing this program.
its available for linux, mac and windows. i have used both the linux version and the windows version. both run flawlessly. you can download it here.
here is what i was able to put together in less than 30min. as you build the walls on the blueprint window, the program automatically generates a 3d overhead view of whatever your working on. you can change between an aerial view and a virtual walkthru.
[SinglePic not found]freegeeksquad.com
a good place to go for free tech support. ask a question and typically within 24 – 48 hours it will be answered!
little dog
this is an amazing video. it reminds me of the at-ats from star wars. only much for versatile.