How can we get the best out of our rubbish netbooks?

[witch]

Install your preferred flavour of Linux on the netbooks, throw a couple of terminal servers on your domain and point the netbooks RDP clients at them.

Just completed a similar project for a school, they are now using netbooks for SIMS registration on Terminal Servers.

 

You say that like it is easy! I wish I had the time - or indeed the expertise - to do something like this

[sted]

You say that like it is easy! I wish I had the time - or indeed the expertise - to do something like this

 

it isnt actually that hard either. Installing linux is no harder than windows (at least on a single pc basis never tried wds/mdt style deployment dont even know if it exists) and teminal servers again especially if only for internal use arnt hard. Install server, give fixed ip, install role, install software. The hardest bit is licensing imo

Edited October 4, 2013 by sted

[witch]

When you do 3 hours a day in a 370 pupil school and there are 70 netbooks to deal with...it all becomes a bit more problematic...

[SYNACK]

Try Windows 8 on one, it is way lighter and with nice small mandatory profiles should be decently quick. Its worth a try and probably easier than Linux in the event there is one tiny thing with them that it does not like.

[sted]

When you do 3 hours a day in a 370 pupil school and there are 70 netbooks to deal with...it all becomes a bit more problematic...

granted i diddnt say it would be trouble free but i suspect im in any school less time than you and while rebuilding a trolley/suite can take weeks as id rather do a few at a time so they can still use the rest its doable

[CyberNerd]

When you do 3 hours a day in a 370 pupil school and there are 70 netbooks to deal with...it all becomes a bit more problematic...

 

You only need to setup one and the others will install themselves over a pxe boot.

[Michael]

I agree with previous comments - installing SSDs into netbooks makes the biggest noticeable improvement in startup/logging in/logging off and shutdown speeds. Loading up applications like Word or IE also makes a noticeable difference.

 

SSDs also weigh less, use less power and make no noise at all.

[sted]

I agree with previous comments - installing SSDs into netbooks makes the biggest noticeable improvement in startup/logging in/logging off and shutdown speeds. Loading up applications like Word or IE also makes a noticeable difference.

 

SSDs also weigh less, use less power and make no noise at all.

 

but at this point probably cost more than the netbook is worth but yes they do make them usable

[Michael]

but at this point probably cost more than the netbook is worth but yes they do make them usable

 

That really depends on the size of SSD you buy. You can probably get away with 32GB SSDs in most cases. It's got to be cheaper than replacing all netbooks with £300+ notebooks for example.

[3s-gtech]

^^True, however it's best to look at SSDs as being a longer term investment - I've stuck them in several older PCs here, but they're good spec so will happily slot into their replacements in the future.

[sted]

That really depends on the size of SSD you buy. You can probably get away with 32GB SSDs in most cases. It's got to be cheaper than replacing all netbooks with £300+ notebooks for example.

 

is 32gb enough for win7 and office?

[witch]

Would an SSD really make that much difference to speed? Or would it be better to get rid of the netbooks and invest in something else?

[featured_spectre]

SSD would make a large difference. In some cases it almost is like buying new equipment.

[xenonive]

We have put some 60gb SSD drives in and the students ask what we have done as they quick compared to before

[xenonive]

Another option could be to look at VDI with them then the only thing the laptop needs is good wireless connection

[witch]

I still think that our netbooks cant take full advantage of the wireless and this doesnt help. Need to borrow an SSD to see if it makes a difference - can't justify the cost otherwise!

[nicholab]

You can get reconditioned one a lot cheaper. I would say VDI it has transformed some schools IT delivery but it is a server cost.

[localzuk]

Install your preferred flavour of Linux on the netbooks, throw a couple of terminal servers on your domain and point the netbooks RDP clients at them.

Just completed a similar project for a school, they are now using netbooks for SIMS registration on Terminal Servers.

 

This is what we're doing with our old netbooks. Sticking a Linux distro on them and issuing them only for a) internet searching and b) typing things up. (Which, amazingly, is what they were originally for but as with all things, the demands on them seem to increase for some reason).

 

If you've got loads of them and no time or experience in Linux to do this, it gets to the stage of "the school has to spend some money". Either paying someone to set them up with Linux for you, upgrading them (I'd be loathed to do this personally, as its kinda like throwing good money after bad), or replacing them with something usable.

 

However, I fully understand that the availability of money is a different matter entirely.

[witch]

If you've got loads of them and no time or experience in Linux to do this, it gets to the stage of "the school has to spend some money". Either paying someone to set them up with Linux for you, upgrading them (I'd be loathed to do this personally, as its kinda like throwing good money after bad), or replacing them with something usable.

That would be me then. It is so difficult to know which way to jump - I don't know enough to make an informed decision

[jonnykewell1]

This is something I am going through at the minute. we have a trolley full off fizzbooks and I am in the process of building a new cut down image for them. It's Windows 7 32bit sp1, about 4 pieces of machine based installed software and the rest points to either a server based install or a couple of education websites. I haven't put the blue dolphin software on as that slows them down tons. It's just a matter now of capturing the image and sending it out to the other fizzbooks and make sure all the drivers get picked up OK as I originally had problem with the acceleormeter driver not rotating the screen.