Windows 7 on LE1600 questions

[gaiking]

1)Is Windows 7 actually worth upgrading to if you have the le1600 with the
original XP?

2)Are there any drawbacks to upgrading to Windows 7?

3)Even though it is an older machine does the LE1600 work better with Windows 7
than it does with XP?

4) Can anyone upload to Youtube, a video of Windows 7 running on an
LE1600?...I've been searching and can't find video of it anywhere.

thanks
Jim

[ramerco]

1) I think so yes. I think it is far and away better all around on an LE1600 than XP tablet.

2) I do not find any. I do not use bluetooth, so I have not tried to figure that out. I am not sure if there are any issues.

3) I think it works better with 7. I have 1.5 GB of ram, and a mtron SSD.

4) I dont have a video, not sure what it would tell you if I did.

One thing to note, aero glass will not work on the GMA900. There are themes though that can make the aero basic theme look nicer.

[gaiking]

thanks for the great info.
All the Wacom pressure sensitivity is there and the buttons all work? that's great.
I should be receiving the tablet tomorrow. I can't wait to try it out....I'll probably get a second HD to install Windows 7 on.

thanks again.

[ramerco]

I haven't tested all 512 levels of sensitivity or whatever, but it seems the same to me :D Definately still pressure sensitive.

Yeah, the buttons work. I don't use the dashboard so the wifi button doesn't work (this could also be because I have replaced my wifi card). I use the "windows Mobility Center" to control wifi if i want to power it off.

Also, no extra steps were needed to get the fingerprint reader working. It picked it up right away with windows updates and I just clicked "biometric devices" in control panel to set it up.

[gaiking]

I've read different posts about having to update drivers manually.....Were you able to get all the proper drivers by simply using Windows update?

[ramerco]

I think so. I know I had to install my wifi driver manually, but it is not the original card. Oh, the audio driver is a manual install as well. I used the xp driver from teh motion support site and it works fine (there is no vista audio driver on motion site, because it says use windows update drivers).

[gaiking]

I cant wait to get the tablet...I tried out the HP-TM2 at Microcenter and even though it has more power, the viewing angles were just terrible and the touchscreen seemed a little unresponsive. The LE seemed to fit the bill perfectly for what I want. I'm pretty much just looking for a tablet that I can sketch on and websurf etc...no real processor hungry programs.

How is it with noise and heat? I read that the 1700 could get pretty hot but that was a core 2 duo.

[ramerco]

well i use a le1600 with the 1ghz ulv celeron chip. This is certainly not as fast as a 1.5ghs c2d like the le1700. the advantage is, mine is super cool, hardly ever warm to the touch, and i never hear the fan.

for performance, while photoshop fitlers and hd video playback can stretch the system, i sketch in inkart a ton and it is great, very smooth. browsing is fine, i have a dozen tabs open right now, one with video playing.

[gaiking]

Do you have the extra battery that clips underneath? I read that the stock battery will give you around 3 hours and the extra will ad a couple more.

[ramerco]

i dont have the extra battery. i like the light weight and mobility without it. battery life isnt a big concern for me, but i generally get 3-3.5 hours (with the ulv celeron) with new cells in the battery (i replaced the cells in my battery a year ago).

[gaiking]

How did you get the battery cells replaced?....How much was that? I've never heard of it before.

[ramerco]

i just purchased some li-ion a size cells, cracked open the battery, and replaced them. it is a pretty dangerous process unless you are familiar with working with and soldering onto or near li-ion cells. The cells are something near $8 a piece for 2600 mah ones i think.

[gaiking]

Yikes...I'll probably just buy a few extras..I haven't had much success with soldering. Do you use a screen protector? I was going to get a Photodon screen protector.

[ramerco]

I don't. i think screen protectors are generally designed to jsut provide a secondary wear surface to protect an expensive or easily damaged primary surface.

i see the motion screen surface as quite strong, and simple to polish in case of small scratches. I have been using my le1600 for several years, have many small scratches, and none of them bother me. I use something called novus to polish out any bothersome scratches. The protective plastic over the lcd itself is quite thick and very durable.

[gaiking]

I have Novus.............I bought it last year to clean some scratches on the TV bezel...It worked great. This is great to know about the Motion screen durability.
With Windows 7 does the screen recognize it if you use touch or is the pen required for all interactions?

[gaiking]

I received the LE1600....what a fantastic little machine.....this is EXACTLY what I was looking for. I downloaded Sketchbook Pro and and replaced the pen tip with a Wacom felt tip and haven't been able to put it down......I have more fun drawing on this than I have in years.

Thanks for the great info.
Jim

[gaiking]

Windows 7 is now installed on my le1600 with 2g ram and wow what a difference.....much faster.

I have found that during startup the screen flashes on and off about 2 or 3 times....this didn't happen with XP....is this normal?

[Steve S]

<<...I have found that during startup the screen flashes on and off about 2 or 3 times...is it normal?>

gai: It may or may not be normal, but as long as your desktop comes up and is stable, it's probably unimportant. When my XT2 boots up, the screen always blanks once just at the end of the cycle. It's different than when I was running Vista, but that's all. The video is always solid thereafter.

However, if your screen is acting up during routine operation, that's different. If it is, come back and give us the details. Someone will be able to help you...

[gaiking]

After boot up is done my screen is fine...I was just afraid it may be symptoms of hardware issues that cold get worse.