Compaq TC1000 Tablet on XP

[Bill the drill]

Hi Folks first post here I am  not very good with PC's however I was told to put Linux on the above to increase it's speed . This topic has probably been dealt with before but I can't find it . Could some kind soul point me in the right direction.

BTW do you need anti virus with Linux or is it built in ?

Thanks Bill

[Mark Greaves (PCNetSpec)]

After having done a little research it looks like you *may* have issues getting the touchscreen/stylus to work with that hardware in more recent versions of Linux .. see here:
http://ubuntuforums.org/showthread.php?t=1751149
amongst other places.

[EDIT]

It seems "xserver-xorg-input-fpit" has been replaced by using "inputattach" as the method for driving your touchscreen .. so you never know it may even be easier in recent Linux distributions .. but  it'll most likely still need some experimentatio n/tweaking.

[END EDIT]

so first of all, not having touch a showstopper ?
are you willing to try a recent version of Linux and put some work in trying different things to try get the touchscreen to work .. and maybe still fail ?
or are you happy to use an older version of Linux where the touchscreen does work, but still takes a bit of configuring ?

Installing Linux shouldn't be an issue, but going back to Windows if it doesn't work out may be .. have you got a way of reinstalling Windows if things go wrong ?

also do you understand Linux will NOT run Windows applications .. so what do you generally use the tablet for ?

Are there any peripherals that must work with it (eg. printer) ? .. can you say which makes/models.


No Linux doesn't need AV (unless you need to scan for Windows viruses on a Linux server that services Windows clients) .. it's not windows, and is much more secure from the get-go

[salparadise]

I had a TC1000 a few years back. Lovely little machine. I had Ubuntu working on it perfectly (it needed a tweak or two to get the stylus and handwriting to work, but both were doable relatively easily). Nice little system. I had Call of Duty 1 and GTA Vice City working on it on Linux using the then named Cedega app.
In the end it was the keyboard size that did for me. I ended up with constant wrist ache in both arms (I have relatively big hands - 10" span and the keyboard was just too small and lugging a full sized keyboard and mouse round with me was just absurd).

[Bill the drill]

Thanks for replies folks , I am not that bothered about the touch screen working I have never used it I only need the internet , documents and a spread sheet , it is quicker speed I am after most.

I am glad I dont need a AV as even Avast slows it up a bit  . There are some good videos on YOUtube about installing linux but I was looking for a step by step guide in print on this site. Could someone post me a link if there is one as I can't find a easy step guide.

I suppose I use a memory stick to store the windows set up before formatting the HD prior to installing Linux ? is that right ?

Mark I have looked at that link and the brains on here blow me away ! I might be out of my depth but unless I can speed up the TC1000 I can't use it , so I will probably have a go .

Thanks all 

[Mark Greaves (PCNetSpec)]

I suppose I use a memory stick to store the windows set up before formatting the HD prior to installing Linux ? is that right ?

I suppose you *could* create a drive image using 2 USB sticks .. one for something like Clonezilla, and another to store the image.

But that depends on the size of the hard drive .. do you know how large the drive of the TC1000 is ?

Have you got 2 (preferably 3) USB sticks ?  .. if so, what capacity ?


If this is correct:
http://www.cnet.com/laptops/hp-compaq-tablet-pc/4505-3121_7-20627295.html

you have a 30GB HDD and only 256MB RAM .. is that correct ?

If so, you probably won't fit the XP image on a USB stick unless you have a 32GB stick .. and to tell the truth, 256MB RAM is borderline.
any chance you can fit more RAM ?

[Bill the drill]

Hi Mark the HD is 91 GB and the Ram is 744 MB . Thanks for your attention .

[Bill the drill]

I have checked out Clonezilla I will have to get a ex HD bigger than 91 gb then? I have one that has about 40 GB's of space on it might that do ?.

[Mark Greaves (PCNetSpec)]

RAM should be fine

How much room is currently being used on the 91GB hard drive ?

[Bill the drill]

i am trying to increase that ATM I have downloaded anti twin to remove doubled up files and am now dwonloading smart defrag to increase the free gb's. ATM I have 20 gb of free space . Cheers

[Bill the drill]

I have 26 GB of free space now .

[Mark Greaves (PCNetSpec)]

Still leaves you requiring a 65GB external HDD to image Windows onto.

There is always the option of a dual  boot system, but with only 26GB left, it ain't gonna leave much room for Windows, and storage .. or Linux for that matter.

Setting up a dual booter also carries a small risk of partition corruption .. so it's STILL advisable to ave a backup first.

[Bill the drill]

I will continue getting rid of stuff on the HD and then put it all on a EX HD then format the Tablet so the Linux can it all to it's self.

Will Linux really speed it up quite a bit btw ?

[Mark Greaves (PCNetSpec)]

Okey dokey .. give us a shout when you're ready

There's no real need to format the HDD, that can be done duringf the Linux install .. just be sure to have an image of the Windows drive, so you can go back if you decide to

[salparadise]

Will Linux really speed it up quite a bit btw ?

That depends on which distro you use. Some are better for older hardware, some are not.

An XFCE based distro might be better as KDE and Gnome have larger resource requirements. There isn't a whole lot of difference between Windows 7 and KDE 4.9 on my machine in terms of responsiveness . A lighter Desktop would probably run faster as the overall footprint is smaller. But then I don't use Linux for speed reasons.
If you're new to Linux then (somewhat reluctantly) it might be worth thinking about the Ubuntu XFCE release or the Mint equivalent. I'll leave Mark to advise you on that as I'm out of touch with most distros these days.

[greenian2]

Will Linux really speed it up quite a bit btw ?

That depends on which distro you use. Some are better for older hardware, some are not.

An XFCE based distro might be better as KDE and Gnome have larger resource requirements. There isn't a whole lot of difference between Windows 7 and KDE 4.9 on my machine in terms of responsiveness . A lighter Desktop would probably run faster as the overall footprint is smaller. But then I don't use Linux for speed reasons.
If you're new to Linux then (somewhat reluctantly) it might be worth thinking about the Ubuntu XFCE release or the Mint equivalent. I'll leave Mark to advise you on that as I'm out of touch with most distros these days.

imho if your new to linux i recommend either linuxmint (xfce)  or zorin lite

zorin os homepage is http://www.zorin-os.com/

and linuxmint is http://linuxmint.com/