Netbooks: The Missing Manual

Chapter 2. Getting to Know Your Windows Netbook

Although the early netbooks that appeared before 2008 ran on modified versions of Linux or their own operating systems, it didn’t take long for Microsoft to get in on the action. By spring of 2009, about 90 percent of netbooks sold were running Windows.

The vast majority of these netbooks aren’t running the latest version, Windows Vista, either. Thanks to Vista’s greedy hardware requirements and somewhat intrusive approach to security, many people don’t even want it on their desktop computers, let alone their netbooks. Instead, Windows XP Home Edition—which Microsoft attempted to retire during the summer of 2008—made a comeback as the netbook operating system of choice.

If you’re a die-hard Mac fan with no Windows experience, this chapter will give you a basic guide to the system. Even for those rare times when you’re not tapped into a wireless connection, Windows XP Home has enough built-in features to keep you busy and productive when your head’s not in the Cloud. Or if it’s been awhile since you’ve used good ol’ Windows XP Home, you can use this chapter as a refresher course.

Tip

If you need more thorough instruction, consider picking up a copy of Windows XP Home Edition: The Missing Manual by David Pogue (O’Reilly) or any of the dozens of Windows XP tomes out there.

Which Windows?

When it comes to Windows on a netbook, Windows XP Home Edition is the most widely available choice. For now, anyway. Thanks to the “low-power, low-weight, ...