# Question about netbooks - no disc drive **URL:** \ **Category:** Factual Questions\ **Created:** [March 9, 2011, 8:04pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/question-about-netbooks-no-disc-drive/574082 "2011-03-09T20:04:29Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 9\ **Page:** 2
**Author:** ![ChrisBooth12](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/e95f7d/32.png) [@ChrisBooth12](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ChrisBooth12)\ **Post date:** [March 10, 2011, 3:25am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/question-about-netbooks-no-disc-drive/574082/21 "2011-03-10T03:25:33Z")
You can install windows with USB if you want ---
**Author:** ![ZipperJJ](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/zipperjj/32/211_2.png) [@ZipperJJ](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ZipperJJ)\ **Post date:** [March 10, 2011, 6:10am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/question-about-netbooks-no-disc-drive/574082/22 "2011-03-10T06:10:51Z")
Microsoft even has an article on its blog titled “[Use a USB Key to Install Windows 7 - Even on a Netbook](http://technet.microsoft.com/en-us/magazine/dd535816.aspx)”. Microsoft also has a [handy GUI software tool](http://www.microsoftstore.com/store/msstore/html/pbPage.Help_Win7_usbdvd_dwnTool) for converting a USB drive into a bootable drive with a Windows 7 ISO file. ---
**Author:** ![LurkMeister](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/3da27b/32.png) [@LurkMeister](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/LurkMeister)\ **Post date:** [March 10, 2011, 4:23pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/question-about-netbooks-no-disc-drive/574082/23 "2011-03-10T16:23:20Z")
I haven’t priced netbooks since I bought mine two years ago, IIRC for about $350. Are they really down to $200 now? As far as the OS is concerned, not only is my netbook running a version of XP, but so is my desktop. With all the horror stories I was hearing about Vista, I had decided not to bother upgrading the desktop, and then when 7 came out they apparently decided that the only way to “upgrade” from XP to 7 was to reformat and install 7 on a clean drive, and I haven’t yet gotten that dissatisfied with the way XP runs to do that. ---
**Author:** ![Musicat](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/musicat/32/20189_2.png) [@Musicat](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Musicat)\ **Post date:** [March 10, 2011, 4:33pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/question-about-netbooks-no-disc-drive/574082/24 "2011-03-10T16:33:23Z")
> [@LurkMeister](#): > > I haven’t priced netbooks since I bought mine two years ago, IIRC for about $350. Are they really down to $200 now? I bought one about a year ago for $270, including shipping and no tax. It was an EE machine, but I don’t remember the model or CPU; 1GB RAM, 500GB hard drive, Win7, 1024x600 display, mem card reader, 3USB ports, sound, cam, mic, the usual glorious extra stuff. I could have done without some of the bells & whistles if it had been cheaper, as all I wanted was an ultra-portable unit, but bigger than an Iphone. Haven’t priced them since then, but the price trend is downwards. IIRC, there were cheaper units with XP then, but I decided to spring for the extra $50 and get Win7. ---
**Author:** ![HighFructose](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/h/87869e/32.png) [@HighFructose](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/HighFructose)\ **Post date:** [March 10, 2011, 5:18pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/question-about-netbooks-no-disc-drive/574082/25 "2011-03-10T17:18:34Z")
> [@;](#): > Many modern netbooks come with Window 7 Starter…a much more limited OS than most XP versions, IMHO. After upgrading RAM, the first thing I did on my netbook was to create a system image backup on an external drive. The gui tool mentioned upthread to create a bootable Windows installation usb worked flawlessly with an iso created from a Windows 7 Pro disc on another machine. I probably could have used the Upgrade Anytime option to go from Starter to Pro without hassle, but I wanted a fresh Windows installation sans vendor crapware. Installing Ubuntu using a bootable USB created with [UNetbootin](http://unetbootin.sourceforge.net/) was painless. Everything including the graphics card driver, webcam, speakers, microphone, and touchpad worked perfectly out of the box. ---
**Author:** ![Tastes\_of\_Chocolate](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/tastes_of_chocolate/32/3232_2.png) [@Tastes\_of\_Chocolate](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Tastes_of_Chocolate)\ **Post date:** [March 10, 2011, 10:51pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/question-about-netbooks-no-disc-drive/574082/26 "2011-03-10T22:51:03Z")
I’ve got a netbook by EEE that is several years old now. It’s able to boot off of either an SD card or a USB thumbdrive. You could keep several different versions of Linux on different thumbdrives, if you wanted to. ---
**Author:** ![Kevbo](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/k/e47774/32.png) [@Kevbo](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Kevbo)\ **Post date:** [March 10, 2011, 11:27pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/question-about-netbooks-no-disc-drive/574082/27 "2011-03-10T23:27:37Z")
I checked last night: I can make my Acer Aspire One boot from a USB CD/DVD drive by messing with the bios settings. In fact I had it boot a Linux live CD, while it normally runs XP. ---
**Author:** ![BigT](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/bigt/32/12044_2.png) [@BigT](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/BigT)\ **Post date:** [March 11, 2011, 12:23pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/question-about-netbooks-no-disc-drive/574082/28 "2011-03-11T12:23:31Z")
> [@Musicat](#): > > But you’d be installing an obsolete version, at least if the machine was a year or two old. And if it crashed, there might be other problems that will require additional action or cause it to crash again. Um, the whole point of running a netbook is to run obsolete hardware as a tradeoff for portability. That is, if I use the common definition of obsolete. If I use the absolute definition, then your statement fails, as a computer is not obsolete as long as I can do everything I want with it. While there are a few things that Windows 7 can do that Windows XP cannot, it’s mostly either cosmetic or would only matter on a faster computer. Windows XP keeps getting support extended because it does what it needs to do. BTW, I’ve yet to see a program that does not support XP. I believe Microsoft’s new IE9 will be the first, and even it’s lack of support is planned obsolescence, not necessity. ---
**Author:** ![Musicat](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/musicat/32/20189_2.png) [@Musicat](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Musicat)\ **Post date:** [March 11, 2011, 12:33pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/question-about-netbooks-no-disc-drive/574082/29 "2011-03-11T12:33:55Z")
> [@BigT](#): > > Um, the whole point of running a netbook is to run obsolete hardware as a tradeoff for portability. That’s not why I have one. I use it when a standard laptop is overkill for simple tasks and physically too big to carry (in a backpack and/or on a motorcycle). I’d like it to be as up-to-date as practical within a low price range. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/question-about-netbooks-no-disc-drive/574082.md?page=1)