Upgrading Asus Eee PC 701 for Skype with Video (In Vancouver)
With very limited functions, this Asus Eee PC 701 netbook had not been used for years. I bought it on 8April2012 to see if it can be upgraded for video call.
I checked this Eee PC 701. It had a small operating system that did not allow adding software. It did not have WebCam. From review report, the microphone located and facing the bottom does not pick up sound well.
I took the Eee PC 701 apart and inspected the motherboard. It supports WebCam. I bought a WebCam for the Eee PC 710SD model, drilled a hole on the LCD panel and installed it. For microphone, I rewired it to the LCD panel at the top where space allows to install the microphone.
Using an external DVD drive, I tried to install Ubuntu 9.10 to the 4GB SSD. When I tested the WebCam, Ubuntu needed plug-in but could not find it. From Asus website, I found drivers for Windows but not for Linux. From online, I bought a bottom case which has Windows COE label in the item photo. When the bottom case came, it did not have the Windows COE label. I asked the seller who replied that the selling description did not include the label. I have to use the COE label from another laptop that cannot be fixed. I still changed the bottom case because it has a panel which allows the access to the RAM for upgrade if needed.
The drivers from Eee PC 701SD are applicable to this Eee PC 701 except the LAN driver which has to come from Eee PC 4G Surf/XP. I installed Skype and tested the video and sound. Both are good. During testing, battery lasted for 2 hours. I also tried Windows Update which works after I installed SP3 manually. However, the subsequent Winodws Update took up all the 4G storage. It is better to leave the XP Home as SP2 to leave over 1G storage.
This Asus Eee PC 701 is now having more functions. With its compact size, it is good for carrying it to trips.
A young man picked it up on 20Aug2012. We met at 29th Avenue Skytrain station. Since it was on my way home with no extra effort, I have given him a discount.
