Customizability has always been one of the Eee’s greatest strengths. From software customizations such as switching from Linux to Windows (XP, Vista, 2000, even 3.11), or even OS X, or hardware upgrades such as replacing the RAM or the SSD, or even full DIY, such as turning the Eee into a touchscreen, or inserting built-in bluetooth, the Eee has been the modder’s best friend.
So why is the S101 so darn hard to upgrade, asks Laptopmag.
While there is a small latch for getting to the RAM, that is about all you can access. We had no problem unscrewing that latch and replacing the default 1GB SODIMM with a 2GB stick of DDR2 RAM; in fact that is the easy part. However, when we popped in the RAM the Windows XP operating system didn’t recognize the extra 1GB, still showing only 0.99GB. Is it possible the BIOS itself won’t recognize more than 1GB? We haven’t gotten an official answer from ASUS about this, but it looks like that’s the case.
Ok so we didn’t really think the Eee PC S101 needed more RAM any way. But a new SSD would be pretty sweet, considering we weren’t all that impressed with the one that came standard on the system. We have a new Eee PC SSD upgrade chip from SuperTalent. However, there is no easy way to access the SSD from the back of the system. Even after we pulled off all the screws we couldn’t get to the internals. We assume you have to pry the keyboard off.
Again, this makes the S101 a no in my next netbook choice.
