Dell Inspiron 1100 netbook computer designed by Dell offers either a 2GHz desktop Celeron processor or an Intel Pentium 4 processor, with up to 1GB of RAM. Furthermore, this model comes equipped with DVD/CD-RW drive and 14.1" XGA display making it suitable for students, home users and business professionals looking for an economical notebook suitable for daily tasks such as word processing, emailing and Web browsing.
Dell offers two basic operating system choices with this machine - Windows XP Home or Professional. While the default software bundle may be limited, more comprehensive office suites can be added by paying extra - Jukebox, MovieStudio and PictureStudio from Dell for managing music, movies and images respectively are included as apps for managing media files.
In our tests, the Dell Inspiron 1100 emerged as the fastest system in our small test group of low-cost laptops, outperforming another Celeron-powered system and easily outclassing HP Pavilion ze4200 which were similarly priced competitors. It boasted an impressive four hour battery life; making it perfect for travel. Plus its keyboard was wide yet firm while touchpad buttons and mouse buttons were easy to manipulate.
Multiple issues have been reported with Inspiron power supplies, especially older or overheated ones. If this occurs, your system may stop turning on or the LED light may flash briefly when connected; Dell tech support representatives are available to replace your power supply if necessary.
Be wary when installing memory in a Dell Inspiron 1100 that some cards may not work with this model. A quick test can quickly reveal whether a specific card will fit: count how many chips there are on a card and divide its capacity by that number; if that figure exceeds 32MB, the card won't work with this laptop.
Addition of memory to the Dell Inspiron 1100 will increase efficiency and speed while simultaneously making it faster. It supports PC2100 DDR SDRAM SODIMMs upgradable up to 1GB; when installing additional modules be sure that they meet 133MHz specifications with equal voltage/pinout of their counterpart module; otherwise you risk overheating and potentially damaging the motherboard.
