My fun lil’ project has been to Setup Internet TV for $300, complete with a remote control that acts like a pointer, clicker, keyboard and a mouse. In this project, I’ve learned about mini-DVI vs. DVI vs. HDMI vs. VGA. It turns out, you can’t get sound unless you use an HDMI –> HDMI cord, which means you need two HDMI inputs. Enter the Zotac MAG, which stands for Mini All-in-One Giant. It’s what’s known as an HTPC (home theater personal computer). You can use the Zotac as a regular stand-alone computer with a monitor for home or office use or as a HTPC, since it has an HDMI input and a super sleek ‘n slim design.

I spoke to a computer geek (I use that term lovingly) about how to get this thing going. He kind of looked at me like I was a nOOb and gave me advice on how to do it the easy way, giving me the impression that if I didn’t use the Windows installation CD ISO, it would be near impossible for me to figure out how to format, partition, and create a bootable USB key for Windows 7. He was right… it was difficult, but definitely not impossible.

After reading more than a dozen blogs, user forums, support questions and following a bunch of rabbit trails I found a tutorial on Microsoft outlining How to get Windows 7 to Load on a Nettop. And, it works!

My first issue in attempting to boot Windows 7 onto my Zotac MAG was getting a “_” blinking cursor when attempting to boot from the USB key. It turns out, I needed to format the drive as FAT32 rather than NTFS. I remember my geeky tv buddy glossing over that right before he got annoyed that I didn’t know what a 10-foot UI was. I don’t blame him. I’m totally new, taking on unchartered territory with little or no documentation. Everyone has to start out somehwhere.

So, the Microsoft tutorial actually saved the day. I got it to boot from my XP machine, so I figured I’d take the USB key home to my Zotac and hold my breath. BTW, you need to create your bootable USB drive from a newer computer with XP, Vista or 7 on it. Older computers won’t boot from a USB drive, so you can’t even test it.

Yay! I got the “Starting Windows” screen. *Moment of happiness* And then, the inevitable. When trying to load it onto a partition I got the error: ”You can’t load windows on this partition, it’s not NTFS…. blah, blah, blah.” So, I Googled it and learned to click on drive options, and select to format the drive. This will take a matter of seconds, and then Windows 7 will start installing.

During the Windows 7 installation, your computer will restart 3 times. The first time, I left my USB key inside the computer and it attempted a reinstall. I reinstalled, and learned to remove the USB key upon each restart, inserting it back once Windows began to boot up.

Wahooo! It’s asked for a user name / computer name. We’re almost there.

After the user name and password business (I didn’t setup a password since this is a media machine) it restarted again. I removed the USB key altogether this time.

It’s installed. Yippie! The only problem now is that the resolution is all wrong. If you have this problem, simply right-click the Desktop and click “Screen Resolution.” Also, for the Zotac MAG, install the NVidia driver.

I also installed the plug-in play Adesso remote without incident. I can now control my tv with the click of a remote. I also made the icons for Hulu Desktop, Boxee, and YouTube large on my screen. Plus, I setup a cool theme background and screensaver.

What you need:
* Nettop with HDMI input, 2GB of Ram, wireless card, 100GB or larger HDD a good graphics card and integrated sound (examples include Zotac MAG and Acer Revo)
* HDMI –> HDMI cord
* TV with an HDMI input
* Wireless keyboard & mouse (or USB)
* 4 GB or larger USB key
* Windows 7 Operating System
* A newer computer with Windows XP, Vista or 7 on it to create bootable USB drive

Optional:
Adesso Remote Control
USB Blue-ray player

Installation Tips:
* Follow the steps here
* Test USB drive to see if it’s bootable before trying to boot it up on your nettop
* You’ll need to not only set the BIOS to boot from the USB, but also manually tell it to boot from the USB device. These options are F2 and F10 for my netbook the Zotac MAG
* If it says it can’t install onto a certain partition once the Windows 7 installation process starts, click drive options and format the partition
* Windows 7 will restart several times in the installation process, so don’t freak out (but, do remove the USB drive upon the restart and reinsert after the boot so that it doesn’t try to boot from the USB key and restart the installation process all over again)

Resources:
Installing Windows 7 from a USB Drive in 3 Easy Steps
101 Best HTPC Tips for Beginners