HP T5700 Thin Client for MAME???

[Curbfeeler]

A while back I came across a deal on HP T5700 Thin Clients and I picked up a handful of them.  I have two now, and I've loaned out a couple more to friends who wanted to see what they could do.  For those who don't know what they are, a thin client is a computer that is designed to use for logging remotely into another computer.  Since the processor of the remote computer does the bulk of the work, the idea of a thin client has always been that they use minimal hardware, a small footprint, etc.

Having said that, the T5700 is really no slouch, hardware wise and should easily run any classic arcade game in MAME.

From http://www.thinclientcentral.com/products/productpage.asp?pid=7439 --
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System
• Processor: Transmeta Crusoe, 1 GHz
• Memory: 256 SDRAM
• Graphics: ATI Radeon
• Ports: 4 USB, 1 Serial, 1 parallel, 1 optional PCI
• Dimensions (H x W x D): 55 x 205 x 195 mm (2.2 x 8.2 x 7.8 in) without stand 230 x 100 x 195 mm (9.2 x 4 x 7.8 in) with stand
Software
• Operating system Microsoft Windows XP Embedded Service Pack 2 with Internet Explorer 6.0
• Server OS compatibility/support: Microsoft® Windows® NT 4.0 Server, Windows NT 4.0 Terminal Server Edition, Windows 2000/2003 Server, families, Windows 2000/2003 Server Terminal Services, Windows 2000 Advance Server, Windows 2000 Advance Server Terminal Services, and Citrix MetaFrame and Presentation Server for Microsoft Windows NT 4.0, Windows 2000 Server family and Windows 2003 Server family.
Features
• Solid-state design: No moving parts offer higher reliability, which helps lower ownership costs and extend product life. An easy-to-remove stand enables horizontal or vertical positioning for integration in most environments.
• Processor: Transmeta Crusoe 1 GHz processor provides fast local application processing.
• Memory: 256 MB Flash ROM and 256 MB SDRAM standard.
• Graphics: ATI Radeon enables fast graphics performance and refresh rates.
• Options: Four USB 2.0 ports, one serial port, parallel port, and RJ-45 port support a broad range of options, including wired or wireless networking2 and security through Smart Card or biometrics. An optional PCI Expansion Module3 supports additional options.
• Software: The HP Compaq t5700 Thin Client ships with the Microsoft Windows XP Embedded operating system.
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So I'm just wondering if anyone out there has any experience with this, because quite frankly I've had nothing but headaches with these things.  First of all, it runs XP Embedded on the 192MB solid state drive.  And I've been able to go out to hp.com and get their version of XP Embedded.  I can flash this to the 192MB partition, but it's locked down to the gills and once you hack your way to Admin mode you still face the obstacle of DirectX drivers being incomplete or not seeming to work correctly.

I found a recent blog of a guy who seems to have gotten this work, though.  Wondering what others' thoughts are. 

http://www.geekzone.co.nz/paradoxsm/96

For about $25-$35 these seem to be a pretty viable option to mount in a desktop control panel or even bartop.  Actually, this thing is so small it could probably be worked into a monitor case.  It's also completely silent since it's all solid state.