Clean Install Guide (works for 32-bit or 64-bit)

From the FAQ in my guide:

# Why not just uninstall things you don't want?
* Uninstalling software doesn't always work, and almost always leaves remnants behind. To really get rid of it, you need to do a clean install.
* Also, the amount of time it takes to manually remove software by hand is comparable to, if not longer than, the time it takes to do a clean install. You could easily spend the same amount of time (or more) removing everything by hand, and still not be sure you got everything.
* Finally, manually uninstalling is just that, a manual process. You have to actively sit there and uninstall each thing, waiting and clicking through uninstallers. Most of the time spent on a new install is an automatic process, so you can go off and do something else while it runs

 

I have a problem erasing everything on my drive (after backing up all data): after removing the hidden partition and going through the clean install (I am at step 3.12 of the guide), I see disk0 with 93.2GB Unallocated Space out of 100GB capacity. Is there any way to get to 100GB?

 

umm i installed Intel PRO/1000 LAN adapter, Intel PRO/Wireless 4965ag, and 4965agn Mini PCI adapter, and ThinkVantage Access Connections. My wireless still does not work. In device manager, it says network controller is not install.

 

null84, I had the same problem today and here is how I resolved it. Since you should have installed the drivers, they should be under c:\drivers. Go to the control panel > device manager > you will see some unknown network adapter, which is most likely your AGN card (if your LAN card is detected). Right click and do update driver > select C:\drivers... VOILA! (at least this did the trick for me)

 

lol i gaveup and went to intel site and downloaded the drive. Anyway, do u know how to install PC Doctor for DOS ?

 

I with ThinkPad since 1995.
Earlier always did Clean Install.
The question - on what computer people from IBM (Lenovo) test all new the driver? On the computer with Clean Install from Stallen ? - No. Most likely, on the computer with preinstalled XP (Vista).

Stable drivers (stable work of new model) will be, God grant, in half a year .
Always was so...

And all this time, testing in Lenovo will pass on on the computer with preinstalled XP (Vista), therefore to instal now Clean Install - too early .You only can receive new problems ...

In half a year , when all will stably work, it is possible to try Clean Install

Cheers!

 

The drivers you would download from your vendor (lenovo) are exactly the same ones they have installed from the factory. There is no difference between them -- both methods will result in a stable (or unstable) system, but they will both be the same.

 

It agree
Provided that they are installed in the same sequence
In what sequence and as instal Lenovo - I do not know

 

this might be untrue statement. but i just experienced this problem. Many download software from the link they provide does not work on my Vista Ultimate. However, the C/drive works. For instance, Acess Connections, I have to use the C/Drive from pre clean install.

 

The drivers are identicle for factory install vs. clean install as orev pointed out. I have compared them they are the same. The only difference is that you might be getting updated/newer drivers from the downloads and updates website. Simply because sometimes a new driver comes out after the laptop has shipped. If for some reason you want to use the identicle drivers that are installed on the laptop from the factory then just use the drivers from the swtools folder. However, I'm not saying that a new driver can't introduce a new problem. That is the reason why new drivers are constantly released. I've always said that people shouldn't rush to install new drivers (especially new BIOS updates) unless they are doing it to fix an issue they are personally having. Otherwise you might introduce a new problem. BIOS and drivers don't expire or go stale. If they work fine for you now, chances are they always will. If a problem occers, that is when it is time to look for new drivers and BIOS updates.

ALL DRIVERS ARE TESTED BEFORE THEY ARE RELEASED TO THE DOWNLOADS AND DRIVERS WEBSITE. They wouldn't release untested drivers as their tech support lines would be ringing off the hook every time someone downloaded a bad driver. Drivers can only work better on a clean install not worse. That's like saying "You need a bunch of bloatware and conflicting utilities for the drivers to work properly."
Factory install vs. clean install... there is just no comparison. You will have much improved stability and performance with the clean install. Saying that you have to wait a half a year to do a clean install is just silly.

The sequence of installing drivers matters some. The big one is the chipset driver should always be installed first. After that you will hear different things from different people, but the order listed in the guide has worked very well for me and many others. After you get about half way down the list of drivers it doesn't matter much.

 

Choose expressions , please
Only the silly person or the child can name another's opinion at a forum - silly

 

I didn't read all 42 pages. Anyways, here are my questions:
1.) Doing a clean install gets rid of bloatware is good? I can reinstall everything non-Lenovo except for the Audio drivers and remove/disable IBM power manager driver. Definately, non-bloatware improves performance dramatically.
2.) By doing #1 my system temps for a basic, no-frills T61 are around 51C idle IBMTPMgr installed or uninstalled. However, using the Lenovo drivers TAT says 38C with IBMTPMgr active.
3.) Are all Lenovo drivers spyware? Presentation Director itself requires more than 50% cpu usage- a very big resource hog.

 

Goo goo gah gah. This statement is silly:

It is the same Vista operating system on the factory install as it is the clean install. Microsoft didn't make a special operating system just for Lenovo. It makes no sense to say that drivers will perform better on a bloatware cluttered system with the same operating system.

There are less problems with drivers after a clean install than before a clean install. It's been proven over and over. You can take a factory laptop that has freezes and has BSODs right out of the box with the factory install; do a clean install and the freezes and BSODs will either go away completely or at the very least system stability and performance will be much improved. After a clean install the problems one may experience can only be a hardware issue or something like a Vista issue (Service Pack 1 should help). One thing for sure, stability and performance degradation CAN NOT be caused by your system requiring Lenovo bloatware.

I'm done... this isn't worth any further argument. If you don't like my responses then go start your own thread and sell your propaganda somewhere else. I don't think many will buy it.

 

I can't fully understand your questions, but I'll do my best to answer.

1. Getting rid of bloatware is good. Yes.

You can install the audio drivers from the Lenovo downloads and drivers page.
You should install the power management DRIVER. The ThinkVantage Power Management UTILITY is optional since many people will find the Vista power management sufficient. If you do not want ThinkVantage Power Management, it is best to avoid installing it during the clean install. If you already have it installed and you want to remove it, make sure to remove it from the add/remove programs menu WHILE IN SAFE MODE. You will have issues if you don't. If you don't know how to enter safe mode, please google to find out.

Yes, you should see an overall performance gain without the bloatware.

2. TAT sounds accurate. If you want to compare your temps with mine you can click "My Thinkpad T61" in my sig to see my temperatures. I used a utility called speedfan 4.32 to check my temps.

3. No. Lenovo utilities are not spyware. As you already pointed out, many of them are resource hogs. There are some ThinkVantage utilities that some people find to be quite useful. I will not say that nobody should have any ThinkVantage Utilities. I will say that Vista has enough built-in features to handle many of the same tasks that the ThinkVantage utilities attempt to accomplish. So unless a particular ThinkVantange utility performs some function that you really need then why install it. Simply put... if you don't need it, don't install it.

 

It only confirms my diagnosis - the silly child

categorical peremptory judgements - first sign of a stupidity

Give we will finish on it

Cheers!

 

Is there a way we can use the partition to just install windows and not the bloatware? Yes... I know it's a rhetorical question but maybe someone might have figured it out. Or can we just use the base software administrator?

 

I'm not sure if this answers your qn but, as far as I recall, Unhooked (a member on these forums) posted the following a while ago (which I copied and saved).

It's highly recommended to do a custom reinstall.
Don't even bother booting it up as configured from the factory, especially if you have less than 1 Gig of memory.
All you had to do is hit that blue "Thinkvantage" button while booting.
That would bring up the "Rescue and Recovery" utility.

Then --> Restore your system --> Restore my hard drive to the original factory state --> I don't want to save any files --> Custom factory recovery.
You'll get to the screen where you can choose what bloatware to keep (if any) during the reinstall process.

Upon completion of the reinstall (a couple of hours) your system would be mostly bloatware free.

TO REPEAT..
Just use the Lenovo Rescue and Recovery software and do a customized install from the partition. It's not really a full "clean" install, but you'll lose most of bloatware included in the factory install.

 

Thanks Archangle, I will give this a try and report back on the weekend.

 

Thanks for the answers.

 

Does anyone know why I don't see any recordable drives when I'm trying to make recovery discs? (Yes, I can and have written DVDs before )

 

Have you written to DVDs with your Thinkpad before? Something you can try is going into the decide manager, finding your DVD drive and uninstalling the driver. Then reboot. The driver will re-install. That might work.

 

yes, i just copied some of my data over to dvdrs this afternoon. as for the driver uninstall/reinstall, i've already tried that with no luck (why does my thinkpad hate me? )

 

Well, for what it is worth, I never tried to make recovery disks. I put that in the guide to cover my butt because someone is always going to want to revert. I knew that I never would. All I did is copy the swtools folder.

It's my understanding that you can get recovery disks for free if you call TECH support and tell them you attempted to make recovery disks but was unable. The people that end up having to pay for the recovery disks are calling SALES support. I can't guarantee you'll get them free, but that's been my understanding.

Good Luck.

 

Just to let you guys know: there's a utility to remove unwanted Vista components (since normally, they only get disabled, but not delted). So if you don't want VIsta hogging your hard drive as much, take a look here: http://www.vlite.net/. NOTE: Use at your own risk!

EDIT: Fixed link (thanks aadadams)

 

Your link is broken...

That is a very nice concept/program. I may give it a go to see how it does practically.

 

I played around with that a little bit, but never actually used it to do a clean install. I think I decided against it because it seems that Vista has enough problems on its own. I was concerned that if I had issues I wouldn't know if I should blame Vista or vlite. It definitely has potential. The version for XP, nlite, can even be used to integrate applications into the install disk. nLite has also been around long enough to have all the bugs worked out.

 

I played around and built an iso with several drivers (turbo mem, wlan, gbit enet, video card, and etc.). It seems easy enough, but who knows how stable it would be if I were to install it. If I had more free time I would investigate.... CALL FOR VOLUNTEERS.... Quick someone jump on the grenade, lest we all suffer...

 

A new version of Intel Chipset drivers is out; get it here (released 9/24/2007, version 8.3.1.1009).

 

What were the changes ?




--

 

if you look at the release notes.. practically nothing : /

 

I would actually encourage you to try vLite. Recently I have used it to remove some unwanted features from my copy of Windows Vista and its simply superb.

The manager of the project (Nuhi) is an excellent programmer and I can confirm with over four different slipstreams done so far I have no encountered any errors whatsoever. (Just read the forums as to what you cannot remove, but my Vista Ultimate Slipsteam is only 1GB to give you an example...)

You can also run a nice update utility, though I use a seperate program that runs an automatic updater using the command prompt. Basically with a fresh install of Windows Vista Ultimate I get two available updates as of today, thats it.

Updated + Slipstreamed = Vista Awesomeness

=====

Also Stallan, a few questions if you don't mind:

1. You don't include Ethernet/Modem Drivers in your Guide, so I'm assuming Vista detects and installs them automatically?

2. Don't you still need the Monitor Drivers? (With ICM Config etc etc.)

3. For the registry patches, if I don't have a Fingerprint Reader should I even bother applying that patch?

4. Shouldn't System Interface be installed right after Intel Chipset Drivers & Intel Matrix Storage Manager Drivers? (The only reason I inquire is according to Lenovo's website it is a pre-req to many driver installs)

5. Is it necessary to install ACPI Power Management?

6. I know the whole point of this guide is to avoid installing ThinkVantage programs but is the Active Protection System for your HD useful? Just curious if you think its worth installing, the rest of them I don't see me getting any use out of.

Sorry for all the questions, I just ordered my Thinkpad T61P so am very curious.

Thanks In Advance & Awesome Guide!

 

Where did you download the HotFixes? Were you capable of slip streaming the SP1 Beta into it? I haven't do ne it since Windows 2000. Are you aware of a tutorial?

 

The latest update pack for Windows Vista can be found here:

http://www.ryanvm.net/forum/viewtopic.php?t=5167

Its an automated process thats rather simple if you follow the Readme contained carefully. You can download every hotfix yourself, or you could save yourself tons of work and just use that update pack.

If you want to use vLite as well, you should slipstream the updates above first. Then customize your Vista with vLite.

I did it that way and have experienced 0 issues so far. (3 test runs on VMware)

 

I cannot seem to find the x64 version of any of the update packs. Are you using x32? so the slip streaming may be out for me. In his releases, he always say the x64 version to follow, but I do not see an x64 follow up in either thread.

 

I am unaware if it works for 64-Bit Vista, perhaps try downloading the Update Pack and check the readme? Unfortunately if he hasn't released the 64-Bit the chance of him doing it soon are unlikely because hes normally pretty busy.

Any chance someone can answer my questions above?

Regards & Thanks

 

Yes, vista should detect the device and install the necessary driver.

What monitor drivers are you talking about? Vista will detect and install the driver automatically. You will need to install the igfx or discrete graphics driver manually though if you want the most "up-to-date" driver.

No. I have the fingerprint reader but have not installed the registry patch for it because i have the fingerprint reader disabled. I just cant stand the password logon lag upon awaking from sleep caused by the fingerprint driver. I'm waiting for a new driver before i re-enable it.

Not sure. I installed the Lenovo Systems Interface driver a couple of drivers down, and everything appears to be running smoothly (except for the screen brightness OSD w/ an igfx). What i did do was make sure i installed the Systems Interface driver BEFORE i installed the Hotkeys driver. Whether it was necessary to do so is still up in the air. I did it because i'm just that type of person.

No, but it is EnergyStar 4.0 certified. If you wish not to install the Thinkvantage ACPI Power Management driver, your system should still run via Vista's own power management. But i've heard myths like longer notebook longevity with the Thinkvantage ACPI Power Management driver. I've personally chosen to install it because of the Power Sourced Optimized setting.

If you read the FAQ on the first post in this thread carefully, stallen is STRONGLY against installing the Thinkvantage Active Protection utility. See the FAQ for a more detailed response.
I know stallen is against it because of some problems with certain anti-virus software, but in all honesty, i have installed on my system. I havent noticed any problems as of yet. You should research the topic and make an educated decision for yourself.

Hope that helps. Best of luck.

 

Thanks Hyper, you answered all the questions I have except a few:

1. For the Monitor Drivers I was referring to the Color Management and INF Drivers you install after installing the Intel or Nvidia Graphic Drivers.

2. Does the ThinkVantage Power Utility offer any ways to save performance that would otherwise be unavailable?

3. Does the Quadro Series use its own unique driver or can I simply use the latest standard Nvidia Drivers with a Modded INF?

4. For Vista Ultimate, once I reformat with a clean install and get all the drivers functioning correctly, I can use the complete backup feature to create recovery discs to that point correct? So if I ever want to reformat or have an issue I'll be back to that workable, clean state with all drivers.

 

No problem.

1. I did not install the Thinkpad display driver because i think the Vista one is pretty good as is.

2. I have no idea, other then what i've heard around the forums. I dont think there are any scientific nor empirical data out to support either case. I have both the ACPI Power Manger and the buggy Power Manager installed.

3. I cannot answer that question as i have integrated graphics and have not looked too closely at the subject matter.

4. Yes to all the above. That's what's great about Vista Ultimate and Business. They both come with the Complete PC backup utility enabled! No need for a 3rd party imaging software.

 

Guys: after a lot of trials I found a Nvidia driver for the FX570M that works for me much better than the one on the Lenovo site. http://www.laptopvideo2go.com/forum/index.php?showtopic=15177&hl=156+570m

It is the 156.65, released Sep19-07. Specifically it enables color vibrance which has made a huge difference on my LG display. No issue so far.

 

Great guide!

So I tried to read through the guide to get my own answer... got to page 23

4 questions:

1. Does the clean install delete all my preferences, new programs, and (say) word documents?

2. What do I need to do to get the volume buttons reworking?

3. Does Diskkeeper go away with a clean install?

4. Is a clean install really that much better than uninstalling thinkvantage programs/bloatware?

 

1. Yes, basically it leaves you with a completely fresh OS, you have to reinstall all programs, drivers etc.

2. Install the Keypad Drivers from the link provided.

3. Yes it does, but simply google Diskkeeper and you will find a free trial and if you have purchased it with a license, simply input that information.

4. Yes, even upon uninstalling programs and bloatware traces are left behind that slows down your system. I normally reformat any computer I use once every 6 months bare minimum so the computer stays at optimal performance.

Hope this helps,

Hackez

 

Thanks for jumping in and answering some questions hypertophy. I would have answered them all pretty much the same way. I'll just add 2 more cents to the whole thing.

I actually did install the modem driver. I suppose vista will install one if hypertrophy has experience with that. I may add that to the list.

Can you provide a link to the monitor driver you are talking about?

There are some advanced feature in the ThinkVantage Power Manager utility, but there advanced settings in the vista power manager is almost as advance... good enough for me. I have the driver installed, but not the utility.

Basically I am against installing all thinkvantage utilities AT FIRST. Some people claim that a particular thinkvantage utility is causing a stability problem. While other people will claim that a particular thinkvantage utility offers a function that is a dream come true. ThinkVantage Active Protection is one of those utilities that has been blamed for instability issues. I can find numerous posts of people saying "I had freezes/BSODs all the time. Since I disabled Active Protection I haven't had any." Coincidence? Maybe. Personally I am very careful with my laptop. I rarely carry it around while it is running and when I do, I am just careful not drop it or jar it while setting it down. Don't get me wrong. I'm not carrying it like it is a paper thin sheet of glass that is going to shatter with the slightest vibration... I'm just careful.

I'm sure Active Protection does serve some level of protection, but I think the "Airbag" marketing is overblown (pun intended). All it does is turn off your hard drive if the sensor on the motherboard senses excessive movement or jarring. It usually takes several seconds for the hard drive to stop spinning when it is turned off. If you drop your laptop from over about 2 feet, you will be very lucky if you don't have damage to your hard drive with or without Active Protection.

As for nVidia QUADRO graphics drivers, I am just using the one from the Lenovo website. I am satisfied with those for now. I have considered using some modified drivers, but haven't tried any yet. It involves a lot of trial and error. One driver might really enhance performance while another might introduce all sorts of problems.

I honestly only have some very basic understanding of these modified inf/drivers (I welcome anyone to correct me on this if I'm wrong). It's my understanding that nVidia rarely releases drivers that are specifically for their laptop graphics cards. When they do, they usually release them to the manufacturers. The drivers that you download from the website are intended to be for desktop graphics cards. I think the drivers that are in the 160.XX series are based off of desktop graphic card drivers and the 100.XX series are for laptop graphics drivers. Some people have success with the 160 series drivers on the laptops, but there seems to be more trial and error with those than the 100 series drivers. Again, I welcome someone to correct me on this. I have done some homework on this, but the information that I have found is sort of vague.

 

Here is the monitor driver I was referring to:

http://www-307.ibm.com/pc/support/site.wss/document.do?lndocid=MIGR-62923

Use this package for your built-in LCD monitor:
- Monitor INF of max-resolution and monitor naming
- Windows ICM (Image Color Management file for ICC Color Profile)


As far as the Nvidia Drivers are concerned:

I only have experience with Nvidia 8XXXM Graphic Cards, I have no experience whatsoever with the Nvidia Quadro lineup. What I can tell you is that on my previous GeForce 8600M GS, the latest beta drivers always provided the best performance with the most stability. This is because the 8 Series Driver Base is still considered in development, whereas the 6 & 7 Series are considered pretty much finished. (For example they just added Pure Video Decoding a month ago for certain 8 Series GPU's.) I always use the latest drivers with a modded INF when it comes to Laptops as long as the driver is getting positive feedback from laptopvideo2go.com etc.

My question to you is, do you know whether the Quadro Driver Architecture is different from GeForce Mobile Driver Architecture? If it is the same then using the latest drivers would only have benefits, no drawbacks whatsoever should be experienced. If you don't know I can do some research...

Also Stallen, I'm assuming you installed Wifi and Modem Drivers but not Ethernet correct? Normally Microsoft and Intel are pretty friendly and I believe that Vista will auto detect and install the Ethernet Drivers. But I want to be sure because I'm going to burn the drivers I need to a CD.

Thanks & Regards,

Jeremy Mullen

Edit: Also if you don't mind Stallen would you mind comparing the above ICC to your custom one you posted in another thread. I am curious as to which one is superior in your opinion, I will be doing some gaming on my Thinkpad so ICC is very important to me.

 

1.Page one of the clean install guide... that's why it is in bold, all caps, red letters, with exclamation points " !!!BACK-UP ALL OF YOUR DATA!!!" I guess I just thought that implied that everything will be lost that isn't backed-up. I suppose I need to add "or you will lose it"

2.Hotkey Driver AND System Interface drivers will give you on-screen display. you need the audio driver installed. That should be it.

3.You should be able to get Diskeeper from your swtools folder that you backed-up from step 1. Navigate to SWTOOLS\apps\DKEEPER and click on the setup file to install it. This version of Diskeeper may not work if you switched from 32-bit to 64-bit. No harm to try it though. If it installs great. If it doesn't allow you to install it then it just means that it is a version that isn't compatible with 64-bit. Diskeeper has about four versions. I think the first two (cheapest) version only support 32-bit. The second two (most expensive) versions support both 32 & 64 bit.

4. Yep, what Hackez said. Thanks It won't help all that much to just uninstall. It will free up extra hard drive space, but you will not notice anywhere near the performance and stability benefit because of the crap still left behind after uninstalling.

 

After some further research I would heartily recommend ForceWare 163.71 for both Windows XP and Windows Vista users.

Here is where you can obtain it:

http://www.nvidia.com/object/winvista_x86_163.71.html

Basically Nvidia standard drivers support the desktop versions of Quadro and when Nvidia transitions a GPU to the mobile platform, it utilizes the same Driver Architecture.

In short using Nvidia standard drivers for a Desktop Quadro is the exact same as using them for a Laptop Quadro.

Hope this helped some, updating to this driver from Lenovo's solves numerous issues and offers performance optimizations. Your mileage may very, so I suggest you compare the above drivers to the one Lenovo supplies and choose the one thats better for you.

 

I probably won't take the time to compare which is superior. The ICC profile offered from Lenovo is generic and made for both the Samsung and LG monitors. Two VERY different monitors. The ICC profile I created is using a high-end monitor calibration device that is considered one of the best in the industry used by professionals. And the profile created is for MY monitor specifically. However, I posted that ICC profile with the belief that if other people with an LG monitor they should still get a better result using a profile that was made for an LG monitor rather than one that is made for both Samsung and LG. If you have a Samsung monitor then don't use mine. The Lenovo one will be better.

I am not totally certain. From what I have read. Most people agree that there are some very subtle differences, but using drivers intended for the Geforce graphics on a Quadro card will work just fine and enhance gaming performance; using Quadro drivers on the Quadro card will take advantage of it's abilities to perform better with professional applications while loosing some performance with gaming applications.

I actually think I installed pretty much every HARDWARE DRIVER that was available on the downloads page. I just avoided most if not all utilities especially ThinkVantage utilities for the guide. Personally I do use the ThinkVantage fingerprint software and the easy-eject utility. I find the easy-eject utility to come in handy with my advanced mini-dock and it is a little more handy than the add/remove hardware feature. I haven't noticed any bugs or use of system resources with it.

 

Can you tell me how you navigated to that driver. I have 64-bit. I found this as the latest for 64-bit, but I must be missing the beta drivers somehow...

ForceWare Release 162
Version: 162.50 WHQL
Release Date: August 8, 2007
Operating System: Windows Vista 64-bit

 

To access the latest Nvidia Beta Driver:

http://www.nzone.com/object/nzone_downloads_rel70betadriver.html

But to use the latest Drivers you have to use a modded INF:

http://www.laptopvideo2go.com/forum/index.php?showtopic=15116

Just download the driver, extract the full contents to a folder and then overwrite the original INF with the modded INF. The Modded INF simply allows the drivers to recognize laptop gpus.

If you get some free time, perhaps you can test them and reveal the results you got from upgrading to the latest?

Also from what I can tell, there is no difference between the current Quadro Drivers vs. GeForce Drivers so I would that by using these drivers you shouldn't experience any loss in performance in CAD etc. (No guarantees though ofc.)

=====

Also Stallen, I'm assuming you installed Wifi and Modem Drivers but not Ethernet correct? Normally Microsoft and Intel are pretty friendly and I believe that Vista will auto detect and install the Ethernet Drivers. But I want to be sure because I'm going to burn the drivers I need to a CD.

Regards

 

Thank you so much Stallen. It was really a piece of cake going through your guide in making a clean install. I really appreciate your work. Awesome.

 

^^^^ Yes, I installed the ethernet driver. I can't speak of how well it works. I have only used wifi. It seems to me like a good idea to use hardware specific drivers when they are available.

Thanks for the help with the video drivers. I'll try it out when I can get the chance.