Expand the FAQ

I'm going to recopy this here because I think it needs its own thread:

Hey mods, I think you guys should really expand the FAQ. It might save some people from answering the same questions week on week.

For instance you could post answers to common questions like:

"What's the difference between the T61p andT61?"

"Can I use 800MHz RAM with Santa Rosa?"

"What's the difference between the T60 and T61? Is it worth it?"

"Are they still going to have the IBM logo on the new laptops?"

"What is causing my order to be delayed?"

"Does the Meyer EPP deal work?"

"Why does my shipping date show August?!"

Stallen's suggestions:

"How do you do a clean install?"

"Can I put 4GB RAM in my notebook?"

"What RAM can I put in my laptop?"

And there may be a few more that I can't think of right now. I've seen those questions asked several times in the last few weeks and I think they deserve to go into the FAQ. I'd be willing to provide answers, but I'm pretty sure the mods know the answers.

 

If anyone agrees then at least post something like "I agree" so that this can stay on the front page long enough for the mods to see it. And if you're a mod could you at least post yay, nay or lazy?

 

What is fat wallet?

What is Tailormade?

agree!

 

Agree. Those being answered would be very helpful.

 

I'd like those answered myself lol. I don't want to know WHAT they are more like how to use them.

 

yup...........i agree

 

agree! nice questions for noobies

 

I agree, good noob questions.

 

Agreed. Great suggestion, xnviews.

Matt

 

I also PMed ZaZ so if you read this ZaZ you don't need need to PM me back, just post what you think here. I'll even write all of the answers if you're lazy.

 

I will see if I can work on most of those, but dont expect it up like tomorrow or anything Also, some of those aren't really Lenovo/IBM related.

 

Thanks for the suggestions. I think one problem with expanding the F.A.Q. is if you make it too long it's harder to find stuff and not as many people will read it. I would agree we should try put things in the F.A.Q. that are relevant to ThinkPads. There are other forums for some of the questions. Most of these questions have been asked and answered in many posts. If people would search a little more, it would help.

 

agreed definitly bored of all these questions...

 

Just some thoughts. I agree that some of the general questions about Santa Rosa shouldn't be included here but a list of what RAM each thinkpad needs might be useful. I think there are also several IBM/Lenovo related questions that could be added. For instance the "Will my new laptop come with an IBM sticker" is a fairly easy one that comes to mind. Or "What's the difference between the T61 and T61p"

 

Here's my thoughts:

What's the difference between the T61p andT61? Maybe something about the difference between P and non-P models.

Can I use 800MHz RAM with Santa Rosa? Not ThinkPad specific.

What's the difference between the T60 and T61? Is it worth it? T60 is being phased out. In a few months this won't matter.

Are they still going to have the IBM logo on the new laptops? Not F.A.Q. material

What is causing my order to be delayed? Maybe something about shipping of ThinkPads in general due to Lenovo reputation for being slow shippers.

Does the Meyer EPP deal work? Not F.A.Q. material. EPP is intended only for people who should legitimately have access to it.

Why does my shipping date show August?! You want to put general information in the F.A.Q., not information that will be outdated in a few months.

How do you do a clean install? Not ThinkPad specific.

Can I put 4GB RAM in my notebook? Not ThinkPad specific.

What RAM can I put in my laptop? While we do on occasion get a thread on older ThinkPads, I don't know that we get enough posts on this to warrant inclusion in the F.A.Q.

I'm not trying to shoot you down, but I prefer to keep the F.A.Q. short for the reasons I stated above. I was considering dumping the screens and keyboards section to trim it down and I haven't seen many posts about them lately. If you feel my logic is somehow wrong, please feel free to post back.

 

Could not be any more Lenovo/IBM specific, and sure does seem like a Question that is Frequently Asked, to me..



I'm for it xnviews.

 

I think you should keep the screen and keyboard section of the FAQ, it is very help full, and isn't cutting down on redundant posts supposed to be the idea of the FAQ? A central location where users can get the answers to their questions without posting a new topic every time, to me it makes sense that there are less posts about screens and keyboards, the FAQ is doing its job.

Though I do think the Keyboard section should be updated with the new FRU's that are being used.

 

I completely agree with Zaz. The IBM logo question will be irrelevant soon enough anyway.

Two guidelines: Lenovo-specific and permanent (not going to change within 6 months).

Matt

 

I disagree. For what it's worth (probably nothing it's Zaz's sticky) but while not "Thinkpad specific" most of these questions are going to keep recurring over and over is this thread specifically. So that makes them Thinkpad-thread specific or Lenovo-thread specific. It would be nice to be able to just tell the new person on the thread... refer to the FAQ sticky. Right now it doesn't have much to offer. It is called FAQ (Frequently Asked Questions) I don't see much on there that people are frequently asking. People are asking things like does the 7 cell battery stick out on a T61?... everyday.

The answers could probably just be a link to the previously discussed thread. Such as:

Question: Can I do a clean install on my thinkpad?
Answer: Yes, in a way. All traces of "bloatware" can be removed using the Base Software administrator from Lenovo.
http://www-307.ibm.com/pc/support/site.wss/document.do?lndocid=TVAN-ADMIN#TBSA
and discussed here...
http://forum.notebookreview.com/showthread.php?t=127358

That is "Thinkpad specific" is uses a Thinkpad utility.

What are Fatwallet and Taylormade discounts and how do I get them?

1. Create AMEX/Tailormade account: https://www142.americanexpress.com/tailormade/cmenrollStep1.do?s=23

2. Create FW account and go to Lenovo from fat wallet: http://www.fatwallet.com/

3. Use your Amex/Tailormade credit card.

FW is a rebate you'll receive later on. You won't see it at check out.

Tailormade discount will been seen as a reduced price on your AMEX account. Also, not seen at checkout.

These discounts are unlikely to go away anytime soon. And, they can be used specifically for Lenovo Thinkpads. You won't find near as much discussion about these discounts on other threads... making it specific to this thread.

 

Have you seen the Dell FAQ it includes things like this: http://forum.notebookreview.com/showthread.php?t=132653

I know Lenovo users are way above Dell users but have a look.

If nothing else. Maybe another sticky called "Other commonly asked questions" if you don't think these questions are FAQ worthy.

I see more than 1 sticky in many of the other threads.

 

I support xnviews.
Especially for the memory issue: is 4GB necessary? will dual channel improve performance a lot? etc...
This is a very very FAQ right now since the T61 can support 4 GB memory now. It is worth a sticky post at least.

 

This question was just asked for the 15 millionth time :
"I wonder how much speed would I gain by using a DDR2 800 vs. a DDR2 667 in the T61?" on page 4 here...
http://forum.notebookreview.com/showthread.php?t=132311&page=4

These are the FAQs that clutter up this thread everyday.

 

That Dell thread is simply a listing of links to other useful threads (mainly guides). In fact, it does not even include a FAQ section.

Matt

 

Maybe because people were frequently asking for guides on that thread.