Just ordered an X200 - some quick questions

So for a grand total of $1,401.10, I got:

P8400
Home Premium
3GB RAM
64GB SSD
Bluetooth
5300
9 Cell

1.) How many of you opted for an extended warranty? I didn't buy anything extra, and I was wondering if you guys would recommend one.

2.) How do you do the custom factory image restore? I read that some users could not find the option within the Thinkvantage software.

3.) What kind of accessories do you typically purchase with a new laptop? The only thing I've bought extra so far is a 13 inch Zeroshock case - I plan on getting Microsoft Office through that "ultimate steal" promotion and some antivirus software.

4.) Since the X200 does not have an optical drive, must I purchase an external DVD (CD?) burner to make recovery discs? I would much rather transfer the .ISO file to my Vaio and burn it there.

I have not received the laptop yet, so I'll be patiently waiting. This is a big upgrade (in terms of technology - but build quality we'll have to see...) from the 600X I'm currently using. Since I've been using it for a while now, I have a very good feel for an IBM-grade Thinkpad. I'll be posting a comparison between the two when the order comes in, so keep a look out for that.

 

1) did not get factory extended warranty
2) u can do it by creating restore discs or with RnR
3)u should have gotten the 12in zeroshock case. it fits better. i also have an antec cooling pad, VX Nano, Monster IClean and some headphones.
4) u do need to get a hold of a USB burner to burn the discs. i've never tried to find the ISOs to burn elsewhere

 

1) I got the 3 year depot warranty. This is good if anything bad happens to your LCD, Motherboard, SSD, or a few other parts. Most other things are easy and inexpensive to replace. Based on the price you paid, I would say a 3 year depot is a justifiable expense.

2) The first time you click on the recovery partition (I believe Q), it will ask if you want to make recovery discs. I highly recommend this because of your small SSD (you don't want to sacrifice 10GB on that small/expensive of a drive).

3) You shouldn't need many accessories as the x200 is pretty full featured. Besides a case I would recommend an SDHC card for supplemental storage. I have an 8GB one in mine. However, because you have such a small disk drive, you should consider a 16 or 32GB card if you can afford it. You can leave this in the computer all the time (unlike a USB key), and it is very effective for storing Video, Music, or other large data files that don't require the speed of your SSD. You should also get (if you don't already have) some kind of printer/scanner/copier to get documents into and out of your x200. Headphones are also recommended as the speaker in the x200 is pretty weak.

4) I don't think it is possible to directly offload .ISO files. What I would recommend is buying an enclosure for the drive in the VAIO. This is a cheap solution, and will work great for the temporary task of backing up the recovery image. I used this $12 enclosure for a drive from an ACER. The recovery image will require 1 CD for the boot disk and 2 DVD (or 8+ CD) for the image itself.

 

1)I got the 2 year accidental full warranty coverage. (reason being i didn't get 3 years cause i have visa to cover the extra year).

2)To make the recover dvds.. is extremely easy... go into windows... go to my computer... double click the 10gb Drive and a screen will pop up to ask what you wanted to do (either remove it or back it up).

3) I found the 13inch zero shock fitting really snug, i can't imagine the 12 inch zero shock fitting (and the measurements kind of prove that already). It all depends.... if it's going to also act as your computer at home... docking station, monitor, displayport to dvi adapter, keyboard, mouse, speakers. If it's more of a road warrior, get a vx nano mouse, headphones, external HD.
But in the end, those are all luxuary, not needed to enjoy the x200.

4)I would get the docking station with the optical driver instead of an external optical drive. For many reasons, duel monitor or digital out, the optical drive, the usability etc etc. With regards to just copying and pasting the content of the Lenovo's recovery files into your vaio... it'll be a tough task... that whole partition i suspect is either compressed or the file system is structure in a way that it's almost impossible to figure out what files goes on what dvd. And by copying the files onto your Vaio, i think it eliminates the software that does the distributing to the different dvds/cds to make a proper recovery dvds/cds.

 

Thanks for the advice people.

"The backup and recovery function, now more efficient, requires less hard drive space than the previous version and supports a broad range of external devices for recovering information, including CD, DVD, network, second hard drive and USB hard drives."

It looks like I may be able to plug in my 750gb external harddrive for this purpose.

I will look into the warranty upgrades.

Yeah, I read the thread on the best sleeve for an X200, which suggested the 13 inch for a 9 cell and a 12 inch for the 4 and 6 cell.

The ultrabase may be overkill as far as accessories, but I'll probably buy one used later on when they get cheaper.

The SDHC card sounds like a great idea. The 16gb's on Newegg are looking good.

Great, now more questions come to mind. Bear with me here:

5.) Anyone with experience regarding Samsung SLC vs. MLC SSD's? I was worried after hearing that many MLC's use a bad JMicron contoller, but I heard that Samsung has their own and does not stutter. I felt a bit jipped after learning that the "$250 off SSD's" was for the MLC and not the SLC, but I was probably expecting too much for a $1400 laptop. So yeah, how much worse is a Samsung MLC than their SLC counterparts? (Now that the $250 off sale is done, I would find it odd if Lenovo switched back to the more costly SLC when they could continue selling the MLC without anyone knowing...)

6.) Do you use Thinkvantage to clean install, or do you do it manually? I ask because I would prefer to keep the Thinkvantage suite, remove bloatware, and not have to download all the drivers again online.

 

I opted for the 3-year warranty, with accident protection. Decided not to spring the extra bucks for the on-site service as breakage is rare and I can live for a couple weeks with another machine if there is a real issue. Definitely worth it for a laptop, I think, as they break easily. What's another $100 to protect your $1400 investment?

 

There isn't much bloatware on Thinkpads except the Thinkvantage utilities. So if you intend on using them, it is easiest to just stick with the factory install rather than going through the hassle of a clean install.

About the only non Lenovo software on the x200 is Adobe Reader and Flash 9. There is a 60 day Office 2007 trial, but it is not preinstalled.

You may want to offload the installers for all your drivers, utilities, and other software to free up space on your SSD (these are usually in the SWTools and SWShare folders).