Lenovo T510 Clean Install - Drivers Necessary...

I posted this on another forum, but figured I might get some help from the smart people here.

I just got my Lenovo T510 and am doing a clean install shortly. I will be using the Lenovo Driver Matrix to download and install the drivers I need to get up and running after installing Windows 7.

What I need help with is figuring out what some of the drivers and/or software actually DOES and if I need it or not.

Here is the current list I have, after glancing through the matrix:

(A) = Sure I need it.
(B) = Unsure if I need it.

#1 - Windows 7 (A)
#2 - Monitor (B - no idea if I actually need this - isn't Win7 able to control the monitor/resolutions etc?)
#3 - Intel HD Graphics Driver (B - don't know what this is, but don't think I need it...)
#4 - Intel Turbo Boost Technology Driver (B - no idea...)
#5 - nVidia Optimus Display Driver (B - there were multiple options for graphics card driver, I think this is the right one for the NVIDIA NVS 3100m Optimus in my T510.)
#6 - UltraNav (Trackpoint + Touchpad) (A)
#7 - UltraNav Utility (B - not sure if I need this as well as the driver)
#8 - Intel PRO/1000 LAN adapter (A)
#9 - Intel Wireless LAN (bg, abg, abgn) (A)
#10 - Conexant Audio (A)
#11 - Power Manager (B) ]_ not sure if I need both of these.
#12 - Power Management Driver (B) ]_ not sure if I need both of these.
#13 - Integrated Camera Driver (B - Webcam won't work without this?)
#14 - Hotkey Features Integration (B - Don't know what this is or if I want it.)

Can anyone smarter than me provide some input on the (B)'s and also possibly add any recommended drivers to my list that I'm missing? Thanks!

I don't want to use TVSU.

 

The way I do it is this:

*If you're using the same stock drive it's probably wise to back it up via Rescue and Recovery should things go awry.*

- Load the Intel Rapid Storage Technology Drivers first before installing Windows 7 OS, have these drivers extracted ready on a USB stick. This section is during the installation process when you're sorting out the drive partitions. Make sure you got the right version (32bit/64bit) for your system, you got the choice of running either:

Intel RST 9.6.0.1014 - 32 Bit / 64 Bit - Official drivers direct from Intel's website.

Intel RST 10.0.0.1046 - 32 & 64 Bit - WHQL certified, latest but not obtained from Intel directly. However I am using these drivers for over a month and it has been stable. Some people report better performance with these SATA drivers.

After installing Windows 7 on your system, analyse your Device Manager and see what drivers are missing. Most likely you need to sort out the graphics and the network cards.

- Intel or Nvidia drivers? This depends on what you ordered, for the earlier T510 models if you ordered the Intel graphics just use the Intel graphics and vice versa for the Nvidia - you don't need both. Unless that is you ordered the most recent T510 with Optimus switchable graphics, for this feature you need the Optimus drivers (such as this one in 64 bit) which combines both.

- Install your network card, use either the ethernet or wireless drivers so that you can get online.

- Afterwards you got a choice of installing the rest manually or let System Update 4.0 do the hard work for you. System Update analyses your system and installs missing drivers and utilities for you with an option to opt out some of them.

If you insist doing it manually (like me) here's the rest of the tips:

- Monitor - Most likely Windows 7 Update will have this covered for you, this will just recognise the ID of the monitor panel.

- Intel Turbo Boost Technology Driver - If you have an Core i5/i7 this will be needed so that it can boost performance in certain situations (usually in low power situations such as battery mode).

- UltraNav - Optional, the native Windows drivers will work fine with both trackpoint and trackpad. Though some people utilise the middle trackpoint button differently so require these drivers. I personally opt out of this to save resources.

- Conexant Audio - As long Windows 7 recognise your sound card (usually as High Definition Audio Device) you don't need this driver. It just adds some software and services you probably don't need.

- Power Manager - I find this tool useful, mainly to customise power options and set the battery charging thresholds for better lifespan (you can't do this on Windows). The Power Manager is dependant of the Power Management Driver so you need both. I would recommend this one but feel free to opt out on this one if you think the Windows options are good enough.

- Integrated Webcam - Check the device manager to see if the Imaging Devices is already recognised, if it is then just leave it otherwise you may need to add this one in if your system have a webcam onboard.

- Hotkeys - I find this one useful, it tells you what you're doing when pressing the Volume keys, Brightness, Thinklight etc. You can opt out of this one though.

- Bluetooth? If you have bluetooth and it's not on, just press the FN+F5 combo to activate the bluetooth. Windows should recognise this and install the required drivers for you.

There may be more that I haven't covered, I don't personally own a T510 so others on this forum probably can shed a bit more light on any obstacles you may face. But I hope it gives a general idea of what you need for your system.

 

Thank you so much. You are absolutely awesome.

That helps me a lot!

I have made recovery discs.

re the Intel RST, so I just have this driver ready on a USB stick for use during Win7 installation, correct?

I am now working on an updated install list.

Woohoo! Excited.

 

Yes just have the driver files extracted on the USB drive. Then during the install, when loading the drivers just point it to the Intel RST directory and Windows will automatically load and install the SATA drivers for you.

 

Great, thanks! You've been an amazing help.

My final install list:

#0 - Have Intel RST drivers extracted on USB stick.
#1 - Windows 7
#2 - Intel Turbo Boost Technology Driver
#3 - nVidia Optimus Display Driver
#4 - Power Management Driver
#5 - Power Manager
#6 - Intel PRO/1000 LAN adapter
#7 - Intel Wireless LAN (bg, abg, abgn)
#8 - Hotkey Features Integration

Anything else I can figure out if I need after I'm up and running.

One final question for now, if I don't install the Turbo Boost driver, does the CPU just operate at one speed permanently? Purely curious about that.

Looks like I'm all set. Woohoo.

 

u can easily download the whole thing at lenovo support pages. correct me if im wrong. its easier and designed to be compatible with lenovo machines.

 

Got my clean install done and drivers installed, everything went great. Couldn't have done it without ya!

My only question now is, I got through install without using the Intel RST drivers.. everything seemed to work fine. Windows forced me to set up my hard drive on 465gb of the 500gb partition.

Did I do something wrong?

Only ever installed XP before.

 

I wouldn't worry if you missed out the Intel RST drivers, Windows will just use its default MSAHCI drivers instead. Since you're using a standard hard drive rather than a SSD you probably won't notice any difference between the two.

I wouldn't worry as everything seems to be working fine, the 465GB/500GB is correct as thats the way NTFS formats the disk (my WD 500GB has the same capacity under Win 7). So in the end just enjoy your fresh new system!

 

Ok thanks again, I'm so happy with it now! You're an awesome help.