Lenovo Thinkpad T410 Owner's Lounge

I've had my T410 for about 2 months now and I've been having a huge problem today. Every time I turn it on I get a BSOD. I have no idea what's wrong since I can't get past my desktop before it crashes. I have removed my 2 RAM modules and my hard drive and put them back just to make sure none of them were loose. I really need it for studying so if anyone knows any possible solutions please tell me.

Here's a picture of the Blue Screen just in case any of you know what it could mean.

EDIT: OK picture was huge haha

Here is a link

 

The T410s screen really is horrible. Damn you Samsung.

 

I agree. Whether it's CCFL or LED, Samsung makes some pretty dreadful screens for the ThinkPad. LG Phillips tend to be a bit better than the Samsung but it seems you've been lucked out and got a Sammy instead.

I can sympathise, I got a Samsung WXGA+ CCFL and it's probably one of the worst screens i've ever used on a laptop - even though I do love my T61 very much!

 

I've found the part for the LG LED screen for the T410s and its not overly expensive ~250 USD.

What I am unsure of is whether its worth the cost and effort to swap out the LCD (Since Lenovo won't do it)? Is the LG that much better than the Samsung?

 

LG screens generally have lower response times and better brightness than the Samsung screens. However for the T410s the contrast ratio on the Samsung WXGA+ screen is 300:1 compared to the standard 400/500:1 you get on the T410.

For a plethora of geeky LCD stats for your ThinkPad, this is the place to go! - ThinkWiki

 

Is it possible to install the OEM copy of Windows 7 onto a third party hard drive without buying a Windows 7 CD? If that didn't make sense, say I buy a T410 with a 5400 RPM drive and I buy a 7200 RPM drive or SSD to replace the slower drive; would I be able to install Windows 7 on it or would I have to go an buy my own copy of Windows 7?

 

Yes you can upgrade the T410 with an aftermarket HDD or SSD and install OEM Windows 7 on it. You don't need to buy another copy of Windows 7 as you already paid for a license on your T410.

This thread apparantly allows you to download the Windows 7 disc legally but you'll still need to provide the OEM serial key underneath your laptop during install.

Make sure you read carefully on how to back up your activation status keys so you can reload them back after reinstalling, otherwise you may find that the operating system will fail to activate properly and returns to trial mode.

 

ok this is a bit weird, i have a brand new t410, and from time to time my touch pad freezes up, sometimes permanently until next boot up. ad for some reason i cant open the mouse options when its frozen. any ideas on whats going on? am i accidentally pressing something?

also apparently te driver for the thinkpad is a 15.0.24 version of synaptics driver, the one synaptic offers onlie is a 14.03 version, could downgrading to this help? and is it possible to get back the thinkpad driver is i decide the other one isnt as good?

 

Does AUO make any of the screens for the T410? (Some of the rows on the wiki page for the T410 don't have the manufacturer listed). How do they compare to the LG-Phillips?

 

I have the same issue when using touchpad, need to log off and log back on to make it work again ... and strange because this occurs whenever I use Firefox browser.

Anybody experiencing this?

 

Yes same problem here. I dont think its limited to Firefox use though. Lenovo are replacing my touchpad, the replacment touchpad will be here tomorrow. What build machine do you have, mine is 2518Q7G. Interesting that this touchpad problem is also mentioned here, or I suspect that he had the same issue. My spec is very similair to this, the only thing I did not see is how much ram he has, mine runs a single 4 Gb slot.

I thought it's related to how long long the machine has been running, intially though it was heat/the machine warming up, related so I am suprised that rebooting the machine solved the issue.

Glad and sad to hear to hear I am not the only the only one to have this issue -- it is driving me crazy.

 

how do i turn off the ability to "left click" by tapping on the touchpad?

 

Sorted my touchpad issues out with the Synaptics driver --been using Firefox for a couple of hours now and no problems, pinch zooming works just fine, touchpad still working. The problem seems to be the last driver update that Lenovo pushed through for the machine -- mine run 64bit Windoze 7, not sure about the 32bit version.

PS love the battery life on this machine.

 

What synaptics driver version are you using now?
I have Win 7 64bit too.

 

well lenovo has a 15.3 version on their laptops, the synaptic site only offers 14.3, so i guess the lenovo edition isnt as stable. thinking if i should switch to it, will i get chiral scrolling too? i was also wondering what will happen to the track point if i have to un install my driver to apply the new one, will it still work and how do i install the new driver is i dont have a pointing device, i dont have a usb mouse.

 

Planning to buy a t410; would like to ask if anyone is using this laptop to extend it's screen to an HD LCD monitor via the VGA? and are there any screen flickering? as much as possible I don't want to buy the dock...

 

For around $20 you can get a DisplayPort to DVI adaptor which will keep it digital rather than going VGA.

 

thanks realwarder. Didn't know that was possible. thanks again!

 

Check here:
HDMI Cable, Home Theater Accessories, HDMI Products, Cables, Adapters, Video/Audio Switch, Networking, USB, Firewire, Printer Toner, and more!

 

i got a new issue. My audio jack seems to be a bit faulty. The sound balance is off, ie the volume on the right is a bit stronger the the left so i have to set the volume balance off center in smartaudio. Also from time to time i get volume surges and i get a bunch of loud ear bleeding static. seems to happen much more when i watch movies

anyone else got this problem? might it be a driver issue? i really dont want to send it into lenovo for something that isnt a big deal to me most of the time cuz i need a computer and cant live with out it.

 

I've not read about anything like this except for on other models which had a hardware fault.

Can't hurt to load the latest BIOS and Audio driver from the Lenovo site. With sound cards it is normally worth running the manufacturer's driver and not say the Windows Update driver, at least that's been my experience.

 

You posted this back in August, but I can't help commenting.

The T410s is light, no doubt. But it feels cheap to the touch and the handling because the plastic is thin. Not because it's light.

And you just can't compare it with the T6x and T4x. These are sturdy tanks. When you type or read, just lean your hands on the palm rest and you'll know what I mean. Try the same with your T61p: it's a completely different feeling.

That Samsung LCD is indeed a pain - as you have noted. The Philips is far superior.

 

For those of you who have the regular t410 if you get the optional smart card reader does that mean you automatically forgo the memory card reader?

 

No. The memory card reader (5 in 1 media card reader) comes standard on the T410 by default. It's built in, into the lower right palm rest and is non removable.

 

Hi guys my T410 seems to be running really hot. The cat was lying on it the other day and managed to burn off about 20% of its hair. Before you say I did tell the cat not to lie on the laptop but it loves to be warm. Should I tell the Lenovo support about the cat?

 

just ordered one of these babies via my university's discount program. specs are in my signature. pretty excited about it

 

Well, I finally ordered mine! I've been debating what to get for months. A big thank you to everybody here at NBR that helped me narrow it down and finally decide.

Lenovo ThinkPad T410:
- Core i5-560M (2.66GHz)
- 8GB Corsair DDR3-1333: ordered separate from Newegg
- 500GB Western Digital Scorpio Black: ordered separate from Newegg
- Intel GMA 5700MHD (I don't need the nVIDIA)
- WXGA+ (1440x900)
- Bluetooth
- Smart card
- Intel 6300 Wireless (3x3)

I got the cheapest Windows 7 option, since I'm going to be using Linux full-time.

Estimated ship date: 10/15/10 ... what are my chances of it being shipped out earlier?

 

i have a question about the new "dual-mode" batteries. the old t410 and t510 said 5.5 hrs with a 9-cell battery, and the new "dual-mode" batteries say 11hrs.

does anybody have any experience with the difference? i'm considering buying a refurb. i also was going to avoid the older thinkpads because of the CFL backlight, but is the screen actually worse on these newer ones? i like the the square screens with more screen real estate on the old laptops better.

 

Congratulations on your new system. Please post updates regarding your Linux installation on the T410. Any issues with drivers?

I am typing this in Firefox, on Ubuntu 10.10 RC, virtualized on Windows 7 using VirtualBox. It is fast, good-looking and seamless, fully functional with respect to applications and system resources. I'm thinking of installing Ubuntu as native operating environment.

 

Hey guys I just purchased a t410 and it arrived about a week ago. I need to get use to a couple of things like the ctrl button placement and the trackpad scrolling. For some reason I have a lot of trouble getting it to scroll properly. One thing I just noticed is that the screen tends to freeze when I'm watching videos in fullscreen. It either freezes immediately once entering full screen or a couple minutes after that. I know its frozen because I can hear the audio continuing. Has anyone else had this problem? I only have 2gigs of ram and my video card is the nvidia 3100 w/ 512mb. Could the ram be the issue?

 

Try to update your drivers.

 

Nvidia Optimus Technology now advertised for T series. I wish I had waited 3 weeks.

 

Yeah, that option became available the same day as I ordered mine (I ordered just after midnight).

I was upset for a few minutes, but then I poked around a bit and found out that Optimus doesn't even work on Linux (thanks, nVIDIA!) ... so I'm cool with it.

 

Okay, you'all have had your T410 &/or t410s for awhile now. HOW annoying is the fan? Is it solvable? I'd be a new Lenovo owner, and I am concerned about the graphics. Should I be? At the moment, I'm in the States, and no one, no one, is stocking the T410s in a four state area.

 

Hate to burst your bubble but seeing a T410 in person would not be conclusive. Not every T410 has the fan issue, so what would seeing a sample of one prove? It might be loud but the one you buy might be fine, or vice versa. Does that make sense?

I just ordered a T410s today and my fingers are crossed regarding the fan and CPU whine. I'll report back in two weeks or so...

 

What fan issue?

 

I believe he was referring to loud fans in T410 models. At least that is what I meant by "fan issue".

 

Thanks. The fans cooling the i5 and i7 procs in the t410 and w510 are certainly louder than the t400 and t61p.

 

If you're running Windows there are a number of ways to turn the caps lock key into a control key (the way it should be). I use KeyTweak under XP and the docs say it's compatible with Win7. I'll be using it on my new T410s.

 

caps lock should be backspace not control key. You use backspace much more than you use control key.

 

The Estimated Ship Date for my T410 disappeared on my Order Status ... is that a bad sign?

 

The web site order status is junk. The Estimated Ship Date is a random date anyway. I've never had something ship on time. It has always changed a after placing the order (I assume when the build is scheduled), but then it always seems to be pushed out again because they are busy or holidays come up.

I would phone up and ask them why that happened. I've found things have shipped more quickly every time I've spoken to them nicely on the phone anyway.

 

Well, I gave them a call, and the rep assured me that it's going to ship "anytime this week" (the original est. ship date was tomorrow, before it disappeared). I am a little nervous after having read some of the shipping date horror stories, but we shall see.

 

Well, even after having talked to 3 different reps (1 just this afternoon) who have told me that it should ship this week.

Tonight I checked my order status and the est. ship date has been bumped.

 

Depends on what you use your laptop for. For example, Emacs users would say Ctrl is one of their most-used keys. I believe the trend of switching Caps Lock and Ctrl started with them. However, since I'm a Vim user, I switched Escape and Caps Lock instead.

 

Does anyone have a problem with your T410 randomly freezing?

I have tried reinstalling Win7 several times.
And yes, I have the latest drivers.

 

Lenovo's ordering process, as I said, is junk and never to be believed. Things may ship before or after when the website says, and while this is extremely frustrating the first time you go through this sub-quality, complete balls up of a system that they consider a customer acceptable process, the reward will eventually be a quality laptop that you enjoy.

It may well ship before the date you see if you have phoned a few times; especially if they have told you that you are on the priority list and your laptop will be expedited. If they haven't told you that, you may want to ask them for it.

Let's face it, they are building you a personalized PC to your specification and as I know from manufacturing products myself, sometimes things happen. You run out of a components and this causes delays to occur. This is not a box from BestBuy you are ordering, but your personal PC. Enjoy it!

 

Can we confirm the synaptics driver sorts the issue, have the same issue, similar 64 bit os and spec. 2518-ewg. Drives med CRAZY too!

 

How does the machine behave when it is frozen? Me and several others have reported that after random usage the trackpad freezes, sometimes screweing up the keyboard in the process. (seems to put it in a wierd "CTRL-lock" mode)

If this is your problem, try moving the pointer using the red stick between the "ghbn" keys. It should then move the pointer if this is your problem as well.

If you have genuine freezes, no my T410 is much more reliable that T60p, T61 machines I have in the past. Maybe the CPU fan is broken? Bad memory?

Regards,
Fredrik

 

Since I absolutely hate the track pad on the T410, not only the freezing issue, but also the texture and accuraccy itself, have anyone tried a "flat" track pad on the T410 like on the T400? Any feedback welcome. Any part number or source welcome. The T400 trackpad seems a bit smaller so I wonder if there is an alternative replacement option available.