Lenovo W520 Owner's Thread

My exact thoughts. I can't stand it that the W530 will have this implemented. I would rather have a paid option for 40-60 dollars to get the normal keyboard back on...that would be a option I would pay for!

 

Yea, I have to agree. If I was in the market for a portable workstation I would choose the W520 over the chiclet W530 because I could care less about back lighting on it.

 

Likewise; I won't give up a traditional keyboard for a long time, and I plan on keeping my baby going for a long time

Chicklet FTL

 

My power manager doesn't have that option, I'm using the newest version: 6.30. (Edit: ignore this statement, read below)
It's the only solution I could think off, cause my drive was automatically powered off before and it makes sense that since I never changed that my HDD doesn't get power either.

Anybody has other advice or could help me find how to change this setting? I was thinking maybe somebody could export their power settings fo i can import them?

Edit: I've tried importing somebody's settings and it didn't help, probably cause my power manager doesn't have this option anymore.
However I should be able to fix this in BIOS or windows, but I can't find anything in either.
Edit 2: I found the answer to my power manager problem, for reference I will post it here:
The automatic optical drive power off function is only available when the drive is in the laptop, AND with the drive turned on. So if you can't see this option just open your drive and it should show up in your settings.
This didn't solve my original problem though, like Thors.Hammer said, but it was worth a shot.

EDIT 2: I've tried somebody else's caddy, to make it easy to read ill write the results of my tests :
my w520, my HDD in my caddy: doesn't work
my w520, my SSD in my caddy: doesn't work
my w520, his HDD in his caddy: works perfectly
his w520, my HDD in my caddy: works perfectly (!!)

I don't get that, the final test implies my caddy and HDD are fine, however the third test implies it isn't my laptop or settings. So.. what IS the problem?
Anybody here that can make any sense off these results?

 

Is CPU whine covered by lenovos warrenty? I hear like a 5 stage beep every some minutes when its on battery

 

I know some of you don't use the ThinkVantage System Update, but for those who do, have you had any recent problems with it?

I'm getting an error message around 15% of the way through the update process that says:

"An error was detected with the package catalog for your system on the System Update Server. Please contact the Support Center."

Just curious if this problem is isolated to my machine, or if other owners are seeing the same problem?

Edit: Disregard the above. Apparently one of my drivers had not installed correctly. When I rolled it back to the previous version, and then reinstalled the update, the ThinkVantage System Update worked correctly. File that one under User Error. LOL

 

If anyone try this Windows 8 Release Preview ISO formats could you maybe post feedback with drivers?

 

It installed painlessly on my W510. No banged out drivers. Everything came from the ISO or Windows Update.

Good luck with the W520.

 

I plan to try it out in VirtualBox first...

 

Likewise. Already planning on trying out OSX, might as well toss W8 on top of my VM setup as well.

 

Can you run OSX on VM with the W520? I thought you needed special hardware for OSX to work on none-macs

 

Yes, you can. On VirtualBox. (Forget Windows Virtual PC. It can't even host W8.)

However, the leisurely speed, the non-Apple keyboard and the lousy touchpad destroy the experience.

 

It really sounds like a mechanical connection/spacing issue. What brand of caddy are you using?

It's not a bug, it's called CPU whine and your only option is to try to live with it. My W520 does it too, depending on it's mood, actually this is the _only_ problem I have with this laptop so far, but I'm trying to live with it, as there is absolutely no alternative for the W520 for me. Changing motherboard might change the whine, but it might make it worse.

I'm glad you've sorted it out, and that Lenovo's support proved to be so helpful!

 

I have never heard CPU whine on my W520.

There is a thread on the subject:
CPU Whine & Overall Experience - Lenovo Community

I also found this:
http://snipplr.com/view/44354/solving-cpu-whine/

and:
Problem_with_high_pitch_noises#Turn_off_CPU_power_saving_in_the_BIOS
http://www.thinkwiki.org/wiki/Problem_with_high_pitch_noises#Turn_off_CPU_power_saving_in_the_BIOS

 

After a year, CPU whine really isn't that bad.

On my work issued T420s, there's CPU whine AND SSD whine.

 

Yeah, I plan on running it using VMWare Player (though I might download the trail for Workstation, since I'm told it's an easier setup than doing all-Player).

The only strict requirement for a VMWare-based OSX machine is that you have an Intel CPU (moot point for the W520).

 

Thank you for your input.
The caddy is from dealextreme (SKU:122075). I'm thinking about getting one from ebay to see if that works better. I didn't buy the Lenovo one because it's very expensive and I've read it isn't that good either.

 

OK, in this case probably that's the problem. Just buy the nimitz one from ebay, many of use are using it daily (including me) and it's absolutely fine.

 

Will need to patch the VMWare Workstation to allow that (patches are easily found on the net).

Runs quite well, including playing video, network, sound etc. One nasty limitation is that it's limited to a single monitor.

 

No worries about the monitor, and I found the patch via a Hackintosh website.

 

Quote: "So if you are a recent purchaser like me, and you received a Hitachi-LG Super Multi DVD Rewriter from Lenovo."

I read this part of your message and I became concerned about exactly *which* optical drive I had in my machine. I posted this in another thread.

I just wanted to add an important caveat. Not all W520s ship with the same optical drive, even those with the same machine type. For example, I have a new W520 (4270) and mine shipped with a Sony Optiarc DVD RW AD-7710H Optical Drive. This is a 12.7 mm drive, but it is not the same model drive that others have been talking about. At this point I do not know whether the bezel holes line up with the Panasonic UJ240 6x Blu-ray Burner I bought to replace it.

I am posting this just as a warning. I wish I had checked which model drive I owned *before* I had ordered the replacement drive.

 

Have you received the Panasonic yet? It shouldn't take more than 5 minutes to pop the bezel off and compare it to the one on your Sony.

 

Quote: "Have you received the Panasonic yet? It shouldn't take more than 5 minutes to pop the bezel off and compare it to the one on your Sony."

No. I ordered it Amazon Prime and it will arrive on Tuesday. Do you have any suggestions as to the best way to pop the front bezel off? That video does it pretty quickly and it is difficult to see exactly what the trick is. Some posts have said that it merely pulls off, but others have said that there are clips you can break if you are not careful.

Thank you!

 

There were very small clips on mine. If you examine your Sony Optiarc closely, you will probably figure it out quickly. First, remove the drive from the W520 so you can hold it in your hand. Then insert a bent paper clip into the small hole on the front of the bezel to override the tray latch mechanism, which will allow the tray to open. Then simply examine the sides of the bezel and make a note of any clip attachments that mate it to the plastic drive tray inside the aluminum case.

Whatever you do, just don't force anything. Be very delicate with it, and you probably won't break anything. Since I don't have that specific make and model, I hesitate to give you any more specific advice that might prove incorrect, but hopefully this will point you in the right direction.

While you have the drive out, examine the parts in detail. Look closely at the aluminum case, specifically noting the manufacturing notches, punch holes, folding tabs, rivet points, and threaded attachment points for the plastic parts that mate with the case. Then scour the Internet, using Google's image search, for detailed photos of the Panasonic model that you ordered on various vendor websites. Some of those Asian computer parts vendors have incredibly detailed photos of their electronics components. Those photos will sometimes give you close-up details of the aluminum case (top, bottom, sides, and face), plastic latch catch mechanism that screws to the right, inner, bottom, slotted side of the case, the plastic alignment extension piece that screws to the back, and the plastic face bezel that clips onto the front.

That's basically what I did for my replacement drive. I ordered mine after removing the bezel on the one that arrived in my W520, and then I scoured the net for detailed photos of possible replacements. In my case, I was replacing an "H-L" drive (made by Hitachi-LG, hence the "H-L" name), so the LG model BT10N was a logical candidate for a parts-matching replacement. When I found detailed photos online suggesting an exact fit, I ordered it. The photos proved to be correct. Given the make of the replacement drive, it may have even been built in the same factory as my original drive.

FYI, please note that if you click the quote button below the post you are replying to, you don't have to retype the quote manually.

Hope this helps.

 

I must be hitting the wrong "quote" button. Everytime I hit quote it quotes your entire message. <sigh> I was manually editing what they posted.

I have a Sony Optiarc AD-7710H as my original drive. I searched at Sony and they make the Sony Optiarc BD-5850H BD writer, which appears to be similar. It costs more than the Panasonic but it has more than twice as much cache. I'll research the Panasonic UJ240 which is the one I bought. I will also remove the bezel.

Thank you for the clarification about the paper clip and exactly what is was for. I had viewed that it was needed, but I didn't understand *why* until I read your clear explaination. I'm sure that will help others as well.

The Sony Optiarc BD-5850H BD writer appears to ship with a bezel, so it might be a much easier, and more likely, fix. No sense using a bezel with different writing on it. (I can't remember mine.)

Thanks again for all the help!

 

Understood. Just edit out the superfluous text that you don't want to reference, but maintain the opening and closing quote tags, and the quote box will still work.

Regarding the bezel, some replacement drives ship with a flat bezel, designed to fit into machines with a perfectly vertical side. The W520's drive, however, is located on an angled face, so the top half of the bezel is vertical, and the bottom half of the bezel slopes away at an angle. The angled face of the bezel is one of the features that needs to match.

 

Thanks for the understanding! Perhaps it is because I am a newbie on this forum that things don't quite work the same for me?

Thanks for the additional information. In that case, even if I buy a Sony Optiarc drive it still will probably not look like my current drive. I wonder if I should call Sony? Perhaps they would know if they have a drive which would have a matching shape bezel. If not, then perhaps the Panasonic is about as good as I can do, presuming the bezel works. I will know that Tuesday. Meanwhile I will pull the optical drive and take a look at it.

When I start these campaigns I never give up until I have upgraded, so this is a fight to the finish!

Thanks for sticking with me!

 

Even if the bezel on the replacement drive doesn't match, as long as you can substitute your existing bezel, then it will still fit flush with the side of your laptop. That's why the attachment points and clips for the bezel are important.

Most optical drive manufacturers use the same aluminum cage and inner plastic tray for all of their drives, but they make custom bezels specified to fit different OEM machines. Think of it like the frame and moulding surrounding a door in a house. When a carpenter installs a new door, he buys a stock door from a lumber yard or home improvement store, and then he cuts the frame and moulding to fit the 2x4's and sheetrock walls surrounding the door. In this case, the optical drive is the stock door, and the bezel is the custom frame and moulding.

 

I think I've finally mastered the quoting system. It appears I was editing out the code which told the reply which part to quote. Now I am a happy camper.

I had a bit of a laugh on myself trying to remove the drive. I watched the video and read the Lenovo W520 Hardware Maintenance Manual. *Both* were wrong! It turns out there is a *screw* which must be removed *before* the drive can be unlocked on my unit. This is non-standard, hence it is not in the manual nor in the video. I finally had to call Lenovo. At first the agent said I would have to send the unit in for service. I told him this was ridiculous! Finally he said I should have used common sense and realized that the manual was wrong. Once I removed the screw it worked as it should.

Anyway, based upon what you said about that bezel, that Sony Optiarc I told you about won't work because it is slot-loading. I think I need a caddy drive. I like the larger 5.8 MByte cache in their BD-5750H drive. I don't know how much it helps, but it certainly can't hurt. Do you think the Sony Optiarc BD-5750H would fit? (Amazon.com and Newegg.com both sell the BD-5750H; I ordered it from Newegg.com) Sony has complete specs on their website, with the sorts of illustrations you talked about, and it appears to have the same dimensions as the Sony Optiarc AD-7710H I already have. I could switch the bezel. They also talk about changing bezels on their website. (You had explained it better earlier.)

Your explanations are exceedingly clear, BTW. I really appreciate that!

Update: I received the Sony Optiarc BD-5750H Blu-ray Write today. I had a bit of trouble switching the bezel, but it fit fine. I also had more trouble in Windows with an "Error 12." I had to remove the UpperFilters in the Registry for the drive to be recognized properly. I have done that and it works now. Thanks for all the help! It appears that many drives can be swapped into the Lenovo W520, and the Sony has the most cache.

 

When I ordered my w520 I included only the minimum memory with the purchase - 4gb under the keyboard. When I received my w520 I put 2 x 8 gb Patriot memory modules in the slots on the back of the laptop making a total of 20 gb.

Recently I found a good price on 2 x 4 gb Patriot memory, same class, specs etc. so I bought them with the idea of removing the Lenovo memory under the keyboard and sticking these two under the keyboard. Easy 5 minute job right?

I removed the battery, removed the rear memory cover, removed the two keyboard screws - one in the rear memory compartment and one just outside of it. Turned the laptop over, put downward and to the rear pressure below the power button to raise the front of the keyboard. The PROBLEM? The front of the keyboard will not raise up no matter how much pressure I put on the rear portion of the keyboard.

Anyone have any tips or tricks for my to try before I grab the hammer and flat edge screwdriver to pry the stupid thing up? Am I missing something? Did they change something from the manual? I'm stuck and frustrated.

Thanks in advance,
David

 

Occasionally the keyboard may get tugged by the keyboard bezel so it doesn’t pop up properly. A small flat head screwdriver to push the keyboard up from the bottom is fine as long you do it gently, it happens to my T420 from time to time with no further consequences.

 

If you've done everything right, you will noticed that the keyboard slides slightly to the rear. The front of the keyboard has small tabs that fit underneath the palm rest. Once those tabs clear, it should be free to remove, and can be lifted up with a straightedge like a knife blade or flat head screwdriver. Once again, if you've done everything right, the edge should raise up without interference, so you shouldn't have to pry anything loose.

 

David,

I just did this.

The trick which worked for me was to insert a small screwdriver underneath the keyboard and pry it upward a bit. Once it "popped up" I could easily pull it out. It only took a slight pry. In reinserting the keyboard, just do the opposite. Slightly tuck it under in the front and then push it straight down. It should basically snap into place.

Good luck!

 

Thanks...Exactly what do you mean when you say "push the keyboard up from the bottom" What do you mean by that? From the bottom of the laptop? Through what?

Or do you mean stick the screwdriver between the palm rest and keyboard and gently pry upward?

 

Sorry, having a time with this. Where exactly have you put the screwdriver in to pry? Front middle (probably not the wisest choice because of the touchpad) to the left, to the right?

 

Watch this video...

Lenovo Thinkpad T510 Keyboard removal - YouTube

 

Razer - I've done everything right by the manual. Only two screws to remove underneath, one inside the bottom memory compartment and the other right next to it (screwhead is exposed on the botton outside of the memory compartment). Unless they have added a screw somewhere. When I push backward on the keyboard below the power on button using the ridge on the keyboard between the numeric keys and the F keys there is absolutely no give at all. Nada. It's like it's glued in which I know its not, it's just that tight. Thanks for your response.

 

Razer - many thanks for the video link. That's exactly what I did, but the keyboard would not budge. Guess I'll try it one more time before I do any prying (not really what I want to do). Like I said, it should have been a five minute job. Geez, I did this several times to my HP 2540p.

 

Judging from one of your previous comments (i.e., "put downward and to the rear pressure below the power button to raise the front of the keyboard"), it sounds like you are looking at page 66 of the Hardware Maintenance Manual. So let me start with that assumption and add two additional comments for further clarification.

First, without the two screws holding the keyboard in its exact installed position, the keyboard is designed to "float" in the center of the notebook's bottom half with +1/16" play towards the front (palmrest) and -1/6" play towards the rear (hinges). With the two screws removed, you should be able to press down at any place on the keyboard and shift the keyboard forwards and backwards. Don't get too hung up by the picture of the guy's thumb below the power button on page 66. Just use all ten fingers for maximum grip, press down evenly throughout the keyboard, and try to slide the keyboard back towards the hinges. If the keyboard still doesn't move, then you either don't have the correct screws removed (marked by keyboard symbols on the bottom of the notebook), or something else is holding the keyboard in place (e.g., sticky residue from a liquid spill).

Second, note the five small tabs on the front side of the keyboard in the diagram on page 66. Those tabs are partially visible while the keyboard is fully installed. Look carefully at the following locations:

a) Lower left side of the left CTRL key.
b) Lower right side of the left ALT key.
c) Bottom center of the middle Trackpoint button.
d) Lower right side of the right ALT key.
e) Bottom center of the down arrow key.

Those tabs are the only things that hold the front of the keyboard beneath the rear side of the palmrest. Once those tabs come out from under the palmrest, the front of the keyboard will easily raise up without having to pry anything with force.

Just keep plugging. I suspect you are very close, and once you figure it out, you will be laughing afterwards.

Good luck!

 

Hey guys. I've been following this forum for a long time now, but I never registered. Until today, as I was clumsy enough to have bricked my W520...

Basically, BIOS update, 1.37 came out, I didn't need it, but I wanted it to be up-to-date and all that... You know the deal. Anyway I forgot that my external HD remained plugged in, and after the second restart, things didn't really work out the way the should have. Now the W520 is stuck in a restart loop, saying "configuration changed, restart machine". I can't get to BIOS, basically nowhere.

What I did:
- disconnected battery pack and PSU for 30 minutes
- took out HDD

none of these helped. Any ideas, or straight to service? Machine is a 4282-CTO, prior bios 1.34.
Thanks!

 

It doesn't seem like you need service at this point. My guess is simply going into the UEFI BIOS and saving it again is all you will need to do. The "pointers" probably changed with the new BIOS version and you just have to remap the machine to them with the new BIOS code. I can't quite remember how you enter the UEFI BIOS, but it should be a simple keystroke during boot.

Good luck!

 

Thanks, but I have no idea how to get to UEFI.
F1, F11, F12 and the blue button don't help.
All I could manage was to get to that Intel setup with CTRL+S when the HDD was disconnected.

 

Have you downloaded the BIOS .ISO, burned a CDROM, and tried to boot from it? If it won't boot and flash properly from that your options are probably down to Support.

 

Sorry. I think pressing the blue Access IBM and then F1 should take you into the UEFI BIOS. I had to look it up.

Good luck!

 

Will try this, but the problem is it never lets me through to any selection screen. For example, if I press F1, it'll beep, tell me that it's entering the setup, and then give the error screen again. Boot selection does the same.

 

Have you pulled the battery, removed everything, and turned the power switch on? That would fully discharge the unit. After that I'd try to pull the hard drive and then try to power on the mother board with the blue Access IBM and F1. (It's only one screw.) If that doesn't help, this is beyond what I know.

Sorry.

Good luck!

 

This is a quote from +1month ago, sorry... No i use MPC-HC, why?

 

if i use my fingers to push, i usually cant get the keyboard to slide straight up.
when i manage to get the left side to "clear" the tabs, the right side springs back in.
what i'd do is use an old plastic card (to avoid making a dent) to hold one side free while i push the other side. once both sides are clear, use the card to pry it out.

however i always manage to slide the keyboard at least a little with my bare fingers.

 

It's worth a try to just hold the power button down until it shuts off. Then boot into safe mode, let it completely boot, then restart the machine into the regular OS. Sometimes this little trick works wonders, sometimes it doesn't.

 

Well, I finally got my keyboard out. It must have been slightly off spec or something because it was very very tight and there was absolutely no give to it all, in the rear or front. I had to get my wife to help me, I pushed as much as possible, she stuck the flat edge screwdriver in front and we were able to get the right side free, and in the process popping the left arrow key off. Then we were able to pry the left side up. We damaged the finish around the keyboard some. We really had no alternative. I'm a little PO'd that this wasn't easier. I was doing everything by the book.

So I got my memory installed, everything is working fine other than having to order a new left arrow key and the fact that my thumbs are actually sore from trying to push the keyboard backwards. I'm not upset, but a little peeved at the damage we had to do to get the silly thing out. It went back in much easier. Probably ruins the resale value a little unless I can gently sand the spots we damaged.

Thanks to you all for your help.