Lenovo W520 Owner's Thread

Zsero, thanks for the guide. I think its simple enough that even I will be able to pull it off without major catastrophe. I might just do a BIOS update first.

To be honest, I'd rather not clean the harddrive and partitions just now because I will be adding in an mSATA as well as a secondary HD in the optical drive bay soon. I'd put off re-installing all the software (which is a process I'm not fond of) till then because I've just been going through too much pains getting windows on the other laptops hdd.

I will be doing step 6 on that screwed up harddisk though, since that will probably help me get that laptop up and running. (that harddisk being the one whose error screen image I posted in my original post)

Another thing, I have this suspicion that the nVidia drivers may be the ones creating the problems with the BSOD on boot. I might just install the newest 310.70 beta that came out for Far Cry 3 and see what happens.

I'm guessing that I can install those drivers right?

@Turqoisegirl and zsero, and basically others interested in this discussion:

Interesting discussion regarding HD erasure techniques. I'd just like to voice my opinion on the matter, in the hope that I can learn more.

Whilst the technique mentioned by turqoisegirl seemed very thorough and powerful, if its main purpose is protecting data from getting in the wrong hands, then given today's uber advanced malware, snooping techniques and government sponsored cyber espionage and warfare (stuxnet,flame etc now in the hands of hackers as well), I think erasing data permanently off our own harddisk is going to be pointless if there are copies of it in places we are not aware of. Atleast that is what I understand from what little I understand of these things.

ISP's and various other companies that handle data can either be coerced by governments (USA and google/ twitter) to hand over data or just plain hacked (Russia, China and google/twitter). I'm very interested in knowing how tech savvy people are going about protecting their data.

 

OK, if you are adding a new hard drive, it's simpler, since you are starting from a clean point. Just do: 1. BIOS update, 2. Load defaults, 3. Install. And yes, don't do anything with UEFI, the BIOS in Thinkpads and Windows 7 is an extremely reliable and tested method, there is absolutely no benefits of turning on UEF. On the other hand UEFI it's not as well tested both in hardware and software and various features doesn't work with that yet.

For video card driver
1. Install latest driver from Intel.com
2. Install latest stable (non-beta) driver from nvidia.com
3. If you later upgrade nvidia, always choose advanced / clean install

About the data, you are basically right. I'd say there is only one very obvious way: just don't write or send any sensitive information on internet to anyone. If you feel you have sensitive data, use encrypted online services like Wuala (their desktop client is a pain, but the concept is nice). If you are afraid about your internet connection, use a reliable VPN service: Which VPN Providers Really Take Anonymity Seriously? | TorrentFreak. For adware/viruses/spyware, etc. don't worry too much, they cannot magically appear on your computer, first you have to download something and start it. Using Chrome and Gmail pretty much stops you from accidentally downloading things.

 

My W520 just freeze while there wasn't a big load/high temp, i was just browsing, freeze during ~10sec then shutdown, no restart, no blue screen, no error from windows and nothing in the event log!! Very strange... Anybody ever got that? Any idea what could cause this?

 

Investigate your browser. See if other users have been recently complaining about the same problem. Memory leak? A buggy plug-in?

 

I'm the only user of this unit. Is there an even log in chrome?

 

I'd guess it's something hardware-acceleration related, mixed with nVidia Optimus or something similar and will be fixed in future nVidia drivers / Chrome release. If it happened only once, I wouldn't worry about it too much.

The only thing you can do about it is (in this sequence):
0. Uninstall nVidia driver from Lenovo if you have it.
1. Update latest Intel graphics driver from intel.com.
2. Clean update latest nVidia driver from nvidia.com, by doing advanced install and selecting "clean install".

 

Choosing clean install automatically uninstalls earlier NVIDIA drivers.

 

You are right, with normal NVIDIA ones, but I don't know how Lenovo's version behave. They are quite modified ones.

 

I didn't had that problem again, for now. Anyways i just updated the nvidia drivers (new one came out few weeks ago) but they're bad

Playing Far Cry 3, image became kind of jerky, FPS unstable (like doing 37-38-39 constantly, not moving at all of course).

PS: I turned off optimus, i'm on discrete graphics mode and user nvidia official drivers. Thanks for the answers!

 

I bought my (first) w520 back in October from NewEgg. Within a couple weeks, it had started beeping five times every minute or so. The user manual said this means a problem with the motherboard. I called Lenovo and they replaced the motherboard. Then the battery stopped charging. And the five beeps started again. My husband escalated the call at Lenovo and about a month later, we got a replacement laptop. The next day, the hard drive starts clicking. We figure it's the heads parking - annoying, but nothing like motherboard failure. I used it sparingly for about a week, then not at all for another week. I opened it up a couple days ago...and the five beeps start.

It seems incredibly suspicious to me that we've had three motherboards with two different laptops (both w520s) and all of them have had motherboard problems. Not failures, mind you - we've still been able to use the laptop (though perhaps they only have a month or two of life after the beeping begins; I don't really know). We haven't done anything weird with either laptop. They aren't handled roughly. What are the odds of this happening?! I desperately want to have a w520 for its non-chiclet keyboard. And I'm baffled by what's happened to us. I thought Lenovo's ThinkPads had good build quality.

Do I chance yet another motherboard replacement? Or entire laptop replacement? Should I just get a refund, dig out my 8-year old laptop, and hope someone else offers a classic keyboard in the next year or two? Has anyone encountered the five beeps where it wasn't a motherboard failure? Is it possible I'm somehow causing this?

 

What are you using the laptop with? Do you connect it to any kind of USB peripherals? Wired connection to broadband modem / router? Wireless USB mouse/keyboard receiver? Did they change your charger as well? I guess something you are connecting to the laptop is broken and is killing a circuit on it. Actually, are you sure it's not just a software making the beeps? Have you tried using a live USB linux, like Ubuntu or Mint for some time and see if the beeps disappear? Did you reinstall your Windows for the new motherboard/machine?

I suspect there is a problem not with your laptop but with either some peripheral or some software installed on Windows. Think about what were the common things between the new and the old laptop. Like the charger, or a USB wireless dongle.

 

ThinkPads offer excellent quality, but when you build and sell as many as Lenovo, a few bad apples are bound slip through the cracks. Unfortunately, this would seem to the case here. I might suggest posting this over on the Lenovo forums where you'll get access to some Lenovo staff and you may wish to PM Mark over there. He may be able help. zsero has also offered some good ideas to consider.

 

I use no peripherals. After the beeping started on the original laptop, I used a flash drive to get some larger files off, but that was it. I'm connected using a wireless network.

With the first laptop, they tried solving the battery issue by replacing the adapter first, but it didn't do anything. I haven't had any battery issues on the current one. (It's an entirely new machine with battery and adapter. I'm using no pieces of the original machine.)

I have no clue if it's a software issue. On the first laptop, I installed MS Security Essentials and Diablo 2. This one, Security Essentials, D2, and Diablo 3. I haven't tried installing a new OS. When I received the first computer with replaced motherboard, the OS was still in place. Same for the replacement laptop.

 

I also installed parts of Visual Studio 2010 Express (C# on old laptop, C# and Visual Basic on new one) and SQL Server 2008.

 

There is almost no chance that something wrong with both of your machines! I'm quite sure that there is nothing wrong, those beeps just happen for some reason. If I were you, I'd just try to stop the beeps somehow. Reinstalling windows for a start is not a bad idea. Don't install any Lenovo software, just the essential drivers for a few days and see what happens. Don't even install Diablo for a week, just see if there are beeps with a fresh windows. If not, you can find which program makes the beeps start.

 

So you think it's possible I could be getting the motherboard "problem" beep error without the motherboard having any issues?

 

What I'm saying that those beeps could be anything, they shouldn't necessarily mean that there is a problem with the motherboard. I'm sure if you could stop them somehow (have you tried muting the speakers?) you could use your computer for years without any motherboard problem happening at all.

 

Another option for you that won't require re-installing the OS would be to download a Linux disc and run Linux from the optical drive for a while, just to see if you get any beeps when using it. That would likely tell you whether it's a hardware or software issue. I would agree the chances you'd have the same issue on two different PCs is very small.

 

According to the w520's User Guide (page 232), five beeps indicates "The system board has a problem. Have the computer serviced." If I knew that there was nothing wrong with the motherboard (and I could find a way to shut it up), that would be OK. But if there is a motherboard issue, I want to make sure it's taken care of while it's still under warranty. This computer has to last until manufacturers start making classic keyboards again!

The beeping doesn't come from the speakers.

 

Option A:
stop the beep device in Windows 7: How to Disable System Beep in Windows 7 | 7 Tutorials
If it's Windows related, it'll stop it. If this helps, it means that something is wrong with your Windows and the best thing is to reinstall it.

Option B:
Try to use the computer for a few days under a Live USB Linux. I'd recommend Linux Live USB creator: http://www.linuxliveusb.com/ + Linux Mint MATE Download - Linux Mint

 

When you press Fn+F6 it open Communications Utility, there's a button called "Hide my video image" could someone explain what's its use? I just can't get it...

 

To remove your own face from a video conference.

 

Well it's not... As i was skyping, i tested it and NOTHING changed, my video is shown in any cases...

 

doublepost..

 

Wow... Completly dead here

 

My 9cell battery died today... Really? The machine is about 18 months old... I have a working Asus F2Je from 2007, and the battery still works.

 

The battery manufacturer, is it a Sanyo by any chance?

 

it's an LGC, FRU 42T4912

I got it separately from my reseller, as Lenovo shipped my W520 with a battery pack for the x200 series...

Edit: I have 390 cycles in there. Is that much?

 

Aftermarket battery that lasted 18 mos... is reasonable IMO. There is a reason that they are often significantly cheaper than OEM.

 

sorry, made a mistake there, its an original part

I misused the aftermarket word, I meant that I got it separately, and not with the machine as they sent me the wrong part. It's an original Lenovo 55++ part.

 

I get it... Seems that you got a "defective" battery! I say that, because it failed at 18 mos. and they usually last twice that long. Though it's important to note that the standard warranty is only one year, so it's not technically defective. It happens, typically with the Sanyo batteries though...

 

Anyone using WiDi with Windows 8? I am having trouble getting it to work, I have a feeling I might need to uninstall/Reinstall MyWiFi or something. The WiDi App will not fully launch, it says my system in incompatible. I had used it under W7.

 

Been mentionned already but now it's after every sleep (when i wake) that the profile in power manager seems to reset... I've updated to last verison but still same... I want to use the official app, so i'm searching for a fix. Anyone?

 

Tried to get Lenovos apps to work for me and all they did was increase headaches.

Did what zsero and others on this forum suggested (these guys know that they're talking about) and made my life much smoother by removing lenovo's idiotic apps.

Just use Batterycare, tpfancontrol and Throttlestop for all your computing and gaming needs. Now my laptop is finally running like it cost.

Thanks everyone!

For unthrottled and healthy gaming performance this is what works for me:

1. Install tpfancontrol, but make sure to set ManModeExit to 110 instead of the default 80, in its ini file (this keeps manual mode running and stops it from defaulting to smart mode itself)

Before starting your game or power hungry tasks: set tpfancontrol to manual mode. (reset it to smart mode about 5 to 7 minutes after you're done with heavy computing to make sure to allow things to cool adequately)


2. Install Throttlestop.

Start it, press 'Turn On' button.

Tick 'Set Multiplier' and keep increasing the values till you see TURBO in that box instead of numbers.

Tick 'Disable Turbo'

See the max temps decrease from 92 degrees in Crysis 2 to only 77 max.

Remember to turn throttlestop off and set tpfancontrol back to smart mode after you're done.

 

Who owns this laptop with the default W520 screen, the one that's 1600x900? How's the quality?

I have a problem with laptops, I cannot stand ones with a dot pitch smaller than 0.2, and even I'd like it a little higher than this.

The pixels are just too small, and I can't stand raising the default DPI option. The fonts get big and thin and it drives me crazy reading it, I get dizzy and my eyes become sore. I owned a 15.6 inches 1920x1080 laptop before, and I had no choice but to return it due to this.

I need a bigger laptop to complement my x220 with the IPS option, to do some real work on.

Only thing is I wonder if the default screen is still of decent quality. I know it won't compare to my x220 but if it looks fairly good that would satisfy me.

Plus there's something about owning a solid laptop with a real traditional keyboard, before they're all discontinued. I will never accept to touch anything with chiclet keys in my life.

 

The default screen is quite average, but works. The 1920x1080 is much better.

If you want 1600x900, the best laptop I think is the Samsung Series 7 or 9 what has PLS screen and 1600x900. PLS screen is like IPS.

 

I tried out the W530 with the 900p display (same model display as the 900p W520 one) and compared it to my W520's 1080p. Like zsero, I found the 900p display to be average, especially compared to my own.

 

I know that Samsung is IPS, or rather Samsung's proprietary iteration of the technology (PLA?). I've looked at it at Future Shop, and it looks very impressive.

However, it has a 1600x900 resolution on a 13.3 matrix.

I do not care at all about 1600x900 per se, I care about the ensuing dot pitch, as I said. That Samsung would be according to this page:

DPI Calculator / PPI Calculator

0.184 mm of dot pitch

Which is too small. My x220 is at 0.2026, which is OK, but I'd like higher (poorer, in a sense).

The W520 with that resolution would be at 0.2158, which would be just perfect.

For me a classic keyboard is extremely important, and there's no beating ThinkPads on that front. Getting a solid machine is extremely important too, and ThinkPads are almost unbeatable on that front. There's loads of relatively cheap W520s in Canada with the Quatro 2000 card, which is a fairly decent laptop GPU, although nothing special. Another plus.

Due to my special needs, if you guys tell me that the screen is nothing special but all in all decent, it looks like my best option for a laptop.

IPS screens on laptops seem to be riddled with problems, for the most part. My X220 has ghosting and 2 white spots, it's a known default with the X220 and the X230. The Asus 13.3 one seems to have heavy flickering due to some LED process I've forgotten the name of. And the Dell Precision M4600 with the IPS option had an absolutely horrible corner tint. I've also seen many people say that with those 95 % color gamut screens everything just ends up very oversaturated.

 

The 1600x900 screen is decent. It's been a while since I've seen one on the W series, but the last time I looked at one it was fine.

 

Oversaturated? Well, compared to a normal, non-95% NTSC color gamut display, maybe. But the color is in fact accurate, and the poorer displays are, well, poorer at color reproduction. Anyway, after adjusting my display with a color profile I found here (somewhere...), it looks just fine to me.

 

How do I find out if a W520 I want to buy has 7mm or 9.5mm drive bays?

I want to get this one:

http://www.frontierpc.com/computers...hinkpad-w520-4282-cs5-4282cs5-1023827117.html

 

Wait until you get the W520 to find out for certain, then order your new drive. (Certain vendors can do next-day delivery if you order before noon.)

 

Aren't all W520's 9mm? It's just the $5 rubber bumpers what are different, aren't they?

 

Well, the main bay can accomodate both 7mm and 9.5mm-high drives. But, to know for sure the height of the stock HDD (and the rubber rails accompanying it), check your own W520.

In any event, I always buy 7mm SSDs. Padding it up is much easier than slimming it down. So, there.

 

I have a spare Crucial M4, 9.5 mm. Guess I'll find out. It isn't really bad if I end up unable to use it, I'll have no problem finding another use for it.

 

Nemure, this is a massive 15 inch notebook built like a tank. Of course you can fit 9.5mm drives in it! In fact, you can fit an mSATA + 9.5 mm drive + 12.5 mm drive in the Ultrabay! Don't worry. If you got it with a 7mm 320 GB drive, just replace the rubbers. But there is very little chance you'll get it with the small rubbers. But they cost like $5.
W520 has a 7mm slim hard drive so the rubber rails... - Lenovo Community

 

Not quite sure the same could be said concerning the screws. I've already stripped two of them.

 

Finally ordered it, found it from another retailer brand new for $778 CDN. Good price.

Super pumped up to receive it, finally a real laptop built solidly with a real keyboard, to do real work on. Screw this horrible chiclet nonsense, I will never so much as touch a laptop that has this kind of interface. It is an abomination.

 

Hello and sorry to answer so late! I've just tested these settings and indeed i see C° drop but not that much... You didn't say how you set manual mode though... 64 i guess? PS: You said disable turbo but enable it just before, i don't really get that..?

I got a new issue and wonder if it's my unit or the devices! Who's using multiple USB 3.0 HDD at same time here? I often get USB 2.0 speed when having two or more... :/ But it could be that chinese Sata/USB3.0 adapter i bought..!

PS: When you're on battery you have to untick "disable turbo" to get full power right? But only CPU, not GPU... Is there a way to make GPU run faster on battery? On GTA same screen i fell from 50FPS to 10FPS...

 

Hi, there are actually 2 options that are there. You can either set Tpfancontrol to Smart Mode 2, which will spin up the fan to the utter maximum of 5100 RPM as soon as the temp hits 66c, at which point it will become very loud and you will think that the laptop is about to take off. You can do that if you want to, and it will keep the temps in control no matter what you do, but it will wear out the fan much faster. Try that when gaming and see how much better it is. Otherwise on manual the fans wont go higher than 3800RPM and throttling will happen once temps hit 90C.If you do end up using smart mode 2, make sure to make changes to the ini to make sure that it doesnt quit the full speed mode after it crosses 90 degrees, at which point it reverts to bios, slowing down fan and the temps shoot up.

That is the reason why I suggest disabling intel turboboost (in Throttlestop), as games really do not need that much power from the CPU anyways. Colonell O Neil on this thread even overclocks his GPU by about 20% but I would not risk it with this laptop, and the gains would not be that impressive. On my processor I first had to take the multiplier all the way to TURBO before the Disable Turbo option was available to me. If your disable turbo option is clickable from the beginning then do that, same thing.

I would strongly recommend not playing games that use both the CPU and GPU together on battery. To ensure safety of the battery, lenovo cripples the GPU on battery. What I do if I want to game on battery is load up games on the integrated intel HD3000, but those are old strategy games like Dawn of War, or RPG's like Knights of the Old Republic etc.

You might also want to get a cooling pad. I am using one too, and although its not very effective, it still is a small improvement. I ended GTA 4 on this laptop before I knew all this and it was a nightmare to be honest, the throttling made it a very frustrating experience. I did a lot of research and found that the above mentioned tips helped me out a lot.

And when you are on battery, you DO NOT need to disable turbo, just press the Turn On button on throttlestop and it will basically not throttle the CPU, although your temps will skyrocket as it will essentially prevent throttling, but you will have full power. Keep the turbo on if you want full power.

This laptop has really poor cooling compared to the internal hardware it is sold with, so we will have to live with that compromise. I plan on setting up my own eGPU pretty soon anyways for the best possible gaming experience.

DIY eGPU experiences [version 2.0]