Lenovo X1 Carbon Owner's Thread

Thanks for sharing it. I am expecting mine, although it was delayed again and again. I do believe this is a great toy!

 

Hi,

I am getting my X1 Carbon delivered tomorrow (thursday) and there are some things that I have questions about.

First. How should I charge this laptop (to maximize the machine's battery)?
- I have been hearing that you should charge 12hrs (either turn on or off), THEN use the laptop to 10% battery, then again, charge it to full.

Is this correct?

Second. Is it really beneficial to do a fresh windows 7 install on the x1 carbon? If so, how can I do that?
-Many people say that the fresh install offers more hard disk space AND boots faster... Is this correct?

I want to do a fresh windows 7 install, but I just don't know how to AND if I can. Because I don't have a Windows 7 CD or CD key... But it seems like it is very beneficial.

CAN someone please help me with these two questions? PLEASE~

 

Your W7 key will be printed on the sticker underneath the laptop. I followed this guide pretty much word for word to do my fresh W7 install and it worked out perfectly: http://forum.notebookreview.com/lenovo/642274-hearsts-guide-clean-installing-windows-7-thinkpad.html

 

Received mine 2 days ago. The screendoor-effekt is noticeable, but i think i get uesed to it. Normally i use the trackpoint but this touchpad is state of the art. 2-finger scrolling and the 3-finger gesture (moving forward and backward in browser) works great like on a macbook. The overall buildquality is superb, no flexing and no anoying noises.

 

This question has already been asked, I believe, but not particularly clearly answered (at least I didn't see so):

how much disk space does the Lenovo bloatware take up? If I reformat, but don't change hibernation specs or anything other Windows preference, how much disk space will I free up?

 

Just received my X1C which will be returned for a refund. The trackpad is turning all white while I use it, It's like the rubber is wearing off. Also the right side of the laptop is loose (I could put 4 sheets of paper between the palm rest and back cover and yes the screw is tight. Screen door effect which is horrid its giving me a bad headache when looking at it, no dongle totally not worth $2000.00 What a total upset. Back to using my X300.

 

This is not a direct answer to your question but you may find it relevant.

I am using the SSD with software encryption (in my case, dmcrypt with LVM in Ubuntu Linux, but you can use Truecrypt with windows, for example) and it works very well. Some SSD's don't work well with software encryption because they use compression across the controller to achieve their rated speeds and encrypted data is uncompressible. The Sandisk SSD in the X1C however works very well with software compression. I'm getting really excellent performance. (Having the AES-NI instructions in the processor helps significantly!)


I think the answer to your question about hardware encryption is "no". But if you want good security you want software encyrption anyways; otherwise, you are trusting an implementation of unknown quality.

 

SonicDeathmonkey, thank you for the link. I really want to do a fresh W7 install. But you do have a X1 Carbon right? If so, there is no CD-rom drive that I could use for this "recovery disk?" How did you do it? Did you not use a CD, and was it still succesful?

I don't want to mess up my laptop trying to do this, that's why Your input would mean a lot

 

Got mine today....not 100% sold on it. It feels and looks good...but when you start using it..something feels off.

1. Speakers are located in the worst position..when playing music and typing on the bed, the speakers get blocked and sound becomes muffled.
2. Screendoor effect is still there...I still think the Macbook AIR display is 10x better.
3. Trackpad is not that impressive. The rubber causes way too much friction for my liking..the MBA is silky smooth, no friction.

I'm going to give it a few more days, but honestly, I may go for the 13" macbook pro retina when it comes out in the few weeks.

 

I'm having an issue and was wondering if anyone else has experienced this. After some Windows updates, my battery indicator/Power Manager Guage in the lower left corner no longer displays the % remaining -- in fact, it appears empty and displays "---". Any help would be appreciated

 

Based on this and also cbagz's comment on the trackpad I'm wondering if there are some QC issues with the trackpad surface/coating? Mine is not "rubbery" at all and is actually super smooth, probably the most frictionless one i've seen in a while.

Keep reading. The guide will instruct you on how to use a USB stick as your W7 boot disc. I used a 4gb USB stick and it worked perfectly.

 

Hmmm interesting...have you ever used the macbook air/pro? How does it compare to that for you? I read the trackpad is supposed to be glass...but mine feels far from it...

 

Thank you, I shall read more I guess I was worrying too soon. So, if I do install W7, which "Lenovo application" should I keep/install? I am kind of clueless because X1 Carbon is my first lenovo laptop (and its coming tomorrow)

Also, SonicDeathmonkey, could you suggest me on how I should do my first charge? Thanks. I feel like I can and should trust you

 

im very trustworthy also. just turn the thing on, itll be close to full.

 

That's interesting. Can you tell us how the repair guy removed the bezel? Mine has a little gap as well and I might try to fix it myself instead of having to send it in.

 

I got mine yesterday and it is going back. I have exact same issue with the track pad as the you tube video. Tried to open the bottom but didnt want to force it too much as it would not come off easily. Screen door effect - present. Not much of an issue for me, i have a 2012 MBA to and it is 10 times the difference. I can manage that.

About the trackpad, mine has a rubbery coating and has the loose click pad issue. Mfr date 09/10. There might be some quality control issue, i bought mine retail and not from Lenovo.

 

So I got mine this week, and I have to say I am a little disappointed. It doesn't seem that much smaller than my old Dell e4300. I figured the screen would be lightyears ahead, but something seemed off, and then I found this board and now have been cursed with the knowledge of a screen door screen.
- keyboard great
- trackpad wobbly
- screen not impressive
- Ac adapter is huge.
- no dongle. No Gobi4000.
- my bezel was fine, but I did notice that if you play around with it, the adhesive will loosen.

We'll see. I might hold on to it for awhile and see if it grows on me.

QUESTION:
Does anyone have the Lenovo Ultraslim 90w charger system? This got my attention. Is the charger significantly smaller than the X1 Carbon charger? Can the dual charger charge an ipad? Thoughts?

Great forum btw, and definitely check out the 2nd post on this thread (omarcastz). SUPER USEFUL!

 

Okay, how would YOU charge this laptop?

 

I installed the Power Manager, Rescue and Recovery, and System Update. I don't know about the first charge; I just plugged it in and started using it right away.

 

Well my X1C is now at the mail in repair depot for the keyboard and trackpad repair/replace. Tracked it online. Got to them overnight via the UPS overnight box.

Surprise, surprise...it's stalled...waiting on parts. Come on Lenovo, I would very much like to actually use a fully functioning laptop someday...

 

after reading all these owner reports i have to say that i'm now very thankful that there was a big shipping delay. wihtout it i wouldn't have canceled my order.

the next iteration of the x1c has awesome potential. if they can fix the problems (low quality screen, trackpad, non-replaceable RAM/outrageous RAM pricing, etc.) and add the haswell processor -- which should double the battery life -- this thing will be a winner. but for now i'll pass.

 

Okay, I just got my X1 Carbon, and I have some mixed feelings. Probably because many people pointed out the short comings for this laptop, I am not yet used to it. So I want to name a couple of things that bother me and ask if you have the same experience/problem. And if you could help me decide if I need to send this back to get it fixed.

1. The keyboard is great. I am not used to it. but I also don't see too much difference. One of the problem is that I have to press the "H" key harder than the rest. Do you guys also have this uncomfortability? What should I do? Can I fix this on my own OR is it usually like this OR should I send it back?


2. Also, another person I think already said this, but the right side of the laptop seems to be "lifted." Right bottom side of the laptop, seems uneven.

Could anyone help me with these two? the H key bothers me a lot...

 

If I were you I would definitely get it fixed or replaced. My keyboard has no such issue. It really is a shame there are so many QC issues with these, because I think that otherwise it's really a great machine.

 

My X1c also just arrived and I've been playing with it for a little while. It's quite an adjustment coming from an X301.

My biggest frustration so far is I have one stuck pixel that only show's during an all black screen. Looks like a tiny speck of dust. Massaging it and tapping it has had no effect yet. Not sure what to do about that as Lenovo supposedly has a 2 or more bad pixel requirement to return the screen. Plus, it's such a hassle to return a laptop and get back on the waiting list that I'm not sure if it would be worth returning as there would be no guarantee that the next unit would be free of issues.

The keyboard is alright. From memory, it seems the previous X1 (non Carbon) had a more fluid keyboard while this one is a bit more clicky and sticky. Maybe it has to get broken in???

The touchpad does click when you press on it but from seeing others descriptions and videos, they all seem to do that and may have been designed that way.

Overall, the X1c is nice but there a some issues that get our attention. The unit is not totally silent like my X301 was. Can always hear a light pitched whine while the device is on. Maybe the fan will get looser in time and become quieter?

I'm on the fence right now on what to do. Will play more over the weekend and see where it takes me.

 

I actually like the laptop now, that I use it, but the h key does really bother me, because sometimes, it doesn't get pressed... But, then, I am a college student, so I don't want to send it back right now. I need the laptop. I feel like it would take a long time to fix. Do you know if I can just go to like the lenovo repair centers in town? I mean there is this hard Black thing stuck under the "h" key. Otherwise, screen door effect is not bad and the track pad is not loose.

 

I Fixed IT! And I am angry at lenovo now for doing such a crappy job in making this. So apparently there was a TINY screw underneath my "h" key. I had to use my small scissors in my swiss army knife to extract it. But I have to say. that was a hassale, and I was So scared that I would mess it up. But I didn't thankfully...

 

The touchpad wasn't designed that way. I had two X1C's, the first one which had the "clicking/loose" trackpad and the other one was rock solid. I also thought it may have been "by design" until I got to feel how it really should be on the 2nd one.

I think the whining is also a QC issue. And the random screw under your H key jimina, wow! Lenovo is really letting things slide at their factory. :/

 

Do you guys think slimline power adapter&hide_menu_area=yes#techspecs has the plug for the X1C?

Or ar eyou guys buying other adapters? (and if so which)

Btw, amazon.com has a gigabit usb3 adapter, unfortunately only shipping in the US, fyi.

 

Hi, I just ran into this guide that expains to lenovo parners what's inside the X1C and how to disassemble and reassemble it.
Hope it could help those who have issues with keyboard or loose touchpad:

ThinkPad X1 Carbon Service Training Course

 

This is awesome! Thanks so much for the share! :thumbsup:

 

See second post in this thread

@av676:
You'll need an adapter for it - it's on the US but not the UK site: Lenovo Slim Power Adapter for X1 Carbon | Lenovo | (US)

 

That's just great, the UK customer support guy explicitly emailed me that this would be enough....so they bring out a laptop and no extra power cables or adaptor...who could have predicted that user could possibly want that...lol

Thx for answer, searching is currently screwed up in my browser due to some browser extensions not loving new firefox....(could have used site search though)...

 

I'm in the same boat. I waited a month to receive the laptop. I had some issues, so I sent it in for repairs. It's been more than a week and they still have not sent it back because they are waiting on parts for the repair. I sold my other laptop so I have been without one for so long.

 

I can confirm the "rubbery" trackpad surface is a QC issue. The first X1 carbon I got (for family member) had a silky-smooth glass trackpad surface. So, I bought a second X1C for myself, and it came with an annoying rubber trackpad surface! It's as if someone forgot to cover the trackpad while spraying rubber coating on the rest of the system. Anyway, it has to be a mistake since rubber is the LAST thing you want on a trackpad surface -- when you use downward pressure to click, your finger can't slide at all.

My suggestion for those who get the rubber trackpad is to keep returning it until you get the nice glass one that everyone raves about. That's what I'm going to do.

 

Thanks for the tip. Gonna call them tomorrow.

 

You can buy the square X1C power tip on eBay: lenovo slim power tip | eBay.

The slim power adapter is great for traveling. It's really thin and it can charge two devices at the same time (so I'm guessing also an iPad, but I haven't tried that).

 

Everybody with the LCD bezel gap issue: have a look at the video in chapter "FRU Service: LCD Bezel". Taking it off and putting it back is REAL easy!

 

I compared it to a MBP the other day and the MBP is more metallic feeling, whereas the X1C is more "silky". Both very smooth, but subtly different.

This problem is being reported on the Lenovo forums as well: https://forums.lenovo.com/t5/X-Series-ThinkPad-Laptops/X1-Carbon-rubbery-trackpad/td-p/877235

 

That's the same guy gobeezer as a few posts up. Looks like he also posted an Amazon review about it.

gobeezer: can you please take photos of your two trackpads, so that we can see what the surfaces look like side-by-side?

 

Does the wwan card only work with Lenovo's mobile access/pay as you go payment model, or can I add the x1 carbon to my share everything plan through Verizon for a mere $20?

 

Great question. I tried holding them up to light at different angles, and found that they're visually the same. Both X1C touchpads (glassy and rubbery) have a flat black appearance.

My revised guess would be that they're all being sprayed/treated with something to make them look flat black, and in only some cases that process leaves the unwanted no-slip texture. Maybe it has to do with a mixture, or factory temperature/humidity at the time of application, etc.

Whatever the reason, you wouldn't know it by looking at them, but when you touch them they are worlds apart. While pressing down to click the glassy touchpad, your finger can still slide around pretty effortlessly. While pressing down to click the rubbery touchpad, your finger is pretty much stuck.

 

Hi gobeezer,

I also received my X1c and am not really sure which Touchpad I have (as I had no way to compare different units). Although my touchpad is not as smooth as say a pane of glass, it's also not as sticky as the ThinkPad palm-rest area adjoining the touchpad. Are you saying your touchpad is as sticky as the rest of the ThinkPad surface?

Secondly, what options are available? You mention keep returning the unit until a good one is found but then you could spend the next few months just ordering and returning ThinkPads. One possibility is to keep the unit and wait down the road until the keyboard/touchpad part is end-user replaceable. Sure it's not the most elegant solution but at least you could start using your notebook rather than waiting for the Lenovo factory and the UPS shipping times.

Lastly, how are you getting through to the Lenovo exchange/repair department? Whenever I call, the hold times are around an hour and often the phone gets disconnected. Just that frustration alone makes me dread returning the laptop.

Let us all know what you decide to do.

 

has anyone confirmed beyond any doubts that 128gb SDXC/SDHC cards that are UHS-1 Class 10 are completely compatible and recognized by the X1C?

also: steveXX had posted that he suggests a particular Sandisk 128gb with a USB 3.0 card reader as part of the package, but no matter how long i searched for it, i cannot seem to find a retailer or etailer that has that! i'm in the US, so i searched everywhere including, of course, Amazon and Newegg.

steveXX, may i ask you to please either private message me or post here re: where one may find those 128gb SD cards with the USB 3.0 readers please?

thx in advance!

 

Just for a chuckle: I happen to work at a glass table. And my finger slides much more smoothly even over the palm-rest area of the X1C than over the glass.

Just pointing out how hard it is to make comparisons like this over the forums. Since gobeezer says his touchpads are indistinguishable until you touch them, I think its going to be hard to figure "which" trackpad you have (assuming the trackpads fall into two groups).

By the way, I am not usually a trackpad user so can anyone enlighten me about this:
People have mentioned wanting to be able to push down on the clickpad and then "drag" their pressed-down finger to select text. It was my understanding that the correct way to click and drag with a clickpad is to click with one finger, than drag with a different finger. Is this not how most people do it? I can't imagine a trackpad smooth enough to make the one-finger way easier and more precise than this way. Not to mention: if you're dragging a pressed-down finger and get to the end of the pad, then you can't recenter the finger you're dragging with.

 

My first X1C touchpad has a very low-friction smooth glass surface, which feels identical to Apple's "Magic Trackpad," for example. You can easily slide your finger around on it while pressing that same finger down to click.

My second X1C touchpad has a texture like VERY fine rubber. I wouldn't call it "sticky," just a very fine texture that makes for friction while pressing down. The texture is similar to the palm-rest area, though not exactly the same; for me the friction is HIGHER while pressing down on the touchpad.

Note that sliding around is pretty easy in any case as long as you're not pressing down. So, as vanagon points out, press-to-clickers could avoid this by pressing down with one finger while sliding around a different finger. For me though, sliding the same finger that's pressing down is more intuitive, and is the way I'm used to working. So, I'll hope for a smooth-glass replacement, though I can't say how I'll do since I just started the process.

 

I've had the rubbery touchpad as well. After a few uses, It seems to smooth out as the rubber wears out. It does feel like there's dirt/grain on my fingertips. I assume that's the coating coming off.

Another issue, Has anyone who's done a full wipe gotten the "Always On" USB port to work?

 

hey, received my X1C a couple of days ago from Germany (i5 / 256 gb / 8 gb).

I am not really satisfied with the screen. The screen door effect is pretty obvious and a little bit annoying. How is the quaility of your display and your impression?
If this is not an exception I might think of returning it and replace it with a Samsung 900x3c!
Also my touchpad is rubber coated and slightly loose.

 

I just wanted to share my story-
I ordered the carbon on the 14th(first day) Lenovo canceled the order for some reason on the 29th. Reordered on the 30th and received it on the Sept. 27th. I have fiddled with this machine for a few days and have loved the basics about it. My screen was great, touch pad was great and generally I liked everything about it. There were a few problems like buttons not working and the base and deck of the machine are loose even with all screws tight but this morning I have screen problems. Lenovo support said that there are dead pixel lines on my screen. I can deal with a few problems but they have no idea when they will have these parts in and I don't want it to sit at the depot waiting to get repaired and me without a laptop again! I really wanted this to work and it has been one frustration after another! Its sadly going back today and I have no plans to replace it with another Lenovo. I have lost all faith in this company! Peace out!

 

It really saddens me to read this. This should be a wake up call for Lenovo.

 

I'm getting my mousepad replaced tomorrow (I have on-site warranty). I will let you guys know if the rubbery issue gets resolved.