System Update will not update R50 with Vista

First, let me apoligize for the thread on an old Thinkpad.

My X32 recently died and I was able to replace it with an X60 Tablet. I sold it for about $50, but kept the ram and hard drive. So I looked around to see if maybe could use the ram (2Gb) and hard drive (320Gb WD) on another notebook, since I just did want to get rid of those parts. After some research, I found that the R50 fit the bill, it would take the ram and hard drive. So, I got a used on for $110, and install the ram and hard drive and install XP Pro.

The used ThinkPad R50 that I purchased has the following configuration:
- Pentium M 1.4 GHz (Centrino processor)
- 2Gb PC2700 (added Ram)
- 14.1" 1024x768 XGA screen
- Radeon 7500 Mobility graphics card with 32MB RAM
- 320 GB WD Hard Drive (added Hard Drive)
- Built in 802.11b Wi-Fi

I ran XP Pro for the last 2 months, I recently uninstalled the hard drive and reinstalled the old hard drive and installed Vista Ultimate (only copy I have of Vista). I will be studying for my MCDST upgrade, 70-621, and wanted to get a hands on with Vista. After installing Vista, I installed System Update and ran it, I got no installations, I have run it several times and nothing. Did Vista install all the needed drivers??? Or is the R50 just too old for Vista? I was expecting System update to at least install some the programs, "connection, power management, etc., etc.", but nothing was found or installed. I had to have Vista find the wireless drivers. I am not complaining, Vista runs fine on the R50, I just don't want to have install each program, one by one. I plan to run Win 7 on this machine later, when I study for that exam too.
Also I installed Vista on my X60 Tablet in a dual boot configuration, so I can have two Vista Pc communicate, run the System Update with no issues, downloaded and installed all the needed programs and drivers.

One last thing, I recently purchased a used X200, which came with a copy of Vista Business, I tried to install that copy on the R50, (so I would not have to go through activation), but when it asked the for disc 1, which was in the opticial drive, I got a wrong disc error, I put in disc 2, and got the same error. Or the new OS disc set becoming "system" specific??

Any comments or suggestions?

 

R50 never came with Vista, so there is no official vista drivers for the machine, which may also explain why System Update did not pick up on the relevant drivers for the system.

Regarding, using the X200 recovery media on a R50, this is not possible. As the recovery media goes through a check to see whether the R50 machine type matches the list of models that is compatible with the discs. But you can try to obtain a Vista retail or OEM installation discs from somewhere, and use that to install the Vista on your R50, then activate it using the X200's Serial Number.

 

Thanks for the reply, I kinda figured that the issue was the age of the R50.

The copy of Vista Ultimate I have is OEM, system builders copy, I go it years ago, when Vista first came out, I was one of the first to jump on the band wagon, when I built my first "gaming" desktop, (I use to game on a Clevo D900T), but since Vista did not want to load the drivers for my 8500GT GPU, I decided not to use it and have stuck with XP since. But since I am studying for a Microsoft Exam, I figured I would use it again, twice.

So the recovery disc are "somewhat" system specific. Okay, cool, thank for the reply and information. I will be looking to install the programs individually.

Thanks again