T60 Initial Impressions

Hi guys,

I just received my new T60 on Friday, and so far, I am quite pleased with it. Compared to the Dell E1505 that I had, the quality is impeccable. The build quality is fantastic. It feels like it will hold up for a long time, unlike the Dell, which just felt cheap. The screen is sturdy and strong, and the palm rests are made of seemingly nice plastic. The keyboard is fantastic as well (I lucked out and got the NMB keyboard). Everything feels just right when typing. The Dell's keyboard was mediocore at best in comparison. The Flexview screen is also quite nice. The matte screen is different than the Dell's glossy screen, but I think it is better at the same time. It's nice not to see reflections. And the resolution (1440x1050) is perfect. Fonts are a little small, but it's worth it for the real estate you can see. The touchpad and trackpoint work great; both are very sensitive. The hard drive and fan do make some noise, but all computers seem too, so it doesn't bother me to much. Another plus is that Lenovo doesn't put all that bloatware software on like Dell. It's nice to have a computer with only the essentials.

I do have a few questions though.

1. How good are Symantec Client Firewall and Anti-virus, which came pre-installed? Are they as bad as Norton? Should I switch to Comodo Firewall and NOD 32?

2. I am slightly worried that my screen has a couple of dead pixels. They are not very noticeable, but what's the best way to fix them. Do programs that flash lights work, or should I "rub" them out? I also read somewhere that the UltraNav driver can cause these dead/stuck pixels. Is this true? Is there a way to fix this?

3. Is there anyway to set the BIOS so that the only way to logon to the computer is through the fingerprint reader. Right now, I can either scan my finger, or press Control-Alt-Delete and enter a Windows password. I want it so that only the fingerprint works. Is that possible?

4. Where do you find the settings in the BIOS to adjust the fan, hard drive, and disc drive settings? I thought it was possible to make them run quieter. I'm not sure if I want to do that, but I was curious as to where those settings can be found.

5. Lastly, when I ran ThinkVantage System Update, it responded with 3 critical updates, and 15 or so recommended or optional updates. I installed the 3 critical ones, but I wasn't sure if the other ones were necessary. Should I rerun it, and install everything?

Thanks so much for all the help. It's been a long 3 months, but I think I finally have a computer that I like.

Jordan

 

What model T60 did you get ?

 

I custom configured my machine. It is a T60 with a 15" SXGA+ screen. I upgraded most components to maximize performance.

 

1. Symantec and Norton are the same thing. So I would say ditch it.

3. As far as I know, the fingerprint is always in addition to the password. I don't think there is a way to disable that option to use a password. I mean, hey, what would happen if you lost your finger(s) in some freak accident? In addition to not having your fingers anymore, you would have to pay the $900 for a new motherboard and possibly lose all your data. That would suck.

4. You can adjust that settings in the power manager (double click on the big green battery) by adjusting the power schemes. You can't adjust things too specifically, though. I'm not sure what is available for core duos, but 'thinkpad fancontrol' allows you to control the fan on the pentium M's. ( http://forum.thinkpads.com/viewtopic.php?t=17715&postdays=0&postorder=asc&start=0; that's the thread, I don't know if there is a direct link to it, or if it works for the t60)

congrats on your new computer. I'm sure you will love it; I think I like mine more now (1 1/2 yrs later) even more than when I got it.

 

LMAO. Right, because it wouldn't suck so bad to lose all your fingers if you could still get to your data.

Chris

 

I personally use NetVeda's SafetyNet and AVG Free.

 

I can vouch for AVG Free. It is a nice clean piece of software that is unobtrusive (unlike Norton) and does not slow down your computer exponentially (like Norton).