ThinkPad X220 (i/T) Owners Thread

You must have some great eyes JohnsonDellBrat to view the screen at level 3 or even 5. I have to have mine at 12 at least or my eyes suffer

 

I used my wall clock. I knew when I first booted and when I shut down... no shut downs in between. Got 6 hrs 38 mins to be exact. Clean install, no power manager. Had only about 15 minutes left in the battery (windows monitor).


Out of curiosity. Does windows automatically stop charging or putting power to the battery when it is fully charged? That was the only reason I was going to dl power manager, to stop the the battery from charging while plugged in. However now that I look down at windows power scheme taskbar thing it says, "98% available (plugged in, not charging)". Does that mean it isn't putting power to the battery at all? I'd like to extend the battery life as much as possible. Usually I just remove the battery after done charging when on AC, but the x220 has throttling problems when you do that.

 

Yeah, Lenovo has some special charging circuitry, which will not charge your battery to the max in order to extend the lifespan of the battery over time. You will need to us the lenovo power manager in order to gain access to the setting (it can be turned off.) I have it set to auto, sometimes it won't change it to 100%, other times it will.

 

Ha, I have jet fighter pilot equivalent eyes... so I may be an outlier. I've been using it at 3 for the last few hours. As long as the sun isn't beaming directly on the screen, I don't have any problems with that. I almost wish I could go into the negative numbers when I'm in a pitch black room, lol. I also have blue eyes, I've been told they take in a little more light than darker eyes (could be total bs ha).

 

I got mine yesterday. This is my first laptop ever and I am very very happy with it, except for the horrendous speakers. I hope something can be done about this, as boosting the EQ settings to make it loud enough to hear makes for a very distorted sound. Last night I was just web browsing and downloading/installing stuff and got about 7 hours at brightness 9. No fan noise, no heat issues. This machine really oozes quality. Track pad will take some trial & error tweaking to get it behaving properly, but there are a ton of settings to try.

Pardon my ignorance, but can anyone tell me, practically speaking, when it is best to enable hibernation and when to sleep?

Also, how can I confirm that I indeed have the IPS screen?

 

1. I see no reason to use hibernation anymore, unless you plan to keep the unit off for more than a day.

2. Did you get a pre-configured model? Or a CTO? If you got a pre-config you can use the www.lenovo.com/psref/pdf/tabook.pdf to determine if your pre-config does. If you did a CTO, then you should have remembered if you selected the option or not.

 

Yeah, shame about the speakers, especially since the IPS screen lends itself so well to films, multimedia etc. Someone else mentioned that the X220 speakers were even worse than the tinny speakers found on other Thinkpads. It's as if (the bean counters at) Lenovo spent all the available budget on other parts of the notebook.

Hopefully, there will be a software fix for the low volume level, although I have my doubts there will be. You could still stream audio wirelessly to small pc speakers or monitors- maybe having a few pairs positioned in places where you usually put your notebook down while at home

 

I just got my x220! The first thing that annoyed me was some slight backlight bleed on the bottom left corner of the screen...

 

Honestly, the speakers really aren't bothering me. I adjusted the EQ to emphasize mid- and high-range frequencies to prevent the blaring of the low-frequencies, and it's now quite loud and sounds clear!

 

I just got my laptop! It looks and feel amazing, and cannot be happier.

Anything you all would suggest I do as a first before I enjoy my laptop .

Also, the battery manager from lenovo seems redundant as there is one for W7, would you guys recommend me taking it out? It keeps fluctuating by 2-3 hours for no reason (but holy , 10 hours for a full charge on a 9 cell..stated on the lenovo meter, but 15 hours from W7, IDK who to believe).

 

24 hrs of fast and meditation

Party round yours, then?

 

In case anyone else runs into this problem. I received my x220 today with slow wifi connectivity even though I was connected at 300 mbps. I have the intel 6205 adapter. At first I downloaded new drivers from Intel but this didn't solve my problem. I then realized I hadn't tried Lenovo's drivers.

Turns out I have outdated drivers shipped to me and lenovo has updated ones on their website. Hope this helps others.

Edit: the current lenovo intel advanced-n 6205 drivers are version 14.0.1.2

 

No, NO. I tossed and turned. All night, in anticipation for my new laptop.

That worked out made me hungry, and fasting will destroy my mortal body. But seriously, I can't wait till my RAM and HDD comes tomorrow

 

Oh man! I just saw the ghosting / "burn in". I was watching a vimeo video, had my brightness on like 12. At the end of the video was about 5 seconds of black, and as soon as I pressed esc to get out of fullscreen, it took about 3 seconds for the black to fade back into my desktop. Kinda like my desktop was washed out for about 3 seconds, as the contrast came back to normal.

strange indeed.

 

Welcome to the club. Well, I was a member. I returned the system due to that issue (among others). These screens are flawed! No way should they be selling these as a premium IPS display with ghosting galore.

The best screen right now (if you can find it) is on the X200 Tablet and X201 Tablet. It's the "Outdoor/Glossy 400Nit" display.

See here:

http://i1195.photobucket.com/albums/aa392/amysebayaccount/DSC_0014.jpg

http://i1195.photobucket.com/albums/aa392/amysebayaccount/DSC_0015.jpg

 

You don't own an x220 anymore, and you're still hanging out in the owner's thread?

You must be an HP or Dell plant, trying to get us to return our new toys! haha.

 

Received my X220 at last!
Initial impression is very positive. I immediately felt like this was a great choice. For me the form factor is absolutely perfect. Keyboard and screen are beyond my expectations.

Very quiet so far as well.

Of course the screen is the star. Many don't like the rez, but the IPS just looks so awesome. Well worth the price of admission.

I am just getting to know this laptop, but so far I am psyched. Very glad I upped the ante from the x120e to this.

Pros: light, fast, best screen ever, quiet.
cons: so far touchpad seems a bit weird, but not bad.

 

I got a CTO model and ordered the IPS screen, but I just want to confirm that they didn't make a mistake in my order. I have nothing to compare it to, since this is my first laptop. So is there something somewhere in the software that confirms the premium screen?

 

You should have a line item in your order that begins with: 12.5PRMHD

12.5 inch Premium HD

 

A few observations on my new i7 x220:

- Generally very happy, very fast, actually like the relative lack of bloatware
- Keyboard is very good, but perhaps my expectations were unreasonably high - I find the slight flex at the very top around the power button to be mildly annoying. The down arrow doesnt have the same 'soft' feel as the up arrow. The Delete key feels a bit 'tinny' compared to the softness of the mid-lower keyboard keys...Am I being weird?
- How do I set it so that I dont automatically connect to my mobile broadband when I boot up? It's not a profile under my wireless networks under win 7. I do have a profile under ThinkVantage access connections, but I don't see any option to turn on or off "automatically connect"?
- I do have a couple of small blooms of blacklight bleed on bottom centre left and centre right. I don't think they'll annoy me as they're very mild and I can only see them when I bootup in a very dark room.
- I noticed my screen was flickering a bit when I was on a white page (eg google homepage). I realised somehow my display setting was set to 50hz instead of 60hz, this solved the problem.

Petrov.

 

OK, so what I am hearing is that there is no way to tell within the computer itself whether the screen is IPS or not. Fair enough. I'll just have to take it on faith that they got the order right.

One other question... is it harmful to leave the laptop plugged in for long periods (days at a time) when fully charged? Is there a trickle charge that keeps the battery topped up?

 

Had the computer around a day, and I really like it so far.

However, the fan is getting annoying (though im getting used to it).

Also, I don't know why my computer is getting so hot from regular web browsing, etc. My idle temp is around 43 (normal?), but when I open a webpage and start surfing, it jumps up to high 50s/low 60s. Idk how it'll get if I open SC2, lol.

 

Congrats. I wish I could say the same.

 

Ask Lenovo to send you a replacement in the post.

 

Hi David. I really don't think a replacement keyboard is the answer to this. The keyboard when taken out is VERY flexible and any movement behind the keys is due not to a keyboard fault but how closely the keyboard's thin back panel fits to the body of the laptop. A replacement keyboard may or may not be bent slightly differently and give a different fit.
The easiest solution is either (1) to bend the keyboard slightly (if you are feeling brave) or (2) identify which area of the keyboard isn't sitting flat and pack it with a bit of tape (as I did). Taking out the keyboard only involves removing two screws, and the official Leneovo video guide is on Youtube.

While I'm on here I just wanted to add how pleased I am with the battery life of my X220 (i7, 300GB/7200, 9 cell). I haven't been keeping a log of time but I've been using it on battery for most of a day and it's still saying 3.12 left, which I believe. Compare to my X300 and earlier Thinkpads it's amazing. I will be very happy with this one to visit a customer for a day and leave the power supply at home.

 

That's great Sally. Pleased to hear it

Has anyone got the 4-cell and how long does it last on a full-charge?

Yer, point taken

 

You should be able to see it. There is a video that shows the difference and it's really pronounced when viewing from an angle. So if the colors are still clear and the blacks are black when you view it from an extreme angle then it's an IPS. The regular TFT gets really washed out in those conditions.

About the battery. Normally it's Ok as long as you don't leave it plugged in for weeks or months at a time and actually use the battery now and then.

 

Had my x220 for a few hours and noticed a stuck pixel. Very disappointing. Debating if I should request an exchange (I'm aware of their pixel policy) or just return the unit and pay the 15% restocking fee.

 

Stuck pixels would be my first consern when turning on the system and after paying a premium I would be sicken to own one. If it were me, I would call support and politly tell them you are not happy with this and see what can be done. Its up to you if you want a RMA with restocking fee. Perhaps they just might waive it, not sure.

Good luck with the decision

 

Sicken? That seems a bit of stretch. ThinkPad Dead Pixel Policy.

 

I have backlight bleed all over the bottom of my screen. Gonna have onsite-repair swap out a new ips panel, hopefully in front of me--so I can make sure there is no bleed.

Pisses me off...

 

Dead pixels can be weird. I had a X200T with one and it actually disappeared after about a month and never resurfaced, but I wouldn't count on this situation every time.

 

Anyone know what Intel SSD is shiipped in the X220 from Lenovo?

Other than a delay (shipping 30 days out from order) the EPP deal less 12% made the actual Lenovo option of the 160 GB SSD worthwhile (~300 for the drive installed).

I think it used to be the X25, but am thinking that the delay could be due to using the newer SSDs.

Perry

 

Anyone know what fmapp.exe is and if it is needed? I know it has to do with the audio, but was wondering if I could remove it from the startup services list.

 

Anyone experience occasional erratic touchpad behavior when plugged in?

 

Maybe a stupid question, but shouldn't the wifi and bluetooth indicator lights in the black casing around the screen come on when all wireless has been turned on? They sure did on my X200 but they are not lighting up on my new X220 at the moment? Is it a settings thing?

 

Just got mine. Couple of questions.

1) I can't find how to enable Bluetooth anywhere! I've looked under Device Manager, Control Panel, etc.

2) How extensive is the Lenovo Recovery backup? Should I delete and install everything (Office, iTunes, anti-virus) then create a recovery CD?

3) what is considered bloat wear that is redundant with windows or just taking up resources? I am going to try and uninstall what I don't need and stay with OS from factory.

 

I can only help with question 1, I think. Try Fn-F5.

Petrov.

I wanted to run the relatively new 3dmark11, which I understand requires dx11 support. I thought the x220 had dx11 support - when I run dxdiag it says that the directx version on win 7 professional is dx11...

But when I run 3dmark11, it says that it can only find feature version 10_1?

Anyone else tried to run 3dmark11 on an x220? Running win7 professional.

Petrov.

 

Update: just noticed that they are on but so dim in average daylight conditions that they are difficult to see. Is this normal? My X200 was right next to it and the indicators are far more visible?

 

sorry, if this has been asked/answered: Anybody knows which brand Lenovo is using for the X220 SSD? I guess it's Intel, but which model?

 

I'm curious if you think it makes much of a difference? One of the drives is 128GB, which is probably not an Intel.

 

One user reported getting a x25-m for the 160gb.

 

You are right, the 128 GB SSD is most probably not from Intel. After some research I found the 160 GB offer is almost certainly an Intel X25-M.

Otherwise, with all due respect, SSD brand and model can make make a huge difference in performance, reliability, and support. In particular when the manufacturer is not even informed you risk to get some lowly first generation SSD. Because Lenovo is not specifying the brand of the 128 GB offer, and the 160 GB X25M is already a bit "dated", I will go for the 250 GB 5.400 rpm HDD and replace it with an OEM SSD of my choice.

 

I guess to some degree that will depend on how you define huge. That has not been my experience with them. They all seem about the same to me and are all gimped in low power mode on laptops. Probably the best option if you want a particular SSD is to get it with the cheapest hard drive and buy the SSD you want.

 

Anyone thinking about getting the Tablet Sleeve.. Don't. It sucks.

Barely fits the 6 cell.

 

Update: So it's apparently my AC adapter causing the issue. I bought one of the Ultraslim models from Amazon (Lenovo brand) and when it's plugged in, the touchpad is almost unusably jumpy. That's a bizarre problem, huh?

Can anyone else with an Ultraslim confirm whether this is a problem with all adapters of that type?

 

So I guess you own both X220 tablet and the 12" sleeve (51J0476). Any chance you post some pictures of how bad the fit is? I remember seeing some pictures of this sleeve with a regular X220 and there seemed to be plenty of room left.

 

the 128 ssd is a Samsung. that's the way I ordered mine and honestly its pretty darn fast enough with atto tools testing so I'm happy. I simply didn't have a need for the 160 and I'm not a fan of Intel ssd drives but I wanted a ssd that would be forced to be supported under Lenovo warranty so that's what I got. frankly once you go ssd you wont want anything else. I have a Kingston 128gig in my x61- a 256gig crucial in my x300 .

almost happy with my x220.
ym

 

I just want to say, this my first experience with the Trackpoint and I absolutely love it. It's great to be able to scroll and use the mouse without moving your hands away from the keyboard. I'd like to hear what others have done with their trackpoint to increase functionality.

In case anyone is looking for a sleeve for the X220 and the 9 cell battery. I found out my wife's 13" White Macbook sleeve fits very well.

You could also stroll into an Apple Store and test it out.

 

When I plug in headphones in my x220, the right side always doesn't work. I was searching around and I thought I saw someone saying that it might be a soldering problem? Could someone point me in the right direction?