ThinkPad X220 (i/T) Owners Thread

Did you delete it from the C:\ drive after copying it?

 

Yes ZaZ. I did find a. reg script to take ownership of the folder and after running it that worked. But I did not know it would be that much trouble.

 

My X220 got an HDD replacement in 2012 but still I noticed some BSOD in last weeks.
Thinking about replacing it with a new 512GB SSD such as Crucial MX200, cloning the old HDD (the idea to reinstall the dozen of customized programs it's unthinkable, also didnt have Win nor Office installer).
How safe is the clone procedure? Will next just need to slide in the new SSD and boot?

 

I want to put a camera in my x220t, and see no problem buying one , but can it be installed in a x220t that originally did not have a camera? I can not find one article on how to install one into a x220t tablet. There is plenty of information about a standard x220 (non tablet) camera install, but none for the tablet version. It looks like mine just has a little plastic covering where the camera would go that I may need to take out somehow, and then I am not sure if the "hook up" is there for the camera or not on the motherboard.

 

Based on past experience, I would say yes, it can be done, but I don't have any information on the procedure. My guess would be it hooks to the LCD cable, but again, don't have any specific information. You might want to post this over on ThinkPads.com where you might find some with more know how.

 

A couple of X220 questions:

1) I recently took apart my i7 X220 and replaced the entire fan assembly with the newer revision part (all copper, old one had copper heatsink and aluminum fan module). Sadly I did not see a significant drop in temperatures, however my X220 throttles much less now (i.e. runs at turbo speed for longer). However, I have noticed that the only time I've ever heard my Thinkpad's fan go to full speed is during the EC Firmware update part of a BIOS flash. During normal usage, even when stress testing with linpack, the fan never goes to full speed, which keeps temp in the high 80s-mid 90s. Is there a reason for this?

2) I am using BIOS 1.28, which was the last to support 1866MHz RAM. Sadly, I'm still using EC Firmware 1.13. My question is: can one combine a different BIOS version with a different EC firmware?

I would like to keep using BIOS 1.28 but with EC Firmware 1.24 (latest release).

Which of the flashing utility's files is the BIOS and which is the EC Firmware (.fl1 and .fl2 files in FLASH folder). Is it safe to mix and match BIOSes and EC firmwares? Has anyone attempted this?

 

I've recently obtained the new modified v1.40 BIOS for the X220.

Extra work has gone into this BIOS as its not just a whitelist.

The new modified BIOS has the following features:

1) The whitelist unlocks not only WLAN cards but WWAN cards.
2) AES hardware encryption has been unlocked.
3) Advanced settings in the BIOS have been unlocked.
3) Memory speed has been unlocked.
4) AES_MSR_0xE2 has been unlocked allowing you to install apple operating systems.

I've attached some pics below.

If your interested in obtaining the BIOS please PM me.

 

@Rambler damn that's sweet! WIsh I had that when I owned mine...

 

Can someone recommend 802.11ac replacement card for this? Have heard lot of issues with Intel 7260, does Killer N1525 fit in this laptop? What else is there?

 

I'm actually using a 7260-AC card in my X220 and I haven't had any issues whatsoever.

This card works great with my Asus RT-AC87U router especially on the 5Ghz band.

 

For 10 minutes, I have tried to find "Send private message" button, with no luck. I'm interested of this bios, can you send me copy?

 

Did anyone install Win10 on their X220 yet? Will Fingerprint work like in Win7?

 

I think I can't send you a PM because I don't have enough posts, can you share it ?
Regards

 

Hi everyone.

To get the BIOS you need to contact a guy called Oleh over at the BIOS mods site.

 

Good to see this thread is still going strong. I hope my soon-to-arrive X250 will stay with me for as long as you guys' X220s.

 

or
http://forums.mydigitallife.info/th...lly-Thinkpad?p=1118182&viewfull=1#post1118182

regards

 

New owner of X220 tablet here, with a couple of questions.

1. Auto rotation.
As far as I read, I need to install some HDD shock protection in order to utilize automatic display rotation (currently grayed out). What driver do I need to install?

2. OS
I prefer Windows 8.1, it feels snappier than 7. What functionality do I loose, exactly, by installing it instead of 7? What about 10?

3. Ambient light sensor.
On my machine, there is no option to enable adaptive brightness. How do I fix it?

 

Bump.

 

Hi,
I registerted to this Forum because I have problems with my X220T. I recently installed an ac7260 but wasn't able to put Bluetooth on the Convertible to work. Am I forced to install the Bluetooth Daugther card, which is mentioned in the HMM?
I also found these threads, which sadly didn't help me...
http://forum.notebookreview.com/thr...ith-bluetooth-4-0-working-lower-temps.709182/
http://forum.notebookreview.com/threads/x220-wwan-upgrade-bluetooth-addition-i.742690/

 

@Aquatuner try this.

 

Do you mean the recomendation of ansible212 with installing this: http://support.lenovo.com/de/de/downloads/ds038083 , do you think it'll enable bluetooth under Win10 even if I installed it in the Wlan-Slot, because i've also sitting a mSata SSD inside there...

 

@Aquatuner worth a try, as well as covering one of the pins and other stuff members attempt to make it work. I have 6205 and separate Bluetooth board, so can't confirm any of it.

 

It's the utility called Active Protection System, available on Lenovo's website.

Power Manager is not officially supported by Lenovo on anything newer than W7. Some people have installed it with no issues, the others have reported stability problems. Proceed - or not - at your own peril.

Sorry, no clue.

 

@ajkula66 thank you very much once again!

I successfully upgraded to 10, following most steps from NBR Windows 10 Clean Installation Guide. It is indeed much snappier - on par with 8.1 - and looks even better. Touchscreen behaves much better, too. I didn't manage to get auto screen rotation working despite the fact I installed necessary software - it behaves as if calibration data is not saved; ambient light sensor seems to be active, at least there is an adaptive brightness option in power settings; Power Manager didn't work even in compatibility mode, but I don't miss it. The only major problem is slow boot - faster than 7 of course, but still not satisfactory - despite UEFI only and Quick boot settings in BIOS. Overall, Windows 7 is obsolete in my opinion - especially for a convertible tablet - and despite all the trouble setting up Windows 10, upgrading is worth it.

I really love the swipe-fingerprint-and-voila feature to boot and authenticate the machine, it is fantastic! Setting up drive encryption wasn't a problem either. While I like the x230 keyboard my tablet came with, different key mapping in BIOS affects the experience and I'm going to replace it sooner or later. The port layout is great too, the only complaint would be ethernet port location - but I need it solely when using the tablet as second monitor, and it is ideal for such application. I am yet to make my final judgement, after some more parts arrive, but I really like the X220 tablet so far.

 

It depends what slot you have it in as the Intel card requires a mini pcie slot that has USB for the Bluetooth component to work.

In my X220 I've got an Ericsson WWAN card in the full size mini pcie slot which has USB and its GPS component works fine as this needs the USB part.

In the half size slot I have an Intel WLAN card and the Bluetooth component of this card won't work as the half size slot doesn't have USB functionality. I therefore have to rely on the on board Bluetooth daughter card.

Removing the Ericsson WWAN card and installing the Intel WLAN card with an adapter results in both WLAN and Bluetooth working.

Moral of the story is that Intel cards with Bluetooth need a mini pcie slot that has USB connectivity and only the full size mini pcie slot in the X220 has this.

 

Did anyone flash 1.42 modified BIOS without 5 beeps? Is it good? Next poster says about problems with WLAN. I can't flash the tried-and-tested BIOS with 5 beeps because TPM is essential for me and 5 beeps are intolerable.

 

I don't know if it's the same exact modded file, though it looks like the one I used (just a different readme), works fine, no wifi issues, no beeps, though I am still on the stock wifi card.

One thing to make sure you do, install the stock 1.42 FIRST. It's included.
That is where some people are messing up, it's not a complete bios file, it's merely changing a couple settings in it and it won't work unless you have the proper bios already installed first.

 

I'm considering to replace x220 with a hp 2570p (new battery).
What about this hypothesis?



Sent with black Moto E2 2015

 

@leslieann is it the same as in the first post in that thread, then? And do you have TPM enabled?

@Rambler, please tell, does BIOS you posted here produce 5 beeps with TPM enabled?

 

A little thicker and quite a bit heavier due to the dvd, it won't feel quite as svelte, personally they look a bit more brick/utilitarian than even the Lenovos do. While a generation newer, it's not a significant step up really, more of a sidestep with a bump. If you didn't have a 220, I would say consider it, but as it stands, there's not going to be much gained by doing it.

Bottom line, it depends on if you value an imperceptible performance gain and a DVD over weight and size.

I just ran a hash on the files, those bios are the same as mine with one teeny alteration to the config (not the bios itself), which I am going to bet has to do with the beeps. I swapped my wifi card, no problems, when I enabled the TPM I got the beeps.

I would say you are safe using that file, but like I said, flash the factory 1.42 first.

 

Thks for Your considerations but consider That I've sold My x220 for 250 euro and for less Money ( 200 euro) I could take more recent 2570p with a battery just replaced (new).

Another budget alternative I'm considering is a lenovo m30-70, with just two months of life that I could take for the same money


But I don't know if in terms of keyboard and build quality it is near the same level of classical business Lenovo and Hp models.


Sent with black Moto E2 2015

 

Well since you already got rid of the X220, the HP is no longer pointless. I still say it's more of a side-shift than upgrade, but it is a nice computer.

Personally, I wouldn't touch that M3070, it's a downgrade. It's heavier, has an I3 (A ULV version!) and a max of 8gb. Build quality is not going to be as good, and while the keyboard isn't bad, the touchpad is meh and the screen is not an IPS.The battery life isn't even any better than the X220. It's not just a downgrade, it's a serious downgrade in almost every way.

 

The important thing is to do not a step backward.


I'm attracted from the possibility to have a product (a little) more recent with a completely new battery... and for less money.

Interesting that the lenovo M30-70 is considered so "bad" and altough it is a very recent product it is hovewer much less solid and performant of old business (mid-high products) like X220/x230 and so on.

Regards, Stefano.

 

You have to realize, other than a bit better graphics and more efficiency, Intel hasn't really made any serious progress on processor performance since the 2nd gen I series. Not like it used to at least.

You can buy brand new batteries for X220's, I just got a brand new OEM 9cell for $20 shipped and the 6 cell that came with my x220 (which I only bought 2 weeks ago), qualified for a free replacement under Lenovo's recall and will be here later this week.

I'm not so sure you're going to beat the x220 in price/performance. Due to the sheer number sold and leased (by the truckload!), Lenovo X and T-series drop in value like lead weights tied down with more lead weights, as do replacement parts, they are hard to beat in terms of value for used computers. That HP is probably the only thing in the same performance/quality bracket you are going to find for a similar price.

 

If You was in me which would be Your choice, among x220 and 2570P plus fifty euro of difference and a new battery?

Consider that in Italy a new original battery for Lenovo cost not less of 80 euro.

Regards, Stefano.

Sent with black Moto E2 2015

 

My goal is always the smallest laptop with the most power I can pack into it.
The HP is heavier, larger, more fragile and has a DVD, which I have no use for. Truth is, the X220 wasn't my first choice (or even second or third), but the laptops I really want are not easy to come by here in the US, it took me 3 months to track down my last laptop (which developed an issue) and then I spent the last 5 months looking for it's replacement before settling for the X220. What I want may not be what you want though, so it's up to you as to what will work best for you.

Regarding the battery, you may want to check the US Ebay, I think x220s and 230s just may grow on trees here, even after shipping it has to be less than $80.

 

The difference in terms of size and weight are for me very unimportant, in this case, such that the differences are minimal.

I'm interested mainly in build design, sturdiness, keyboard quality, performance and battery life.

If 2570P was a little forward step under a majority af all these aspects then I could decide to take it.

 

Ignoring dimensions, only few areas stand out on these two laptops that differentiate them.

Design - The Lenovo is bland, it always has been. The Hp, despite being a nice aluminum, is a brick. I'm amazed you can make something that seems "luxury" also come off as so ridiculously utilitarian that it makes the utilitarian standard Thinkpad look flashy. Your tastes may be different, but for me, the HP looks like someone wrapped a cook book with aluminum foil.

Sturdiness - The Lenovo is legendary for it. The Hp is not built like the Lenovo, depite the aluminum look, which is mostly just that, looks, the entire bottom is plastic. There are videos of people dunking x220's into tubs of water and still functioning.

Keyboard - Many say the x220 is the last of the old great IBM/Lenovo keyboards. IBM/Lenovo spent a lot of money in keyboard tech over the years. I'm not saying the 230 and HP keyboard are junk, I know the 230 is above average, and the HP is probably the same, but they aren't the classic IBM/Lenovo keyboard. There are no drain holes on the HP to my knowledge.

The only place I see the Elitebook really coming out on top is ports.
The x220 only gets one USB 3.0 port and you have to get an I7 to get that, the x230 I believe gets one or two, but that's still short of the HP. The Elitebook also has an esata port, something I plan to add to my x220. Install an msata ssd, then you use a short sata to esata cable and 3d print an adapter, I've replaced dvd drives this way in the past.


Again, it's all down to what you want and need. If you want the Hp, get the HP, it's not a bad choice, I'm not knocking it, it's a nice computer, remember, my initial reasoning was based on the impression you still had the x220. I don't think you will go wrong with either, just don't let that 50 Euros decide for you. It's not enough money to be stuck with something you don't actually want for a year or more.

 

For my little experience with HP, Dell and Lenovo I've found... the Lenovo (x220) to be the less sturdy.
I've an old Hp 6510B, nowadays used by my parents, that is already completely functional, with no relevant scratches nor rift while with lenovo x220, after ony one year of life, I've had to change the keyboard (due to "impasted keys") and recently it has broken (little rift) in proximity of the low left edge.

And I assure I'm maniacal in keeping the notebooks clean, dust free and always protected with a neoprene folder.

For what concerns the keyboard responsiveness and comfort the same thing: I've found to be better HP and Dell over the Lenovo.
But I know to be one among thousand and thousand of consumers that think the exact oppsite...

Again... for what concerns the rubberized lid of the Lenovo it seems to be very nice and professional, at the begin... but in few months it becomes to fray, beginning much less nice, particularly in the angles.

For Dell and HP (HP 650B and Dell E4300, in my case) I've not recognized a similar issue and after several years of usage, they hav been demonstrated to be very solid and reliable products.

Coming to these particular products, Lenovo X220 "vs" HP2570P and Dell E6230/E6330, my only aim is to get a more recent machine, with a little improvement in terms of performance but mostly in terms of battery life and just sturdiness.
Considering approximately an equal exchange among these products with no monetary adjustement again me.

Regards, Stefano.

 

@amazing-boy my X220 tablet arrived sliding freely in cardboard box with couple holes in it, filled with a number of air pillows most of which were busted - and the only damage was slight crack near expresscard slot which I successfully repaired; I believe it to be as sturdy as notebooks get. X230 keyboard feels noticeably better, but requires a BIOS mod in order to work properly on X220 series, otherwise some function keys are mismatching/missing.

You could get a Fujitsu T732 within your budget, there's one with slightly damaged keyboard base right now on eBay. It has an mSATA slot alongside 2x2.5" SATA, and of course decent IPS display. On the other hand, without port replicator you are limited to single USB 3.0; with port replicator, it has 5x USB 3.0 total. Sadly, it can't be upgraded to quad-core like T734, but still a good machine for the money. Fujitsus, however, feel a bit less sturdy - mostly due to plastic display lid that is quite easy to scratch, unlike magnesium Lenovo's.

 

Many people say the exact opposite, considering the old x220 keyoboard to be better that the chicklet one equipped with x230/x240 and so on.

My slight crack was in the same identical site, immediately up the express card slot.
I don't know how to repair it and I was wondering to buy a new palmrest.

Thanks fot the Fujitsu advice too, but in Italy FS is much rare and I'd prefer to get a Lenovo, Hp and Dell for which it is simpler to find spare parts and accessories.

 

@amazing-boy yes, Fujis are much harder to get parts for - they officially prohibit user repairs. (= For palmrest repair, I collected the bigger plastic bits I found inside the box and used some cheap glue marketed specifically for plastic.The glue didn't impressed me at all initially, but it still holds well so I guess it does the job. Oh, and of course I put a plastic filler inside the Expresscard slot - it was pretty stupid on Lenovo's side not to provide one from factory.

 

Your experience with Dell and HP is good because you were using their business lines rather than the junk home system, most business class laptops are of good quality. As for the keyboard, I think people put entirely too much stock in it. Is it good, yes, but I wouldn't say it's really any better than many other high end laptops. I've had HP, Sony and low end Lenovo's that I thought were just as good so I understand where you're coming from. I'm not a big fan of the Chicklet/island style though, certain keyboards will snag my fingernails (even when short), which is why I went 220 over a 230.

The finish on the X220 is not the rubber coating of old, I think this is just a satin paint (powder coat?). The rubber coating was really rubbery, it was soft and "scratched" easily, but healed itself. It was actually kind of neat, but added some weight and could get nasty under certain conditions. Sweaty skin touching it was just nasty feeling and it never felt clean.


The problem you face is the same as mine and why I ended up with an x220, this won't help your decision, but may explain some things.

The 2nd gen and 3rd gens were the last of an era, the X220, X230 and those HP's are the last of the old guard for 12 and 13in laptops. That generation still used full voltage processors, dual ram slots, standard drives, and occasionally a dvd. Intel used the 3rd gen to make a course change rather than any real gains. They improved the gpu, added USB 3, and pushed the industry towards BGA (soldered processors), but for the most part, in terms of power, Intel didn't do much, I think they were focused primarily on the 4th gen. If you think of the third gen as a transition processor, it might make more sense.

4th gen saw the battery life improvements you want, but that came with the new, better ULV, soldered processors, which Intel hinted at with the 3rd gen BGA processors. By using ULV they could use smaller heatsinks and make smaller laptops that ran longer, but a casualty of that was the ram slots, many/most came with soldered ram and/or only one memory slot (several 3rd gens are that way too). Some of these were so crippled, performance was actually worse than the previous model, especially if you maxed out the memory in them, 4gb in a modern system is just not enough for anything more than browsing.

5th gen brings more battery life, but the soldered trend marches forward, not only ram but in some cases, soldered ssds. If you want to see the future of your laptop, look at the new Macbook, which is pretty much a board the size of an old cell phone with everything soldered on. The new Mac is almost entirely battery with no serviceable parts, even by the factory.

Some larger laptops still have full voltage processors and dual ram, but unless it's a gaming machine or desktop replacement, they are a dying breed and will become increasingly rare.

 

Thank for Your detailed axplanation and useful considerations.

At this point I really don't know how to go and maybe I could wait again a little, before to have a decision.

I'm evaluating also to get a new battery for my lenovo x220 (are third part battery equally reliable or is it highly raccomandable to go with original spare parts?) but the problem seems to be that unless to go with high end products it is not possibile to obtain a real improvement over my lenovo x220, in terms of performance, battery life and future upgraded (always if I've understood the juice of Your considerations)

 

You're welcome.

3rd party batteries are almost always garbage, expect 20% less capacity than claimed and for it to only last a year and a half at most.

As for the rest, you are correct.
You need a much newer machine for the battery life and performance combination, but they aren't designed to be upgraded like your x220 or that HP.

Waiting doesn't really help with your problem.
The 3rd gen processors mark the end of an era for small laptops, there is nothing newer coming down the line that will let you do that again. Even if you wait long enough for the processing power to return, most are still saddled with 4-8gigs of ram that you can't upgrade.

 

@leslieann FWIW many Haswell Fujitsu Lifebooks, including 13.3" E734 and 12.5" T734, use full-voltage socketed CPUs; all those machines are upgradeable i7 quad - was the main reason I picked T734 over X230 and CF-C2 for main machine, back in the day. Newer Lifebooks are mostly old-school, too - despite dropping full-voltage CPUs in favor of ULV, and expresscard slot altogether.

 

I didn't mean to imply that they don't exist, my point was that they're becoming increasingly rare, especially in thinner models, which is where the market is trending. Unfortunately, both of those models are way out of his price range, though they may be something to watch for in the future.

Fujitsu has always sat kind of behind the scenes making great notebooks no one paid attention to (probably due to the styling and weight), that unfortunately also translates to no parts available. There is 20x more parts for X220 than there is for the E734 on Ebay (my Samsung has the same problem).

 

Just for now I've decided to keep the x220, upgrading the ram, buying a new palmrest and eventually a new battery pack.


For what concerns the ram module: ELPIDA PC3-8500S-7-10-F1 2Rx8, 1066 Mhz could be ok, considering that actually I've a Crucial and a Samsung ?

 

I thought you already got rid of the X220.

Anyhow,
Your sig says you have a 2gb and a 4gb, but you are looking at buying another 2gb?

I'm not sure about over there, but here in the US, Elpida tends to be rather expensive memory. For the same price I can buy a single 2gb stick of Elpida, I can get 4gb from Gskill, Crucial, Corsair and more. For just a bit more, I can get a two sticks of 4gb from those same brands.

 

Sorry, I mean a module of 4 gb, that I can buy from my friend for just 5 euro.

Sent with black Moto E2 2015