Thinkpad Power Manager Background Monitor crashing explorer on start up

Hi y'all,

Anybody here getting a problem with Windows Vista and Thinkpad Power Manager?

this entry in my Windows startup run registry is causing explorer to crash everytime I start up:

rundll32 C:\PROGRA~1\ThinkPad\UTILIT~1\PWMTR32V.DLL,PwrMgrBkGndMonitor

Took awhile for me to isolate the offending entry. From command line, putting that input string crashes explorer as well.

My system:
X200, recently factory formated (!), with all the windows/lenovo patches applied, and very few programs.

I just wanted to put the question out there, before I try unistalling/reinstalling Thinkpad Power Manager (v.2.51), which may or may not work... *sigh*


-Update:
I've narrowed down the offending setting in the Power Manager as "Show Power Manager gauge in task bar".
It appears to have problems with the task bar (the older/previous ver. of Power Manager didn't seem to have this problem), and it may have something to do with the new/udated graphics/icons they're using for the power gauge.
Disabling the guage seems to stop the crashing on start up.
Anybody else also having this problem?

 

I’ve had other minor issues with the Power Manager, but not yours. The Power Manager just seems to be a bloated unstable legacy mess. If I were able to get more detailed status information about my battery using the built-in Windows tool, I would have never installed it.

 

Hello, this process is causing troubles to me too on Vista. It crashes explorer and ObjectDock task bar. I suspect that it is because of non-standard icon size.

I tried to disable icon in Power Manager, but it appears again. The only way was to go to startup items and disable PWRMTRV in startup items. But then I am afraid the computer does not automatically switches power schemes.

Jan

 

Power manager has good functions (like battery health and wear), but I agree, too bloated, like a lot of Thinkpad software.

Like the connection manager software, which is great if it didn't fight Windows so much.

 

Power manager absolutely hates it when other programs interfere with it. Even manually disabling the optical drive from device manager can cause the whole thing to crash along with windows itself.

 

The newest version of Power Manager (3.01a) has seemed to fix the issue I was having earlier.

No more crashing on start up with the power guage loading up just fine on the tool bar.

Just putting it out there for all that have simliar problems.

 

Oh wait, I wrote a bit too early. A few test boots later, and everything is still wonky on boot up.
The problem (windows explorer crashing on boot with power manager's power gauge loading on the task bar) still exists.

Btw, a small work around I've been using is to disable "the power gauge display on the tool bar" in Power Manager's last tab option, and then "add gadget" on Windows Side bar, and select Power Manager. That way, you can still see the power gauge meter, without screwing up the start/task bar on windows boot up.