Thinkpad T420 Owner's Thread

I don't know whether to laugh or cry but my problems seems to be increasing on the T420. Two more stuck pixels had developed conveniently below where my original stuck pixel was so I have 3 green stuck pixels and a loose hinge to boot.

In a way I’m laughing because it now means I legitimately qualify for a new panel, but in retrospect I’m sad that this has to develop all on one machine! I will have to notify the Lenovo staff of the additional problem, they’re sorting out my loose hinge case at the moment but I think the 3 stuck pixels will probably seal the deal that this is one really bad machine!

P.S. Not a nice way to cap off the 1000th post of the T420 Owners Thread!

 

Scary news Hearst as I ordered a T420 yesterday.

Processor: Intel Core i5-2520M
Operating system: Windows 7 Professional (64 bit)
Display: 14.0" HD LED backlight Anti-Glare (1366 x 768) (getting old and need large fonts)
Graphics: Intel HD Graphics 3000
Memory: 2 GB PC3-10600 DDR3 (ordered 8GB from NCIX)
Camera: 720p HD Camera with Microphone
Hard drive: 500GB Hard Disk Drive, 7200rpm
System expansion slots: Express Card Slot, 4-in-1 Card Reader
Battery: 6 Cell 2.6Ah Li-Ion Battery
Bluetooth: Broadcom Bluetooth 3.0
WiFi: Intel Centrino Ultimate-N 6300
Other: Microsoft Office Home and Business 2010
Accessories: ThinkPad 14W Sleeve Case

$1092.55CAD before taxes with CAPWELCOMEBACKSEARCH coupon.

I don't need the NVS4200M as I already have a desktop (beast) for games. This will be my main development machine for Windows and Linux. I already have a MacBook for OS X and iPhone related development.

 

Has anyone come across the generic touchpad drivers from Synaptic that work in Windows 8 yet? Windows Update installs the default Lenovo ones which are somewhat buggy.

 

Lenovo ThinkPad T420 Windows 8 Preview...
I just tried using Windows 8 Developer Preview on my (wounded) ThinkPad T420 and its very smooth. It's certainly refreshing in terms of looks but there are areas where you just have to re-learn again, even though if you used Windows 7 before. The installation process is similar, if not identical to Windows 7 so I had no problems installing it on the T420. I would recommend using the Windows 7 USB/DVD Tool should you want to try it out as it should be quicker to install in comparison to the DVD-ROM based method. Similar to Windows 7, initially the T420 will have some drivers missing but thankfully most existing Windows 7 drivers will work with the OS (for now). I just used the SWTOOLS Drivers folder to get most of them working. The only trivial driver is the "Microsoft Device Association Root Enumerator" but since its an early build its nothing to get worked up about. ​ Like many new iterations of Windows, many people's concern is software compatibility. So far some legacy software runs fine on the system (my good old friend Adobe Photoshop 7.0 still works though getting it up and running was admittedly a bit slow) while some don’t such as Lenovo’s Fingerprint Software which is completely broken apparently. If you have some old software lying around it may be wise just to try out if it works or not. The loss of the traditional Start Menu will take some time to get used to, I heavily rely on my Start Menu to navigate to My Computer, Music and Picture folders as well as using the search bar under Windows 7. The loss of that means it takes longer to get to where you want to, here's hoping Microsoft will introduce some shortcuts on the new Metro Start Menu that directly links it the next time round. ​ Another thing to get used to is the lack of ability to close applications, it simply now hides in the background if you're not using them. While I can see Microsoft's idea similar to Apple's iOS and Android so it relaunches quickly the next time you want to reuse it I find it very odd on a PC platform. Personally I like to keep things lean on my computer but this new direction will mean that you need to have a healthy dose of RAM to keep things running smooth. I seldom use Aero Flip to navigate round under Windows 7 but I really had to use the Windows Key+Tab to switch between the Start, Desktop and Applications section. People who used Windows XP (or Classic Theme even) will find Windows 8 a bit of a culture shock when they use it. Personally I don't see Windows 8 fitting for business use at the moment, it just seems more geared for the home user rather than the corporate office in my view. Could the next Windows 8 Business Edition remove Metro UI altogther and bring back Classic mode? We'll see in the future. Overall its nice Microsoft allows us to have a sneak peek of Windows 8. It's an interesting concept, the Metro UI Start Menu is certainly radical. A major change since the introduction of the Start Menu in Windows 95. Though Windows 8 is an acquired taste, you going to either love it or hate it so its probably worth a try if you're curious to see what new computers in a couple of years time could be running on.

I don't think there is any need to panic as mine may just be a one off, the majority of T420 owners seems to be perfectly fine with their machine.

I don't know if its the same one but have you tried using Lenovo's latest drivers directly from their site directly instead of Windows Update?

 

Yes, but you don't leave a post-it with your password on every non-porous surface that you touch.

Also, changing fingers is slightly harder than changing passwords. Plus, if you rely solely on your fingerprint reader, what happens if it stops working? If you use a password to unlock your drive and your keyboard dies, no problem, move it to another machine or plug in a keyboard. If the FPR dies (or, worse, your laptop dies) you're kinda screwed.

Basically, it increases your attack surface, increases the number of points of failure, and provides very little actual improvement (if any).

 

Lenovo's are okay, but I was using the generic ones from Drivers | Synaptics in W7. They worked better and had several features which are missing from Lenovo's version.

Battery life was significantly decreased for some reason, even with Power manager and the driver installed. The Lenovo updater doesn't seem to work after getting it installed. Windows update had the fingerprint reader driver but I haven't actually set it up yet.

e: Fingerprint reader software is broken. Fingerprint reader scans in fingers fine though and lets me log in with it after a restart.

 

Good mini-review of Windows 8 Developers Preview Hearst. While I don't have it fully installed on my ThinkPad, I have a VitrualBox VM of it and everything works fine. I'm excited for Windows 8 and Metro UI.

 

My T420 just came in today! Will hopefully last through the next 4 years of university.

 

nice to hear - im at 97% installing it on virtualbox now - was hoping it would be painless

 

Wait, what? The FPR is used in conjunction with an already defined keyboard password. They are not mutually exclusive. If the FPR dies you just enter your password to get into the machine and look to get the FPR fixed.

A FPR is a very easy and convenient way to gain access to your machine versus Ctrl-Alt-Del and then entering password. Swipe your finger and you're in. I thought the FPR on my Motorola Atrix was going to be a gimmick but I love the convenience; press power button, swipe finger, phone unlocked. And since it's built into the power button my finger doesn't need to move much to swipe. If the FPR dies on my phone I just enter my password to gain access.

 

The scraping action of the reader makes it a lot less likely anyone's going to succeed in using a lifted print to gain access. Anything's possible, of course, but life is full of those risks.

The you use the regular password setup for the account. Or replace the reader and move on with your life.

Attack surface? What sort of tin-foil hat covered life do you believe you're leading? The reality is it's a convenience nothing more.

 

That depends on how you have your machine configured.

How kind of you.

I tend to be a pretty risk averse person. I also happen to work with (and write) software where data security is quite important, hence I've kinda been conditioned to think about computer security far more than most desktop users... for better or worse. Aside from an embarrassingly old music collection, I'm not sure what somebody would stand to gain from me by breaking in to a machine of mine -- but that doesn't mean that I don't care about protecting them.

Maybe for you it *is* a worthwhile feature. Maybe you don't encrypt your laptop's hard drive (thus allowing anyone who gets it to simply reset your password), and thus your passwords/fingerprint acts more as a deterrent. Maybe you give presentations/demonstrations where a slick swipe of the finger helps your pitch. In that case, I'd say it's a good idea.

Do I think that anyone's going to try to lift my fingerprint from something? Of course not. But using a fingerprint reader provides no appreciable improvement in my life (it's one more thing to manage, one more thing to troubleshoot, and saves me pretty much no time versus typing in a password), while bringing with it a small risk. No improvement, plus a small risk means that it's not a good decision for me, hence I don't use one.

 

hey guys!
There is a sale for the mSATA (or at least what seems like one) for an OCZ 110GB SSD. Do you guys have any experience or knowledge of this?
here's the link:
NCIX.com - Buy OCZ RevoDrive 110GB PCIe X4 Sandforce SF-1200 SSD Solid State Disk Flash Drive - OCZ Technology - OCZSSDPX-1RVD0110 - in Canada

 

That is not mSATA at all, the card is almost as big as the T420.

 

Yeah the OCZ RevoDrive SSD is a PCI Express card designed for desktops rather than for notebooks. You should be looking for the Intel 310 or MyDigitialSSD for a mSATA card that fits inside the T420.

 

Hey guys I saw a video review on youtube about this laptop. It said that a battery can replace the optical drive? I would like to know if anyone has done this and how its done because I cannot find the option.

Also, do you guys think a t420 will be a suitable laptop for notetaking in class as its primary purpose? I am replacing a netbook that i found a bit too cramped. (Thinking of getting the t420 because I can set one up with a 160gb SSD for $700, where as the x220 I configure is the same price but only has an ips display)

 

The T420s has the option for an Ultrabay Battery but I don't think the standard T420 has one mainly due to the different sizes of the bezel. Instead the T420 has an option for a battery slice which fits underneath the system (FRU: 57Y4545).

The T420 is overall comfortable to type on with its full sized keyboard, you shouldn't have any problems using the system with its generous sized touchpad and palmrest as well as the excellent Trackpoint. You have plenty of choice of choosing a SSD for the T420 as it can take either 7mm/9.5mm or mSATA. Be weary Lenovo can also ship the T420 with slim rubber rails so some 9.5mm SSD/HDD may not fit. While I was lucky with mine as I didn't have the slim ones there are others who aren't, so just be advised on that part.

 

Did anyone look inside the bay to see if there are contacts for a battery in addition to the SATA connector?

John

 

Yes.

The SATA port is the only thing there.

 

Thanks. Then that clearly eliminates the bay battery option on the T420. It is, as already noted, on option on the T420s.

John

 

in the current T series only the T420s have the bay battery option.

 

Hi All!I have an T520 with core I5 2520,6Gb Ram,500Gb HHD.I don't know why my laptop startup so slow,it run to display welcome window and i see only black screen in about 1->2 minutes.I so bored because this problem!
My startup program is:
+windows sidebar
+unikey
+idm
+gizmo drive
+PWMTRV (thinkpad)
+RotateImage
+Kaspersky internet security
+adobe update
+syntpEnh (synaptics)
+TpShocks
+ForteConfig (conxenant audio)
+AcWin7Hlpr (Access connection of Lenovo)
+Smart Audio (conexant)
+Autolock (Lenovo)
+Bluetooth.ink

I use newest Bios of T520,update full windows 7 pro and lenovo update.
Please help me!

 

Solutu should reveal what is using up the time.

John

 

Is it normal for the T420's vent to still "smell" after 4 months of use? It's kind of like that new electronics smell.

 

Thank you so much about soluto.I think soluto not help me to fix this problem.I have used CCleaner to fix all registry,option startup,also use your uninstaller to remove or up space hardisk.I has just recovery windows to refactory,but startup window still slowly with core i5 2520 and 6gb ram(i think) .Anyone have this problem?How to fix?My harddisk is Seagate 500Gb 7200prm

 

I have the same "smell" coming out of my heatsink as well. Most times it'll be fine, but sometimes it'll start to smell like something is burning... and temps are usually hovering around 69-70 degrees Celsius.

 

When you boot up try doing so with no USB drives or devices attached to the system unless its necessary, it only adds up to the boot up time. You can also disable some of the Startup programs such as Rotate Image, Adobe Update, Smart Audio which can be disable safely.

Plus I don't want to sound mean, while i'm happy that you got a T520 this thread is actually for the smaller T420 instead! You can find the T520 Thread over here.

 

Clean the dust from your heatsink. You shouldn't be idling at 70 C.

 

I should have said that it was while under semi-heavy load. I've actually cleaned out the previous thermal paste and applied some AS5 yesterday. Temps dropped 5-6 C.

But it is only sometimes that a "smell" would be noticed. This is before I applied the AS5 so we'll see in a few days what happen.

 

Does anybody have issues with the webcam and Skype? From time to time while Skpying with friends or family, the webcam light would go out and my camera would freeze but come back on within a few seconds. I've tried reinstalling the webcam drivers but still no luck.

 

How would I go about hooking up my T420 to a TV? Will it work on any TV? How much am I looking at costwise considering I already have the laptop and TV.

 

You'll need a Displayport to HDMI adaptor and a HDMI cable (v1.3+ ideally) to hook up to the Television. It's also possible to get a cable that features both HDMI and DisplayPort connectors on each end. Be aware that certain adaptors or cable combinations may not pass audio to the TV so you may want to have a look at this thread to see which combination works.

Personally i'm using the NEET Displayport to HDMI adaptor along with a cheap HDMI cable and the setup works fine on my Sony BRAVIA television.

 

I've got the same displayport issue. Went through that thread you had linked Hearst before ordering my adapter and made sure to get one that others had gotten working, however now that I have it in my possession I'm only getting video to come out of the TV.

My problem seems to stem from a lack of intel display audio devices in my sound device manager, only the Conexant one shows up. I tried the options to show hidden and disabled devices but it still will not show up.

Looking under my general devices manager tab both the Conexant and Intel Display Audio drivers show up, and both show as working properly. I just can't get the intel one to show up in my sound device manager window.

 

What cables or adaptors are you using? Have a look at the Sounds Properties instead of the Device Manager. This is what mine looks like when I connect my NEET Displayport to HDMI adaptor + HDMI cable to my ThinkPad T420.



See if your Television is listed under the Sound Properties, you may need to restart the system with the cable in to ensure the system is aware of the connection.

 

Thanks for the reply.

Im using

BYTECC AP-DPHDMI-005 DisplayPort to HDMI Cable Adapter 0.5ft (6") w/IC


and

Nippon Labs Premium High Performance HDMI Cable 6 ft. HDMI TO HDMI Cable A/V Gold Plated for 1080P cable HDTV Cable PS3 Cable and Xbox 360 Cable

The adapter was suggested in post #19 and #30 on the thread you linked earlier, so I had hoped it would work. Most were through Amazon, it was the only one through newegg which I was already ordering from.

As for my sound properties the only one showing up is the Conexant driver, even when connected into the TV(Video works perfectly), and after restarting with the hdmi cord/adapter still attached.

 

I'm scratching my head on this one as my NEET adaptor is very similar to your BYTECC adaptor, right down to the end packaging. Do you have a spare HDMI cable that you could test with? I tried to verify the HDMI standards Nippon Labs used but I can't seem to find this information. My HDMI cable while cheap, is using the latest HDMI standards v1.4 so maybe a change of cable could turn things around?

BTW under the Sound Properties have your right click and enabled "Show Disconnected/Disabled Devices"? Does it also list other devices alongside with the Conexant speakers?

 

Just tried the hdmi cable that came with my hd cable box, same results. Yes I did check both boxes and still the only option is the conexant speakers.

 

Hey guys, the ultranav software doesn't auto start after booting. Is there any way to fix this??

 

I really don't want to be reading about your problem because it is precisely what happened to me with my T410 and a known working Displayport - HDMI adapter. I have just ordered a T420 and it certainly looks like this issue is still around. In my case the adapter worked with audio until NVidia/Lenovo issued new graphics drivers and after that Sound Properties stopped showing the TV as a possible playback device. Sadly, nothing I could do, including changing video drivers, could fix it.

 

It's difficult to pinpoint the problem as there are many configurations and combinations people used to have video and audio on the Displayport, things like:

Does the T420 have NVIDIA or Intel GPU?
Are you using factory installation or clean installation?
What Audio/Video drivers you're using?
What Adaptors or Cable combination used in the process?
What Television make? Is it compatible? Need Special Settings?

I think it be useful if people can list out what they use and done to get the Displayport to fully output video and audio so we can try to narrow it down to see whether its a hardware issue (adaptors, cables) or software issue (drivers, OS configuration). I will list out mine below:

Does the T420 have NVIDIA or Intel GPU?
Intel GPU

Have you managed to get Displayport working?
Yes

Are you using factory installation or clean installation?
Custom clean installation of Windows 7 Home Premium x64.

What Audio/Video drivers you're using?
- Stock Microsoft High Definition Audio Device Drivers v6.1.7601.17514 (Not Conexant)
- Intel Graphics Driver 8.15.10.2418

What Adaptors or Cable combination used in the process?
- NEET Displayport to HDMI Adaptor (from Amazon UK)
- Xenta Flat HDMI Cable v1.4 (from eBuyer UK)

What Television make? Is it compatible? Need Special Settings?
Sony BRAVIA KDL-32EX401, works straightaway. No special settings required.

Is it listed in the Startup list? Check MSConfig, Startup tab and ensure the Ultranav software is not disabled.

 

Does the T420 have NVIDIA or Intel GPU?
Intel GPU

Have you managed to get Displayport working?
Video Only

Are you using factory installation or clean installation?
Factory Installation

What Audio/Video drivers you're using?
- Conexant 20672 SmartAudio HD 8.32.23.0
- Intel Graphics Driver 8.15.10.2321

What Adaptors or Cable combination used in the process?
- BYTECC Displayport to HDMI adapter (from newegg)
- Nippon Labs high performance HDMI cable (from newegg)

What Television make? Is it compatible? Need Special Settings?
RCA 37LA45RQ. Video only so far. Video worked on first plug in without special settings required. Looks great.



Only thing I can think of is maybe my hdmi cable wont carry laptop sound? I tried a different cord that carries sound from my cable box to my tv just fine, still no laptop sound but maybe through the displayport adapter 1.4 tech is required? Wonder if anyone has their t420's sound working with non 1.4 hdmi cables.

 

anyone experiencing black screens after resuming from standby? The computer didn't freeze because it can take input but there's no visual on the screen

 

Anyone try Monoprice HDMI cables?

HDMI Cable

 

They should work, I just tried a different cable to see if using an older cable revision (v1.3) will continue to output sound from the DisplayPort to my Television. Sure enough even my nickel plated v1.3 cable feeds sound to my television as i'm typing this. So now I don't think having an older HDMI cable revision should have any significance on the DisplayPort.

 

Hi! I bought a T420 about a month ago, and you might remember me from previous posts, but now I have a problem that I am not sure if you can help at all.

Recently, my laptop would randomly go into the BSoD and continue to a physical memory dump and restart restarting perfectly normal.
I am attending university, and carry it around to class everyday, and I try not to jostle it too much.

I'm not sure if this issue is simply my own, or even discussed in previous pages, but I will be immensely grateful for any advice/opinions.

 

BSODs can crop up in many ways but you can try and find out what causing it by viewing the logs in the Event Viewer. These articles can help decipher what errors you have and brings up possible solutions to address them.

How To Use the Event Viewer Applet

Troubleshooting Windows Stop Messages

 

It says something about the microsoft virtualization application client. are there any known issues with this? I think I'm going to have to wait until the next one occurs then I will be able to pick out the appropriate error and search for the source of the error.

You're a godsend!

 

happy to say that I have ordered T420 on the 19th, and shipped out on 22nd.
It will be replacing my probook 4515. My current laptop has plenty of life left in it but the laptop my parents are using at home recently died and I'm away at school so can't really fix it. So mean while it'll be shipped to home for parents to use and once i go home for christmas i'm going to be leaving the probook which sounds like jet turbine and swap it.

ThinkPad T420 - 1 Yr Depot Topseller Warranty
Ships within 9 bus. days**
$1,630.00
$866.15



Intel Core i3-2310M Processor (2.10GHz, 3M Cache)
Genuine Windows 7 Home Premium (64 bit)
14.0" HD+ LED backlight Anti-Glare (1600 x 900), with Wireless WAN Antenna
Intel HD Graphics 3000 processor graphics with dynamic frequency
2 GB PC3-10600 DDR3 (1 DIMM)
UltraNav (TrackPoint and TouchPad) without Fingerprint Reader
720p HD Camera with Microphone
Intel 160GB Solid State Drive, Serial ATA
DVD Recordable
Express Card Slot, 4-in-1 Card Reader
9 Cell 2.8Ah Li-Ion Battery
65W AC Adapter - North America, Latin America (2pin)
IEEE 1394a port
Intel Centrino Advanced-N 6205 AGN


Shipping & Handling: $0.00
Tax: $97.96
[CAE09202011]: -$112.60
Total: $851.51 CDN, taxes and all fees in.
I will probably be getting dvd bay hdd getting the ram to 4 or 8Gb.
It should last me through four more years of schooling i hope.
also may get slice battery once i feel the need for it.
and does anyone know if I can purchase US warranty if 'm attending school in US? At the moment the budget does not allow me for extended warranty but I probably will be able to in a month or so.
and thank you for all the great information.

 

Joining this thread! Just got my T420 today, it's my first-ever ThinkPad. I really like it. I partitioned the hard drive and set up the Win8 Developer Preview. Runs surprisingly well, although I have to make do with generic drivers right now, as nothing from Lenovo has been made available yet.

Went for the fairly basic configuration: 2.5 GHz Intel Core i5, 4 GB RAM, CD/DVD burner, etc. Not the best but still runs very well.

 

Well, I did not want to but it so happened that I had dropped my t420 on street from a height of just over a meter. The laptop has survived as promised. Fell on the front left corner and then not so much on the front right. Broke soft touch cover and the corners slightly scratched plastic materials on the case. Also had the rubber band from the middle button of track point was returned to the place. In this case button was broken, so that you must know this button have 2 guides who are very easy to break. I think to fix with glue and wire. I can put pictures.