Thinkpad T420 Owner's Thread

It just struck me. The Alienware M14x has a superb 14" TN Display, manufactured by LG. It offers 270 NITS brightness and a contrast of around 600:1. It may not cover sRGB, but considering the fact it offers good black levels and even above average viewing angles, it might be worth considering. I might even get a T420/30 now! (1366x768 just doesn't cut it for me)

14" LCD screen for Dell Alienware M14x LED WSXGA Slim Laptop Display 06HH82 NEW | eBay

 

The LG panel on the Alienware M14x is quite decent for a TN screen, the only gripes are that it's hard to find (the actual panel) and the glossy finish can put off some people. But it does eliminate the grainy effect from the antiglare coating, plus certain things feel a bit more vibrant than usual which make things a bit more aesthetically pleasing to look at!

 

How do I disable the Trackpad & Pointer

I have a T420 running Win7 that just loaded a bunch of random patches (both Lenovo & Microsoft - I'm not even sure what loaded).

For some reason, I can no longer disable *both* the Touchpad & Pointer. I had both disabled for the past year. I use an external Logitech mouse.

Fn+F8 gives me 3 options (enable pad & pointer, only pad, only pointer). No option to disable both.
Control Panel/Mouse/Ultranav is the same thing. There is no option to disable both.

I don't want to disable in the bios or uninstall the software because when I travel, I don't use a mouse, so I need to quickly and easily re-enable the pad+trackpoint.

I went into the driver, and it's current. Google-fu shows a lot of people with similar issue on different models.

Anyone got any advice? Thanks in advance.

 

It is not possible. I don't even know how you did it in the first place. Just disable the Touchpad, it's not like you will accidentally move the cursor with the Trackpoint.

 

Any news regarding the swapping of the t420 screen with the LG Philips LP140WD2 (TL)(E2) of the X1C? Has anyone tried it?

 

It is not possible as far as I know. If the screen Quality bugs you, just get the Alienware M14x screen.

 

has it been confirmed that the screen is not compatible? because there gave been discussions a while ago regarding the possibility that it might work. unfortunately i'm not a big fan of glossy screens, so alienware's display isn't such a preferable option

 

The Samsung Panel does not have those grids.

I don't see what's wrong with a glossy Display, especially if it has good contrast Levels and colors.

Neither do I see why someone would want the X1C Screen. It's just like the AUO Panel in the T420 and has a clearly visible grid structure.
The Alienware Panel doesn't.

If you really can't stand glossy, there are screen protectors that break incoming light, so reflections are removed. However, everything will look slightly blurred and griddy, putting you back to square one.

 

I'm sorry, but I doubt you can compare X1C to T420 (I have the LG panel) when it comes to color reproduction, black levels, contrast. T420 has one of the worst, if not the worst panel I've ever seen on a laptop, and I've had my share.

 

Hey people. Nice thread u have here. I am so happy I've found you.

I have a Lenovo t420 ThinkPad. My CD Rom doesn't read any discs. I've tried many sorts of discs and nothing. When I put the disc in, it tries to read for some time and then just says that I need to insert a disc. The sound while trying to read is a bit strange. :/ The CD ROM tray is working ok. Please tell me that there is a solution like a driver change or something like that. Wouldn't like to buy a new optical device at all.

Thanks in advance.

 

Who's talking about the T420 Panel? Dell is not Lenovo, and Alienwares are not ThinkPads.

I was referring to the Alienware M14x Screen.

 

Is it confirmed that the Alienware panel is compatible with the t420/t430? Is its bus 8 or 10 bit?

 

Why shouldn't it? Hearst found out the T420 isn't picky. If I were the owner of a T420 I would definitely give it a shot.

 

(Assuming it's a hardware issue: )

Is the laptop under warranty?

If so, ask Lenovo to do a CRU replacement -- they'll ship you a new drive and you'll be all set. If not, they're easy to find on eBay...

 

It's more than a simple plug and play. The connectors have to line up, the bus has to be the same, even the dimensions of the panels have to be identical. And I'm asking in favor of t430s (assuming the story is the same between t420 and t430s).

 

Well, since Dell and Lenovo tend to use the same cables (see IPS Mod for 12,5" Dell) I'm guessing it's not a problem. The bus should be 8 bit if I'm not mistaken. The Dimension are the same, I'm sure of that. (14.0", 16:9)

Lenovo doesn't really change many things, so the T430s and T420 should be very similar.

 

Thanks for the reply, price difference is negligible, pennies at most.
Looking on Crucial, whilst the price was the same, the CL rate was higher on the lower voltage CL11 vs 9.

I just wondered was it better to keep to the same type rather than mix them. Would it cause any issues putting a larger module in the expansion socket, e.g. 8gb in the underside socket leaving the factory installed 4gb under the keyboard. I don't really want to purchase 2 x 8gb right now, so it was a case of get another 4gb which leaves no further expansion without replacing the then existing or get 1 x 8gb stick so I would have the option to change the factory installed at a later date, it's just I didn't really want to take the laptop apart to get to the socket whilst it's so new.

 

No problem mixing.

No. That's what I did to one notebook: 4GB preinstalled under keyboard + 8GB added underside socket, for a total of 12GB.

 

you said

That's what caused my post - I happen to believe X1C has a pretty nice panel and girdiness isn't that much of an issue for me. So, can anybody confirm that the X1C panel doesn't fit the T420? What about you, Hearst? You are always my last hope in T420 matters.

 

Why don't you check out this Thread?
http://forum.notebookreview.com/lenovo/682490-x1-display-t430.html

Might be helpful.

 

The ThinkPad Multiple Monitor Configurations manual http://www.google.com/url?sa=t&rct=j&q=&esrc=s&source=web&cd=1&cad=rja&ved=0CCIQFjAA&url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.partnerinfo.lenovo.com%2Fpartners%2Fus%2Fperipherals%2Fdownloads%2FThinkPad-Multiple-Monitor-Configurations-Using-NVIDIA-Optimus.pdf&ei=Drl5UIqZL4bS9QSc9IHYBw&usg=AFQjCNFKn5NlmArBg_M_3w06Zi2RhyZ7UQ&sig2=I4fZiykk-Y68_1KgZ5jpTA says the DVI port on thinkpad Mini Dock Series 3 only support up to 1920x1200, but I would like to connect the DVI-D port to a external monitor with 2560x1600 resolution. Will it work? I am planning to buy a T420 with a discrete Nvidia Optimus video card and a mini dock series 3. Yes, I can't use the display port because the external monitor only have DVI-D port. I knew that the DVI-D port is able to support 2560x1600 resolution as long as the video card support it, I don't understand why the DVI-D port on the thinkpad mini dock series 3 can only support up to 1920x1200 even though the Nvidia Optimus Technology is powful enough. Please share your experience and suggestions. thanks.

 

You can't use the DVI port. You need to use the display port along with a displayport to dual dvi to power 2560x1600.
I don't know how it works with the Optimus. When I researched this, I believe you need to disable it and use the onboard video.

Hence, the reason I got the HD3000 integrated video.
It works for me, I power both a Dell 30" and an Apple 30" Cinema Display.

Here is my post on it:

http://forum.notebookreview.com/lenovo/568372-thinkpad-t420-owners-thread-165.html#post8589053

I am running Ubuntu 12.04 LTS. No problems whatsoever with that resolution.

 

Hey folks, work is finally going to pay for a Samsung 830 256GB SSD ($160 on amazon), but I have to install it into my T420/Win7 64 laptop. I'm a writer, not a tech guy. 2 questions (for the record, I've googled plenty of help, but nothing beats specific experience on a T420)

1) Do I need any special hardware to install the drive into the laptop (rails or rubber spacers?)
2) I want to clone my existing 500GB drive (which only has 140GB on it). I spent too much time getting all my little programs tuned that a fresh install would take 2 days of my life.

In the past, I used the free software that came with the HD to copy from spinning disk to disk, but I know with SSD's that there is an issue with sectors? Also - Is there a setting in Win7 that I have to change to get it to recognize an SSD (I know to turn off Defrag and Indexing).

 

No.

Apricorn SATA Wire is a very good tool. I've used it a few times to help friends and family members who, like you, just want to migrate "everything" to a faster drive.

 

I already have a SATA-->USB hardware interface for the actual copying (I've used it when swapping spinning disks). I guess the question I'm asking is that I know I can't simply clone - There is some sector/partition magic that has to occur (what about the Thinkpad Partition Q:/Recovery??).

 

What magic are you talking about? I gave you the link to the tool that I have been using. And I was not talking about "file copying," I was talking about "whole drive cloning."

Read the page at that link carefully. The Apricorn SATA "Wire" is not just a hardware interface adapter. A software CD is included in the package. This software automatically takes care of all the things you worry about. It is designed specifically for cloning HDD to SSD. It does whatever it takes to clone a drive properly.

What about Lenovo recovery partition? What about it? As I said, the Apricorn tool "clones" or "duplicates" the whole drive, bit for bit, file for file, sector for sector, partition for partition.

Clear enough?

 

Gotcha. I just assumed it was like Ghost and didn't contain the necessary HD-->SSD manipulation. Is there anything I need to do in Win7? Thank you for your patience.

 

Well, have your HDD in place in the main bay, plug the new SSD to one of the USB port via the Apricorn SATA-USB adapter, autorun the supplied Apricorn CD, follow the on-screen instructions.

After successful cloning, turn off the system, detach the SSD, remove the HDD from the main bay, put the SSD in the main bay, reboot.

 

I given up the idea of FP upgrade now i have another problem

bought this New Ultrabay III 3 2nd Hdd Lenovo ThinkPad T420 T520 W520 T420i SATA 3.0 6gb/s | eBay

still no luck with my T420, still sata1 and the led is turning on nor blinking .

I tested the caddy on a colegue T520 with his Hitachi HDD and that drive is seen corectly as sata2 and also the Led shows activity. When i put my drive in it it was showing again sata1 and no blinking


Now threre are 2 posibilities my HDD Segate ST9500420AS 7200.4 crapped out or the port on T420 is broken. Or maybe is locked on Sata1 as T61 was back in the day.


I still have one more test to do , put another sata 2 hdd in the caddy and try on my machine.......looking for a Sata2 drive now :smileyhappy:

 

ok, solved the problem i guess......i installed windows on another drive and put the ssd in ultrabay. the link speed was displayed correctly, also later i put another segate, took from a hp, in the caddy and the speeds were also correct. so maybe the Lenovo issued Segate knows when is put in a caddy and nutters the sata

 

I'm having trouble with some business T420's. For some reason, users cannot adjust their volume or mute using the hardware volume keys when focused on an Adobe Flash object in Firefox (like the Youtube video player). This does not occur with any other browser. Anyone else have this issue? I've seen other forum posts about it but nothing mentioning a solution. This is a relatively minor but annoying problem.

I've updated to the latest BIOS and I still have the issue.

 

This is a firefox bug that happens everywhere, not a problem with the laptop. Flash is intercepting the keypresses. There's no fix for this at the moment.... see https://bugzilla.mozilla.org/show_bug.cgi?id=78414 for more info

 

Hi!

I bought this bay about one year ago. I then bought a 9.5mm drive to fit in it. Now its starting to behave strangely. The last couple of days the BIOS informs me that it can't connect with the Ultrabay HD Drive (or something like that). After I take it out and fiddle with it (nothing that I clearly think is going to fix the problem) and put it in again, it has solved the problem, for now.

Since the harddrive is thinner than the bay's capability, it previously has been a "problem" that the rear end has "fallen out" of its "socket" inside the bay, but this has been easily solved by simply pressing it down again (problem solved).

But now, when the BIOS complains, the harddrive has been in place, so Im starting to suspect that the sata connectors or the drive itself is dying.

Have you, (or any other) had any similar problems?

I use my laptop quite much and bring it to school every day (have docking at home). It might be that this constant "movement" is not good due to the fact that the drive is thinner than the bays inner thickness, and that it therefore has been able to "move around" a bit inside the bay.

 

You could try filling the gap with a temporary foam kit to see if it adds the necessary pressure to secure the bay in. If that doesn't work then you could always get a 12.7mm caddy which is widely available on places such as eBay for less than $10 USD. I still have my third party 12.7mm caddy and it hasn't let me down even though I do move my T420 around quite frequently.

 

It is the 12.7 mm unofficial caddy that I have, with a 9.5 mm drive inside.
2nd hard drive Adapter Bay 4 LENOVO Thinkpad T420 T420s | eBay

I am however not sure if its the hdd or bay that is damaged, I will have to do some tests

 

Apologies as I must have misread. You can do a drive health check with a tool called CrystalDiskInfo to diagnose whether it's the hard drive or not. It's strange as I have the same caddy and yet to experience any problems with mine for over a year now (using a Fujitsu 500GB MJA2500BH 5400RPM drive for additional storage). If you do suspect it to be the caddy then I believe the seller offers a 1 year warranty so you could get a replacement if it turns out to be faulty.

 

To add to that, depending on your drive manufacturer, some offer testing software to make sure it is functioning properly. CrystaldiskInfo usually indicates it if there is a problem, but running a full diagnostic may catch something that slipped passed CDI since it all CDI does is check S.M.A.R.T. values.

 

Hi. Now Windows 8 is around the corner, I've started to wonder whether adding a touchscreen kit to my T420 would be worthwile. This thread is full of advice on how to open my laptop, including the screen frame, so no problem there, and I've found this kit on ebay eBay | NEW 14.1" 16:9 Flexible Touch Screen Panel External USB
Has anyone seen one of these installed? I fear losing some image quality on my admittedly already not-so-great Lenovo screen just for the sake of using my fingers... [EDIT: sorry, I just found it's a resistive kit, not capacitive, and you have to use a stylus. Does anyone know of a better option?]

Any opinions on this issue?

 

If anyone is considering installing Windows 8, I can verify that a clean install was very easy.

1- Ran the Win8 adviser from Microsoft: Windows Download and Shop - Microsoft Windows
2- Purchased the download for $39 and chose the option to "keep nothing" as opposed keeping any files or settings
3- Created and burned the ISO file on DVD
4- When installing, chose to format HD,erased old partitions, and created a new one

About 30 minutes or so later everything was up and running.

Overnight I let BitLocker encrypt the HD. Not sure if I will keep using this feature, but will try it out and see if it has a noticeable impact on performance.

No comment yet on the new Start menu... I think I like it, but still adjusting to it.

 

Great, thanks! Is your hd an ssd?

 

Great to know! Please also let us know how you fare with Lenovo driver/software compatibility, etc. Many of the T420 drivers and apps have been updated with Win8 versions, and some haven't, so I'm keen to see how it all works out......

 

HD

The keyboard dimming (Fn+Home/End), light (Fn+PgUp), volume control, and camera all work without any extra drivers. Might try the Lenovo power management utility later, but at the moment I like the feeling of the ultra-minimal OS. There is a good chance I'll just keep it as is.

They say "beta" on Lenovo's page,but I would guess they all work fine. Windows 8 is more like Windows 7.2.

Windows 8 Beta Drivers

 

I was curious about people's experience with Windows 8 and T420's, this link comes up:

Windows 8 Clean Install Instructions - ThinkPad T420, T420s, T520 and W520

That's really helpful, Lenovo still impresses me.

I'm not sure that upgrading would be a good move just yet. I'd still like to see a switch built in so I can have the start menu/search I'm used to. I liked Aero too... maybe I could just reinstall Windows 7! Oh wait.. it's still installed.

Phew... that was close.

 

If you want the start orb for Windows 8 you have to install this: Start8 for Windows® 8 - Bringing back the Windows Start menu

 

Trying out Windows 8 for the first time on my spare hard drive, it installs quite easily on the ThinkPad T420 as the process is quite similar to the Windows 7 setup in some ways. Out of the box it recognises most of the devices on my ThinkPad T420 with the exception of:

* Base System Device - Ricoh PCIe SDXC/MMC Host Controller - Used the Windows 7 driver.

* Unknown Device - ThinkPad PM Device - Used the Windows 7 driver.

Though I can't say I'm enoying the OS at the moment, getting to certain areas such as the Control Panel, Network and Computer takes longer than usual. I think I know how my parents feel now when they use the computer for the first time! I probably be sticking with my Windows 7 setup for a while longer.

 

^^^ Microsoft will tone down a number of things they overshoot/oversell this time. My idea of "fun" (of course, I have fun while working) is not about pretending that I am in a kid's room with pastel colors and whimsical patterns and whatnots. In certain cases, Microsoft mispresents "simple" as "simplistic".

Remember the security popups in Vista? Arrrggghhh.

Right.

 

Quick update on my install-

Although the speakers on the laptop played audio fine, audio to external speakers through the Mini-Dock output plug would not work until I installed the audio driver:

http://support.lenovo.com/en_US/downloads/detail.page?DocID=HT072084

 

guys, i have a new problem, touchpad and track point are not working during windows7 setup (fresh install) i had to use a USB mouse ....is that normal?i remeber that first time when i did it it worked....since then i made bios upgrade so maybe that is the cause? did anyone hit this problem ? any fixes ?

 

You shouldn't need to use an USB mouse to navigate your way round, both trackpoint and touchpad should work during the installation of Windows 7. I would check to see if the Touchpad and Trackpoint wasn't accidently disabled in the BIOS particularly after a BIOS upgrade. If it still doesn't work after the installation then try reseating the connectors, otherwise it could suggest a possible hardware malfunction. It happened to my keyboard before and I had to get it replaced under warranty for my T420.

 

i think is something else....i reseated the cables..and indeed worked during win7 install...which i performed...used system updated to bring all drivers and as you know during win and drivers install the machine reboots several times and all worked fine. this morning the touch track stopped working again. so once again i took the palm rest and reseated the wires.....
now the behavior is like this....

1 reseat the wire and start machine all works fine.restart and still works
2.cold reboot and the touch and track are not working.....it will work again if the conector is reconected but only for the first time....after cold reboot it will die again.


i dont know about warranty...as i opened the chassis, and during the 10 times i dismantle it i cracked the palmrest at the headphone jack . stupid palmrest system...ahhh i miss my T61

one more question trackpoint and the buttons from keyboard are separete from the ones on palmrest......they should work...right?