Windows 7 (Experience & Drivers)

Congrats! Painless wasn't it ? Besides being speedier, how do you like it??

Anyway, the RAM should work perfectly. I haven't tried Access Connections on Windows 7, so I can't comment on that. The built-in wireless utility does a fantastic job, so no need to use it.

Those directories deal with rescue and recovery and Lenovo software (e.g. System Update, Access Connections). They're basically used to restore the laptop to a factory state. It's odd that you weren't able to delete the partition they were on. Have you tried to go through disk management and removing them that way?

You can upgrade or do a clean install. If you clean install, just go through the same process. However, remember that you won't be able to use System Update, so you'll have to manually install drivers... unless of course Dell has something similar.

 

At the beginning I had a hard time making the laptop boot up from the DVD drive. Eventually, I found the message on the screen something to the effect that if I want to stop normal start I need to hit the blue ThinkVantage button. It was much tricky to me. I must confess that I struggled for more than an hour to get the machine booted from DVD. Afterwards, it was a breeze; I didn’t even have to worry about activation and such.

With Win7, it is definitely speedier; the laptop boots up almost instantly and turns off just as quickly. Overall, things look slimmer; I don’t know how else I describe it, but Win7 looks similar to XP in a way. One more thing, RAM usage has been improved with Win7. Correct me if I am wrong on that. To me, time and money well spent, anyway.

The whole upgrade experience has given me a feeling of accomplishment. You computer experts probably don’t understand how much struggle we inexperienced users go though when it comes to installing new software, upgrading to newer versions, etc.

If you say so, I am not going to bother with Access Connections any more. With Vista, I felt this was redundant addition at best. Beside Access Connections, did you find any other ThinkPad software updates unnecessary? If I want to uninstall ThinkVantage stuff, how do I proceed? As I told you earlier, my SSD capacity is much limited, so I do not want to keep anything unnecessary there.

My SSD had three partitions: first one with the hidden system files, second (C drive, and third (D drive with swtools, and I couldn’t format/delete either first or third partition. What is “disk management“, and where do I locate it? If every effort fails, could I use the upgrade DVD again to modify Win7 installation this time and delete the (D drive partition?

I’ve contacted the Dell Support about Win7 upgrade. You know what they say? I would have to purchase the upgrade DVD from Dell; otherwise my warranty would be voided. When I called Dell, I had already purchased the DVD for less (almost 1/3) than what Dell was selling the same DVD. I didn’t want to argue with the Dell representative for this and that.

It is one thing for Dell not providing the tech support for Windows upgrade, but it is quite another to avoid warranty for usual task such as Windows upgrade unless the Dell customer purchases the software from them. What would I do? Complaining to the Better Business Bureau or the State Attorney General? Judging from conversation with the Dell tech support, I don’t think Dell has a similar System Updates available. What would you say?

 

This is a question to ask on the Dell Forum. I putzed with a Dell machine once. My recollection is that they have a support site where you enter your machine ID and it shows you the latest version of drivers for it. However I don't recall it showing what version you had installed on your machine.

You then select the drivers you want and then click download. I believe an installation script is created for the whole package so that you can install everything with one click but I am not sure.

 

I don't think they can void your warranty for a Windows upgrade...?

Anyways, echo the congrats on getting Windows 7 installed. Disk management is available in the Administrative Tools section of the Control Panel or by typing "diskmgmt.msc" into the start menu search. I would suggest using the C drive for system and program use only and having a separate partition (D drive or more) for your data in case something messes up your C drive partition.

 

It's really up to your own personal preference, but the only thing from Lenovo that I have on my T500 is Power Manager, UltraNav, OSD, and System Update. Aside from those, I find that Windows 7 does as good, or better, job than anything Lenovo put out (e.g. fingerprint software, internet access, etc.). If you have the time, I recommend you try out what you installed and see if you want/need them. If you don't want it, you can simply uninstall it through the Control Panel in Windows 7.

Start -> Control Panel -> Uninstall a Program (*under the category view*)

You can find disk management by opening the start menu and typing in "disk management" and pressing enter. There, it'll show you all the partitions on your SSD. Try right clicking on the partition you want gone and select "delete volume". If it works, you can then add that space to your main partition. If it doesn't work, then you can certainly try to remove it with the upgrade disc. Also, there is a guide to remove it using diskpart, however I don't know if it'll work on Windows 7 (it probably will, since Win7 is built on Vista, but I'm not 100% certain). How big is that first partition? I have a small 100MB System Reserved partition.

DiskPart Guide

Wow, that really sucks what they're trying to do. But I don't think filing a complaint with the BBB or the AG will ultimately result in any action. Although, you could threaten such action to a support rep and see what they do. Maybe they'll escalate it to someone higher up, like a manager. Or, you could always try again with a different support representative.

Since they don't have anything similar to System Update, you'll have to manually do it. The following link is the Drivers & Download page for your desktop:

Drivers & Downloads

It should have everything you need, as well as instructions describing the order in which you should install the drivers, which is helpful. I would download them before you do the clean install and save them to a USB drive, CD, or whatever. Then, after installing Windows 7, you can plug in the USB stick (or CD, etc.) and install the drivers manually in the order they describe. Pay attention to sections where there are multiple downloads, such as the "Video" section. They have drivers for Radeon HD 4850, NV GT220, etc. Download the one specific to your system. Of course, this is only if you want to go down this route. I don't want you to lose your warranty if that is the case...

I will second this.

 

As suggested, I took a look at ThinkVantage System Update Installation History. Believe it or not, I ended up installing the following 19 updates in all:

Intel Matrix Storage Manager driver for Windows 64bit
ThinkVantage Active Protection System (64bit)
Access Help for ThinkPad T400s, T400, T500,…….
ThinkPad UltraNav Utility
ThinkPad UltraNav Driver for Windows 64-bit
Fix for Issue of HDD with HDP Detection for Windows Vista/7
ThinkPad Bluetooth with Enhanced Data Rate Software II for Vista/Win7
Ricoh Multi Card Reader Driver for Windows 7
Intel AMT 4.2 – ME Interface driver
ThinkPad BIOS Update
ThinkVantage GPS
ThinkPad Power Manager
ThinkPad Hotkey Features Setup
Lenovo System Interface Driver
ThinkPad Power Management Driver
HSPA Wireless WAN Adapter driver for Windows 7
ThinkPad Modem Adapter
Intel Wireless WiFi for Windows 7 64-bit
Lenovo ThinkVantage Toolbox (64-bit)

Is there anything that should be uninstalled at once? I should’ve asked this question to the forum before installing them, but had no time then (most times I was too busy to figure out what to do next). As I said earlier, space is at a premium with my SSD, so I don’t want to keep any unnecessary addition or software that is only marginally useful.

As to my SSD partitions, using Disk Management I managed to find the following info:

(0) 1.46 GB NTFS (System, Active, Primary Partition) 97% Free
(C 48.39 GB NTFS (Boot, Page file, Crash dump, Primary Partition) 62% Free
Lenovo (D 9.77 GB NTFS (Primary Partition) 96% Free

Now, what would you recommend me to do with the (0) system partition? Before I go any further, I’d thank you again for all your supports. A Big Thank You! Should I just leave the (0) partition as it is and don’t bother, if attempt to delete/format the partition involves a bit of risk?

What about the Lenovo (D partition? I think I could delete the two folders (swtools) there by using Disk Management. Would it be OK to delete everything inside the Lenovo partition? If so, do I need to reformat the (D drive before using it for data storage as recommended? And what is the best way to make the files/documents be saved onto (D drive? I am using MS Office 2007, documents are saved in Local Disk (C /Program Files (x86)/Libraries/Documents.

I read about 2nd hard drive in ultra bay. Is it a good option if I need more space for data storage and backup? Or would I be better off buying an external hard drive, instead? Any hard drive recommendation? So far I’ve used an 8GB iPod for data storage.

I also took a look at the Dell Drivers and Downloads forWin7 update though the link posted. The link is right on point, taking me to the exact page where I could locate all the necessary drivers, etc. Regardless of Dell tech support, now I feel confident that I could clean install Win 7 on the Dell desktop as well. But I think I should take care of T500 completely first before moving onto the desktop. One thing at a time!

 

i've been having issues since I updated my T400 (P8700, 2GB RAM, W7-x64, radeon 3470) last month using the ThinkVantage System update.

Previously I've been able to get 9+ hrs on my 9cell battery using integrated graphics, but now, I only get 4hrs using integrated and 3hrs using discrete. Can anyone suggest a possible fix to this? It is because of driver problems?

 

under windows 7 is it possible to set Fn+F2 to automatically lock your computer without having to bring up the menu where you have to click "Lock My Computer"?

 

Try using Win + L.

 

completely forgot about the new win7 keyboard shortcuts.....thank you very much

 

ThinkVantage Active Protection System (64bit)
You have an SSD, so you don't need this
Access Help for ThinkPad T400s, T400, T500,…….
Didn't install Access Connections
ThinkVantage GPS
Are you going to use GPS?
ThinkPad Modem Adapter
Do you need a modem?
Lenovo ThinkVantage Toolbox (64-bit)
Up to you. I didn't want/need it

Personally, I left my (0) partition alone, which is my System Reserved partition I mentioned earlier. Admittedly though, I'm not sure what would happen if you were to delete that particular partition. I suspect nothing will happen, aside from losing the ability to enter recovery mode upon booting. Do this at your own risk.

I didn't keep it. They contain drivers, software and ThinkVantage applications, things like PC Doctor. And if you're going to go with a second HDD, then i would just use that to save all of your data on and use the SSD for the OS and applications. That way, you can add the D: drive to your primary partition for more space for your applications.

Either option would be fine. Using the ultra bay would be pretty convenient though. It'll allow you to take your data with you, plus the speeds would probably be faster than when using a USB port. And speaking of USB ports, you wouldn't have to use up one (of only three on your T500) for an external drive. Here is what you'll need if you go through with it:

Ultrabay HDD Adaptor

Yeah, don't want to risk extremely bad luck and having two non-working computers .

 

Do you have the latest Switchable Graphics driver? I remember some people having the same problem where both graphic cards ran at the same time.

 

I feel I am almost there now.

I think I will keep the GPS utility just because my T500 came with AT&T wireless card with GPS function in it. As recommended, I’d very much like to get rid of the followings:

ThinkVantage Active Protection System (64bit)
Access Help for ThinkPad T400s, T400, T500,…….
ThinkPad Modem Adapter
Lenovo ThinkVantage Toolbox (64-bit)

Could you tell me how to uninstall/delete the above four, please? Stupid me! I didn’t even know what I was doing when installing all those.

As to partitions, I will leave the (0) partition alone. No time to take unnecessary risk. I’ll delete what’s inside the (D drive including swtools, though. Then, I might be able to get rid of the (D) partition using the following link as a guide.

DiskPart Guide

As to adding a hard drive, I haven’t decided whether to go for ultra bay option or external HD. That is, I was wondering if installing ultra bay adapter would involve much assembly type of work. Would you please be able to recommend me good/reliable HD, both internal and external ones? For external HD, I have something like this in my mind:

http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B0...&pf_rd_t=101&pf_rd_p=470939031&pf_rd_i=507846

What do you think of the above HD choice, please? For RAM upgrade, I found the below from Amazon as well:

http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B0...&pf_rd_t=101&pf_rd_p=470939031&pf_rd_i=507846

Would this be compatible with T500? The vendors seem to list the model number interchangeably as DDR3 1066 (PC3 8500) and DDR3 1067 (PC3 8500). Are they (1066 and 1067) the same?

With Win7 clean-install, I must say that I feel as if I just bought a new machine. So fast and so nice!

 

How do I find out whether I have the latest Switchable Graphics driver, please? Sorry about the stupid question!

I use Samsung 24'' monitor with T500 as extended display mode. Both screens look OK to me, with correct resolutions and everything.

 

Option 1. Start, Control Panel, Programs (Uninstall a Program) find the program you want to uninstall and click on it or right click on it.

Option 2. Install the free CCleaner. Then click on Tools, Uninstall, find the program you want to uninstall and click on it.

I always run the CCleaner registry cleaner after I uninstall stuff. It gets rid of the stuff left behind in the registry.

Good practice is to create a system restore point before uninstalling stuff. I'll let you google that one.

 

i've tried the beta drivers, the drivers suggested by ThinkVantage System Update, even tried the Win7 drivers update (which obviously wouldn't provide switchable graphics). It actually quite annoying that I have the extra weight of the battery, yet I still have to carry my AC Adapter around.

 

Do you use sleep mode a lot?

If so, there is a bug in the current switchable drivers that when woken up it will use both graphics cards. To fix this either use hibernate instead of sleep or when returning from sleep quick switch it to ATi then back to integrated.

 

Click start, click control panel, then to uninstall program.

Nope, just some screws. The kind of hard drive depends on you. Do you want 5400rpm or 7200rpm? How much space do you want?

Yes, the RAM is compatible. They're the same, some companies market them slightly differently.

Actually, that post was directed towards 111222.

 

Sorry about revisiting the same issues!

What if I choose an internal HD option using ultra bay? Would ThinkVantage Active Protection System (64bit) still be of no use with the ultra bay HD?

I almost forgot about this. If I am at home, I was recommended to use wired internet connection. That is because I intend to trade forex live, sort of like live stock trading, on T500. So they say wired connection is much more reliable. Am I right on this? Ad don't we need a modem for wired connection? Correct me I am wrong about this, please!

 

You should keep APS if you will use a HDD in your ultra bay.

 

I do use the sleep mode a lot, thanks for pointing that out. I restarted my comp and noticed that the idling temperature has dropped to 30 degress Celsius (normally 35 degrees idling after sleep mode).

However, is there supposed to be a noticeable dropoff in battery life using the integrated graphics on switchable graphics drivers vs. using the integrated graphics on integrated graphics drivers? For example for T400 on Win7 on a 9-cell battery using the switchable graphics drivers on Integrated graphics mode, I get around 6 hrs now. Before the new drivers, I easily got 9hrs battery life on integrated graphics drivers.

Has anyone purchased a T400 with Win7 bundled (I bought my before Win7 came out) experienced the same problems with the switchable graphics?

 

Technically, wired connections are more reliable since some wireless routers can drop connections. However, that's not to say routers are unreliable. I've never had a connection drop because of my router. Also, you should keep in mind that wired connections are faster than going wireless.

The Thinkpad Modem Adapter is for dial-up connections. So unless you're using dial-up, you don't really need this.

So I guess I should ask you what kind of wired connection will you be using? I assumed that you would be using some form of high speed internet. If that is the case, you'll be using an ethernet cable for your wired internet connection. The T500 has a port for this, which is circled in red in the following picture attachment:

 

7200rpm, and 250-500 for internal HD.
7200rpm, and 500GB-1TB for external (laptop and desktop).

 

What you said about the benefits of the wired connections is exactly the same as what I have been told so far. So I try to use wired connections when I am at home, especially when looking at forex charts (still a hobby), etc.

What I am really worrying about is not connection drops but frequent power outages during the wet season. My neighborhood is in the heavily wooded area, and rainstorms and broken tree branches cut down the power lines as you can imagine.

I got rid of Thinkpad Modem Adapter OK, of course. Now, my laptop registry must be cleaner than ever.

Currently, I am using Comcast Cable High Speed Intrnet Service, switched from AT&T Yahoo DSL about a year ago. Quite happy about the service in general. And yet no service can be reliable when it comes to power outage. In my opinion, power company/city/state must do somthing about frequent power outages.

Million thanks to the picture! I like it a lot. Surely, even a blind person can figure out where to connect an ethernet cable with the picture. We should all understand this forum is shared by experts and newbies alike.

I saw this message "Lenovo recommends installing ThinkVantage Rescue and Recovery to backup your system." Should I go ahead and install it, please?

 

Internal:
Hitachi Travelstar: 7200rpm, 500GB
WD Scorpio Black: 7200rpm, 320GB

External:
Seagate: 500GB
Iomega: 1TB

If you're not going to move your notebook around very much, then wired is the way to go. Maybe even get a dock for it. Not much you can do against Mother Nature though.

As said before by akadoublej, you should download and install CCleaner to clean up your registry. It's a small program that can be very useful. You can uninstall programs, disable startup items, clear your recycle bin, cache, cookies, etc. Great tool.

I'm sure most people know where to connect various cords, I just thought a picture would be nice. Plus, I was pretty bored

I've never used Rescue & Recovery, so I don't know the pros and cons of it. I back up my computers using my home server now, but I used Windows built-in "Backup and Restore" before that. I never had to restore my any of my computers, so I can't comment on how well it works. Maybe someone else can shed some light

 

Sorry if I had missed any of the posts but I was just wondering, where do I download the latest switchable graphic drivers for my T400 for Win 7 64-bit? Ive checked the official T400 download page but the only ones offered are for Vista and XP.

 

http://www-307.ibm.com/pc/support/site.wss/document.do?sitestyle=lenovo&lndocid=MIGR-73641

 

Thanks!

 

Great! I manged to install the Swistchable Graphics Driver thru this link. What now, please?

What exactly are the benefits of having this driver installed? I am just curious. That is because everything looked just fine without the driver. Does this mean I was using the integrated driver only?

 

Any of these have ability to backup entire computer (image ability), please?

 

I am not going to move my notebook around very much. Getting a dock sounds interesting. What exactly is it and what are the benefits of having one, please? Where can I buy one? What do you mean by not much I can do against Mother Nature?

As recommended, I installed CCleeaner and cleared evrything up. Any other utilities which could enhance functionality/computing experience with Win7?

 

It just lets you switch between integrated and discreet graphics mode. If your T500 doesn't have discreet graphics (the ATI Mobility Radeon HD 3650) then there was no need to install this.

The Iomega one seems to be the only one with backup software, but it's not an image backup. You could always download and install third-party software to image your HDD, such as DriveImage XML.

A dock lets you hook stuff up to it (e.g. ethernet cable, monitors, speakers, etc.). You can connect/disconnect from it easily without having to unplug all of your peripherals. It also give you additional ports to the ones you already have with your laptop. There are a few that are compatible with a T500:

Advanced Mini Dock
Advanced Dock
Port Replicator

You can buy any of these directly from Lenovo. However, you will most likely find them cheaper at places like eBay, craigslist, etc. I bought my advanced mini dock on ebay for much less than what Lenovo was selling it for.

You should read through the descriptions of each dock to see what they offer and if it's worth it to buy one. The Advanced Dock might interest you since it has another ultrabay, allowing you to use both your DVD drive and second HDD simultaneously, instead of swapping them out when you need them. Of course, this is if you decide to get an internal HDD.

 

Open up the >tools>startup button in CCleaner and disable all of the Adobe and Apple Startup junk (Adobe Reader, Itunes helper, Quicktime, etc.)

On second thought just delete Acrobat Reader from your machine and install Foxit Reader. It's much faster than Acrobat.

Want more great free applications and tools? Read the thread below:

http://forum.notebookreview.com/showthread.php?t=337890

 

As suggested, I checked >tools>startup button in CCleaner and disabled everything listed as best as I could. And I will consider installing Foxit Reader in place of Acrobat Reader. Any compatibility issues with Adobe Flash Player, etc? I've never heard about Foxit Reader before. Besides, I am so used to Adobe Reader.

I took a look at "The Ever-Growing Free Windows Software List" thread. To be honest, I felt rather ovrwhelmed by the endless list there. One thing at a time! This time I think I should take care of the very basics first. Anyway, do you have any "Must Have" free applications and tools from the list?

 

My T500 has T9400 @ 2.53 GHz and ATI Mobility Radeon HD 3650 253 MB. As reported above, I managed to install the Switchable Graphics Driver. And yet I don’t really know when/how to engage the discreet graphics. I don’t play games, using T500 mostly for creating documents and internet. Otherwise, I use T500 for testing robotic trading strategies (demo trading) on up to 5 forex trading platforms; each platform has 4-8 charts opened at any given time. I don’t know how much of graphics power is required when running all these charts at the same time, though. In my application, do I really need to use the discreet graphics?

The Iomega HD sounds good to me. I will buy at least one for my desktop. Definitely, you got me interested in ThinkPad Advanced Dock. As such, I guess my HD option for T500 will be dependent on whether I go for Advanced Dock. I took a quick look at the Lenovo Accessories store but couldn’t locate Advanced Dock. And I was wondering whether the dock was discontinued.


I came across the below comment concerning Advanced Dock’s bandwidth limit of 34 MB/sec just now. Anything to concern?

http://forum.thinkpads.com/viewtopic.php?t=22358

2. The Advanced Dock's Slim bay appears to be bandwidth limited at 34 MB/sec. This is a big disappointment. I tested this by using HDTach to benchmark a 60GB/7200 PATA drive as follows:

T42p, as primary drive: 40MB/sec seq. read, 91 MB/sec burst
T42p, in slim bay: same
T42p, in Dock II: same
T60p, in slim bay: same
T60p, in Advanced Dock: 34 MB/sec seq read, 34 MB/sec burst

I don't have a second SATA 2.5" drive to test a SATA in the Advanced Dock's slim bay. But I'm guessing it would benchmark the same since the T60p's slim bay turned out good performance with a PATA drive.

 

I just realised that the Intel Inf Chipset Driver is missing for Windows 7. Is it not required for Windows 7?

 

I just saw this on eBAy:

Lenovo 250310U ThinkPad Advance Dock, T400/T500 W500 R6
http://cgi.ebay.com/Lenovo-250310U-...tZLaptop_Docking_Stations?hash=item518fc5774b

Is this a right product? And please advise if it is a good buy!

 

I have a problem with the mic of T400s. I can't seem to let it work, also the mute button doesn't respond. fn+f6 says there is no recording device found. Could someone please help me?

 

It seems like your tasks depend more on the CPU than the GPU, so you don't really need to have the ATI card on. If you have Power Manager installed, you can right-click on the battery icon and switch from integrated to discreet graphics. You can also change it in the BIOS.

You're right, the Advanced Dock has been discontinued... sorry about that! You could still buy new ones from elsewhere though.

If the Advanced Dock is indeed bandwidth limited, you could always put the second HDD in your T500's ultrabay and the DVD drive in the Advanced Dock.

Yep, that's the right one. Seems like a good deal, but you should send the seller a message asking about the condition of the dock, pictures, etc. so you can have a better idea of what you'll receive if you make the purchase.

 

If everything is working properly, then I see no reason to worry.

 

Thank you very much for your helping me out and other less experienced members here!

As recommended, I bought a 2GB DDR3 RAM for T500 and Iomega 1TB HDD for my desktop. And I won an Advanced Dock on eBay just now and would like to install Hitachi Travelstar: 7200rpm, 500GB, either in the T500 Ultra Bay or in the Advanced Dock.

Lenovo lists the below two HD Bay Adapters:

ThinkPad Serial Hard Drive Bay Adapter III (Part number: 43N3412)

http://shop.lenovo.com/SEUILibrary/...1FB0B45CBB39F45EB5B2B986E&&hide_menu_area=yes

ThinkPad Serial ATA Hard Drive Bay Adapter (Part number: 40Y8725)

http://shop.lenovo.com/SEUILibrary/...1FB0B45CBB39F45EB5B2B986E&&hide_menu_area=yes

Would you please be able to tell me which one of the above two adapters I need to buy now? I prefer the Adapter III simply because it seems to be a newer model. Also, I‘d hope to use the adapter interchangeably in the T500 ultra bay or in the dock if at all possible. Besides the adapter, do I need to buy anything else, please?

 

No problem! I myself have received help here. That's what this forum is all about, helping each other out

Anyway, the first one you linked (43N3412) will only work in the T500's ultrabay, while the second one (40Y8725) will only work in the Advanced Dock. The second one (40Y8725) is for older generations with a PATA interface in the ultrabay, while the T500 uses SATA. Unfortunately, that means you won't be able to swap the HDD adapter between the dock and the T500.

That being said, you would need to get the ThinkPad Serial ATA Hard Drive Bay Adapter (Part number: 40Y8725) and put your secondary HDD in there.

 

T500 2081 CTO

I just did a Win7 32-bit Ultimate OS install from OEM disk (was advised to do this as being safer and less troublesome than Win7 upgrade from Vista) - all the HD information was archived into a windows.old folder on the C: drive (some 30Gb - not sure if Vista OS is there too, I didnt go through all the subfolders) and also the original HD partition is still there from Lenovo's Vista OS etc pre-install;

SW_Preload C:, Lenovo Q: SERVICE003 S: partitions, the latter two still seem to contain what they had before the Win7 OS install.

I recognize some software on the Q: drive as some pre-installed programmes, but most of it is gibberish to a neophyte like me. Have no clue what the S: drive is all about. I didnt reformat the HD before doing the Win7 install, I was informed Win7 would do that itself during the install.

Do I reformat to clean the HD and start over with the Win7 install? How do I that?

Next; Do I need to partition the HD during Win7 install to prepare for a reinstall of all the updated Win7-compatible Lenovo software? If so, how do I do that?

Is ThinkVantage 4.0 the first Lenovo-specific software to be installed after Win7?

Will TV 4.0 recognize and download all the additional Win7-compatible Lenovo-specific software I need for my machine or do I need to do separate installs of some of/all these afterwards?

I need some help here....thanks for any input.

Ole

 

I had an OEM of Win 7 Pro and did a clean install. I formatted the entire drive and got rid of the partition that previously held the pre-installed software for my original Win Vista Ultimate build. I made sure that I had backed up everything beforehand. The first thing I downloaded was the ThinkVantage System Update v4 to get all the required drivers and software. Next the Windows Update should also pick up some other drivers etc.

Other software you had with your original Vista PC will be lost once you do a clean install - eg. WinDVD, Roxio copying software etc. You can either find alternate (free) software that does the same thing or Google the same software to see if you can find a download source.

 

Thanks ok, how do I format the drive and will this affect/remove my D: drive so I cant use it for Win7 install?

So ThinkVantage 4.0 will download all the listed lenovo Win7 software updates?

 

you format it as part of the win 7 installation process - it gives you the option of either archiving all your win vista data to a particular folder, or you dont retain any win vista data.

the d: drive is your CD rom drive isn't it? your just formatting the c: drive and the hidden partition. i got rid of the hidden partition that was previously housing the win vista pre-installed software as i didnt need it when clean installing to win 7 pro.

you need to use thinvantage system update 4.0 along with windows update. it will give you the essential stuff, but if you want anything extra, then have a look on the lenovo website.

 

Hi, has anyone have "Battery drain" problem with win 7 system? I read this issue on lenovo website, please see the link below:

http://forums.lenovo.com/t5/X-Series-ThinkPad-Laptops/X200-Battery-drain-when-hibernated/td-p/85114

Thanks!

 

Well, heres something out of left field. I installed the pre 10.1 catalyst drivers over the switchable ones with the intent of only leaving the ati card active in the bios for right now, except for the small fact that, well, they work. Switchable graphics still works.