ThinkPad SuperGuide

[Arki]

ThinkPad SuperGuide by Arkit3kt

Last Updated: 12/27/2008

Content: IMPORTANT FOR NEW THINKPAD USERS Factory Restore Windows XP Clean Install Windows Vista Clean Install ThinkVantage Programs Battery Maintenance Battery Charge Thresholds Optimize Battery Life Lenovo Hints & Tips Frequently Asked Questions

IMPORTANT FOR NEW THINKPAD USERS

Before you do anything with your new ThinkPad, do the two following things.

Factory Restore

Factory Restoring Your System: There are two ways you can restore your system to factory state.

Method 1: Use recovery discs; insert disc 1 into your optical drive, reboot, and follow the on-screen steps.
Method 2: Press the blue-button on your keyboard at the ThinkPad logo screen. Follow the on-screen prompts.

Windows XP Clean Install

Method 1 (manual driver installation)

1. Backup data if necessary.
2. Use the Driver Matrices to download the following drivers/software and their respective readme's to an external storage device:

3. Insert Windows XP install disc.
4. Restart and press F1 at the ThinkPad logo screen to enter BIOS.
5. Select Config, then Serial ATA (SATA), and set AHCI to Compatibility.
6. Prioritize boot list so it boots from CD.
7. Press F10 to save and restart.
8. Upon bootup, press any key to boot from disc.
9. Follow on-screen prompts to install Windows XP.
10. Install ethernet or wireless driver to connect to the internet. Go to Windows Update and only download/install SP3. If you already have SP3 installed, ignore this step.
11. Install drivers in the following order:

12. Run Windows Update.

Method 2 (automatic driver installation)

1. Backup data if necessary.
2. Download ethernet or wireless driver (both from here) to an external storage device.
3. Insert Windows XP install disc.
4. Restart and press F1 at the ThinkPad logo screen to enter BIOS.
5. Select Config, then Serial ATA (SATA), and set AHCI to Compatibility.
6. Press Esc key twice. Select Startup, then Boot, and Move ATAPI CD0 to the topmost post.
7. Press F10 to save and restart.
8. Upon bootup, press any key to boot from disc.
9. Follow on-screen prompts to install Windows XP.
10. Install ethernet or wireless driver previously downloaded to connect to the internet. Go to Windows Update and only download/install SP3. If you already have SP3 installed, ignore this step.
11. Download and install ThinkVantage System Update.
12. Run ThinkVantage System Update to install the following drivers/software:

13. Uninstall ThinkVantage System Update.
14. Run Windows Update.

Windows Vista Clean Install

Method 1 (manual driver installation)

1. Backup data if necessary.
2. Use the Driver Matrices to download the following drivers/software and their respective readme's to an external storage device:

3. Insert Windows Vista install disc.
4. Restart and press F1 at the ThinkPad logo screen to enter BIOS.
5. Prioritize boot list so it boots from CD.
6. Press F10 to save and restart.
7. Upon bootup, press any key to boot from disc.
8. Follow on-screen prompts to install Windows Vista.
9. Install ethernet or wireless driver to connect to the internet. Go to Windows Update and only download/install SP1. If you already have SP1 installed, ignore this step.
10. Install drivers in the following order:

11. Run Windows Update.

Method 2 (automatic driver installation)

1. Backup data if necessary.
2. Download ethernet or wireless driver (both from here) to an external storage device.
3. Insert Windows Vista install disc.
4. Restart and press F1 at the ThinkPad logo screen to enter BIOS.
5. Prioritize boot list so it boots from CD.
6. Press F10 to save and restart.
7. Upon bootup, press any key to boot from disc.
8. Follow on-screen prompts to install Windows Vista.
9. Install ethernet or wireless driver previously downloaded to connect to the internet. Go to Windows Update and only download/install SP1. If you already have SP1 installed, ignore this step.
10. Download and install ThinkVantage System Update.
11. Run ThinkVantage System Update to install the following drivers/software:

12. Uninstall ThinkVantage System Update.
13. Run Windows Update.

ThinkVantage Programs

http://www-307.ibm.com/pc/support/si...cid=MIGR-61432

Battery Maintenance

http://forum.notebookreview.com/showthread.php?t=91846

Battery Charge Thresholds

You can set battery charge thresholds using ThinkVantage Power Manager.

Think of the "Start when below" as the minimum and the "Stop at" as the maximum charge thresholds. For example, let's say somebody has "start charging when 36%" and "stop at 40%."

What this means is that when your battery level is below 36% and you have the AC plugged in, it will charge until 40% then stop. Now let's say you're charging your battery and you pull the AC plug out at 38% and plug it back in. Well, now it's going to stay at 38% because it's not below 36%, which means it will not charge any higher. So basically, you're setting a charge freezing point.

The charge thresholds are still in effect even if you're system is off.

Sometimes your battery thresholds may not work. If this happens, set your charge thresholds while on battery.

Optimize Battery Life

These settings are for those who perform light tasks (internet browsing, music, etc.) while on battery and wish for maximum performance when plugged in.

1. Download and install Power Manager (XP, Vista)
2. Open Power Manager and switch to Advanced mode.
3. Under the Power Plan tab, select New, name the new power plan, and select the following settings.

4. Select Next.
5. The settings on this page are User preference, but for the Stop Hard Disk Rotation setting, I recommend you set it to Never for both Battery and AC settings because constantly starting and stopping your Hard Disk will decrease its hardware life.
6. Select Advanced...
7. Again, the settings in this window are User preference, but I recommend setting Wireless Adapter Settings for both Battery and AC to Maximum Performance if you plan on browsing the internet.
8. Select Finish and confirm you are using your new power plan.

Lenovo Hints & Tips

Go here and select your system model.

http://www-307.ibm.com/pc/support/si...testyle=lenovo

Frequently Asked Questions

Q: Is the switchable graphics feature available for Windows XP?
A: Yes and no. You can switch graphics from BIOS, but not from within Windows. Only Vista users can switch graphics with Windows loaded.

Q: Why does my system skip/stutter whenever I move it?
A: The culprit is most likely your ThinkVantage Active Protection System settings. Decrease its sensitivity level.

Q: Why do I have unknown devices/exclamations in my Device Manager after a clean install?
A: You most likely forgot some drivers or forgot to install the Disabling Tool for Turbo Memory if you downgraded from Vista to XP w/ Turbo Memory. Commonly forgotten drivers are the chipset and card reader.

Q: Everytime I simultaneously press more than three keys, my system beeps. How do I make this stop?
A: http://www.intelliot.com/blog/archiv...d-beeps-fixed/

Q: How do I enter BIOS?
A: Press F1 at startup when the ThinkPad logo is displayed.

Q: How do I enter Safe Mode?
A: During bootup, keep tapping F8.

Please feel free to post any questions or comments. Thanks for reading.

[JaneL]

Originally Posted by Arkit3kt

Personal Systems Reference (tabook)

tabook and its brethren are moving to http://www.lenovo.com/psref/ and
the ftp site at ibm.com will be going away.

Also, since the SL series has their own book, tabook no longer covers all ThinkPads (assuming that one considers the SL series to be a ThinkPad at all).

[Arki]

Originally Posted by Nonny

tabook and its brethren are moving to http://www.lenovo.com/psref/ and
the ftp site at ibm.com will be going away.

Good to know. Thanks, Nonny.

[JaneL]

Please note the addendum to my above comment.

[fs005]

Excellent work, Arkit3kt! Maybe you might want to add www.thinkwiki.org under External Links/Resources for a) linux installation instructions and b) as another source for general FAQs?

[Arki]

Originally Posted by Nonny

Please note the addendum to my above comment.

Noted.

Originally Posted by fs005

Excellent work, Arkit3kt! Maybe you might want to add www.thinkwiki.org under External Links/Resources for a) linux installation instructions and b) as another source for general FAQs?

Added. Can't forget about Linux users.

Thanks, fs005.

[stylinexpat]

To get rid of all or most of the bloatware that comes with most new Thinkpads what items can be disabled under MSCONFIG in Startup and what items can be removed to improve performance?

A picture of what can be left checked and what can be unchecked in Startup would be great.

[Arki]

Added section for those who want to optimize their battery life.

Originally Posted by stylinexpat

To get rid of all or most of the bloatware that comes with most new Thinkpads what items can be disabled under MSCONFIG in Startup and what items can be removed to improve performance?

A picture of what can be left checked and what can be unchecked in Startup would be great.

I would do that, but what is useful to each individual is up to them. There are also many guides out there to optimize their system and each operating system has different services running. For example, Les' Thread.

[Han Bao Quan]

Nice work bro..
How have you been? Get on msn for a little bit if you can.

[Needmore4less]

Arkit3kt Thanks for doing this, a great thread for all Thinkpad users.