T500 praise

Hi everyone,
Got my brand new T500 a week ago, tried a SL500 for 3 weeks, but decided i did'nt like the keyboard layout (why are lenovo the only one with the ins/home/pgup - del/end/pgdn buttons in a 3 under 3 config - all other vendors throws these keys around like they were infected.
Well back to my T500, i got 1 thing to say about it - i LIKE it.
Thanks lenovo!
Anders

I am not a photographer and use a machine for business-type tasks. I notice a little flicker on CCFL screens and none on the LED screens. I used a T500/W500 for some time and now I use 530. I simply prefer the brighter whites on the LED screens, although my current 530 is an FHD panel and I needed to tone down the colors. It was too "hot" for my taste

Similar Messages

  • Hts723232l9sa60 Hitachi 7200rpm 3260gb hdd) on t500 initial thoughts

    I wanted to offer praise for the t500 and it's upgradeability.  I just put a 7200 rpm drive in (stock 160gb 5400 rpm).  It has been running for the better part of 3 hours and everything is perfect.
    Good notes:
    WIndows index rating of drive went to 5.9 from 5.3-5.4
    It has stayed very quiet
    And stayed cool All under normal loads
    Misgivings:
    The storage space amount
    All in all I know I know most people shouldn't see much heat or noise with an upgrade like that, but my experiance in the notebook realm has been that even a subtle change can cause unwanted heat or noise.  It is an upgrade worth making
    if no others are presented.  I can only imagine what the change to ssd will be like.

    I wanted to offer praise for the t500 and it's upgradeability.  I just put a 7200 rpm drive in (stock 160gb 5400 rpm).  It has been running for the better part of 3 hours and everything is perfect.
    Good notes:
    WIndows index rating of drive went to 5.9 from 5.3-5.4
    It has stayed very quiet
    And stayed cool All under normal loads
    Misgivings:
    The storage space amount
    All in all I know I know most people shouldn't see much heat or noise with an upgrade like that, but my experiance in the notebook realm has been that even a subtle change can cause unwanted heat or noise.  It is an upgrade worth making
    if no others are presented.  I can only imagine what the change to ssd will be like.

  • Feb 2009 T500, SSD performanc​e problems

    I just bought an Intel X25-M 80GB drive (with the updated 8820 firmware) for read only database data files.  I installed an eSata ExpressCard 34 and put the drive in a Rosewill enclosure.  All of these items are rated at 3.0 Gb/s SATA speeds.  But, when I benchmarked the drive it flatlines at around 130 MB/s.  Oddly close to the SATA 1 or UDMA 6, so I looked into the device manager under "SCSI/Raid controllers" and found my SATALink controller.  It reads that the "Host Link Speed" is 3.0 Gb/s, but the current transfer mode is "Ultra DMA 6".  Is there a reason my new T500 laptop isn't able to run at the full speed of the ExpressCard?  I was looking forward to those 250 MB/s reads I've been reading about.

    anti00Zero, thank you for your replies.  I have figured out what is going on with my situation.  It turns out that the SI processor chip on the eSata expressCard has a maximum throughput of 130 MB/s.  There is one other option that would provides a throughput of 200MB/s, but it costs $299.  It's not likely they will sell many of those cards, when one that provides 130 MB/s costs only $45.  In any event, I'll probably end up using the Intel X25 on my desktop because I dont want to have a $400 SSD go to waste at 130 MB/s.  Lenovo T500 is working great.

  • T500 performanc​e loss and restart issue after low battery shutdown

    Hi,
    Some days ago I experienced a significant loss in performance of my T500. Unfortunately it seems to be a continuous loss and the games I play, e.g. empire total war that did run ok before are nearly unplayable at the moment.
    Additionally, when the computer shuts down due to low battery, it no longer manages to resume windows but always crashs during reboot (black screen and hard disk symbol is moving, no other activity for 10 minutes)
    I am working with the standard vista installation and installed all automatic updates, but also every time when I shutdown the computer, no matter how long it has been running (even after 1 minute and after a rebooting 3 minutes ago), the red shutdown symbol in start shows that an update needs to be installed.
    any ideas?
    Many thanks in advance !
    Message Edited by Walky on 06-18-2009 09:39 PM
    Message Edited by Walky on 06-18-2009 09:41 PM

    Well, the problem, seem's to have reoccured: Battery ran out (even the indicator leds on the side didn't show any life), Time reset  to 1.1.2001, again some rebooting and setting the time again...
    Is this a sign of a degrading battery health status?
    It looks like reseting the SMC didn't help after all.

  • Fan Error Lenovo T500 T510 T400 T410 T60 T61 - rejuvinating the fan

    I finally got that dreaded "Fan Error" at boot time on my T500.  After some research on this board, this is what I have concluded:
    1-  hit Escape, and the machine will boot.  It can do a lot of stuff without a fan turning.  Gaming caused it to overheat.  Either the processor would slow down (by being intermittant) or you get the black screen of death.
    2-  It is relatively easy to follow the Hardware Maintenence Manual and remove the fan and heatsink assembly.  Once the assembly is removed, pry open the fan, and remove the blades and clean and lubricate the shaft.  My fan restarted, and the Fan Error went away.  No need to replace the fan.
    3-  Unfortunately the machine overheats now (black screen of death), even though the fan does operate.  I traced this to a too liberal application of the thermal joint compound.  Made the compound a very thin film, and that seems to have helped.  Also when replacing heat sink assembly and before bolting it, wiggle it while pressing on it so the thermal joint compound spreads itself at the surfaces of contact.  This seems to have helped.
    Anything else that you may want to add to this thread?

    lxgw wrote:
    Thanks a lot! It makes sense.
    Yes, I have been using the ESC bypass for some time, untill I really could not stand by anymore--the over heating.
    I am thinking about manipulating the fan 'manually', if it could pass the booting, very good; if not, it's not completely unacceptable to run a small program@startup along with the work.
    Not ready to say bye yet,  will keep trying.  
    Thanks again!  
    So if you hit ESC, does your fan work normally, or do you overheat?  I had the impression that your fan would work normally if you hit ESC.
    My fan was always a problem on the T500 (not on my new W540).  It was extremely noisy and was constantly on even at no load times.  So I opened the laptop and cut one of the 3 wires on the fan (I am sure it is a power wire), and installed a manual switch.  So when the thing overheated, I could manually turn the fan on.  This worked for about a week and then something gave up, and the fan stopped working altogether.  (don't fix something that is not broken!)  I had to take the front cover off, and place a PC fan in the top left corner to cool the radiator.  This was not as effective as the original fan, but let me do my job.  Then the loose switch on this ersatz fan one day accidentallyshorted the fluoroscent backlight PC board of my display and I lost my display backlight!  I had to pry open my display and using two 60W bulbs project light to the back of the LCD so I could read the display!  This is when I decided to punt and ordered the W540.  The fan is quiet and works when it has to work.

  • 1680 x1050 external monitor on T500 does not work

    Dear all, I have a T500 running XP professional and a Philips external monitor 220BW8plus, but when I set the screen resolution to the screen's native resolution my screen gets compressed with 2 black areas on the side. I've tried everything I could think of, but nothing worked. Now I'm forced to work at 1400 by 1050.
    Does anyone know how to solve this?
    Thanks for any suggestions.
    Cheers,
    Erik
    Solved!
    Go to Solution.

    Thanks for that suggestion, but I've tried that and as soon as I apply that change, the screen gets compressed with big black bars on the side.
    It doesn't matter if I switch to single display, dual clone, dual extended, without or with docking station. I've updated to the latest software drivers etc, etc.
    Is it a problem of the T500 with this brand and type of screen (Philips 220BW8CS1/00)?
    Even our IT department is not able to solve the problem. They suggest I'd buy a different screen

  • NMI: Parity Check / Memory Parity Errors on Lenovo T500 2082-58M running Windows XP.

    NMI: Parity Check / Memory Parity Errors are occurring on
    five out of five Lenovo T500 laptops 2082-58M tested.
    I can get the error to re-occur consistently by installing
    IBM Director Client version 5.20 or 5.23, taking remote control and then within
    the remote session I initiate a PC restart. This re-produces these errors
    without fail.
    I've also received this same error without Director but am
    unable to cause this to re-occur consistently.
    My Findings:
    Changing the BIOS Settings from the default settings of :
    BIOS Config > Display
    Default Primary Video Device:[Internal]
    Boot Display Device:[ThinPad LCD]
    Graphics Device:[Discrete Graphics]
    OS Detection for Switchable Graphics:[Enabled]
    To the following settings resolves the issue though this
    causes the installed and previously working ATI driver not to detect the video
    device.
    BIOS Config > Display
    Default Primary Video Device:[Internal]
    Boot Display Device:[ThinPad LCD]
    Graphics Device:[Integrated Graphics]
    OS Detection for Switchable Graphics:[Disabled]
    What I have tried:
    o Updated the BIOS and Drivers to Latest available
    o Re-Installed the Display Driver, Downgraded the
    Display Driver
    o Removed the Display Driver and left BIOS
    settings enabled (NMI errors re-occur)
    To get to the above findings I tried removing /
    re-installing pretty much every driver and disabling every option within the
    BIOS. I am only listing what I believe is now relevant to the identified
    problem. I can provide further information upon request.
     Anyone able to help ?

    Hello,
    the switchable gfx doesn´t work in XP. In XP you have to choose gfx options in bios before booting os.
    Please try: 
    Default Primary Video Device:[Internal]
    Boot Display Device:[ThinPad LCD]
    Graphics Device:[discrete Graphics]
    OS Detection for Switchable Graphics:[Disabled] 
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    TIP: If your computer runs satisfactorily now, it may not be necessary to update the system.
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  • Restoration of Lenovo T500 to new hard drive using Rescue & Recovery

    I bought a new hard drive and I have been having a frustrating time trying to migrate the image of my hard disk to the new drive. When I bought my T500, it came with Windows Vista Business 64, but I have since downgraded it to Windows XP Pro.
    Up to now, I was faithfully using Norton Ghost 14 to back up my drive to my USB Western Digital MyBook Mirror Edition 1TB drive. However, I get errors when I try to restore the image to my new drive (and I will be posting that issue to Norton's forum).
    While I have not completely given up on Norton Ghost, I decided I might be able to restore the image using the Rescue & Recovery software. I downloaded and installed R&R 4.21.0016.00. After I installed it, I backed up my system to the MyBook Mirror Edition.
    I then shut down the computer and put in the new hard drive (a Western Digital Scorpio Black WD5000BEKT). I used a disc that I burned from the ThinkVantage Create Recovery Media utility to boot the machine. While the environment loads just fine, it does not detect my USB hard drive. NOTE: I didn't make my USB drive bootable, I only stored the backup files there.
    I tried going into the PC Doctor utility and discovered that there is an "unidentified" USB device under the mouse section, which I presume is the MyBook.
    I have hunted high and low for an answer to this both on Lenovo and Western Digital's web sites, but I can't seem to come up with a reason why my drive is not visible to R&R, or a way to load the WD drivers into this recovery environment. I found http://forum.lenovo.com/t5/ThinkVantage-Technologies/Rescue-and-Recovery-does-not-recognize-USB-driv..., and I followed the instructions - there is a minus sign next to the USB boot device in the bios. However, saving the bios and rebooting the computer (as the post suggested) does nothing to change that setting.
    I have tried upgrading the bios to the latest version, but still no luck detecting the USB drive.
    I am thinking about resorting to buring a backup of my entire system to DVDs and then restoring using the DVD drive. However, since my current backup is 60GB, I imagine that will take 15 discs.
    Whether that fixes my immediate problem or not (that is, transferring to my new drive), I still don't have an answer for a long term solution in case of hard drive failure. Ghost is not working with my current configuration. And if I use R&R for backup, it will do me no good if I cannot get it to connect to my USB drive to recover. Furthermore, as far as I can tell there is no way to burn an existing restoration point to DVD - meaning I would have absolutely no way to restore if my hard drive failed.
    I have been working on this migration for 3 full days already, and since I had my system images backed up I thought that this would be a trivial task. Any suggestions at this point would be welcomed.

    I'm experiencing the same problem. I wanted to restore single files from an USB disk. Two larger file (500MB each) went through that process quite fast (3 minutes). A folder with many small files takes forever.
    What's strange is that my notebook hard drive is at 100% activity all the time, while the USB disk is hardly read.
    Message Edited by gerik on 10-29-2008 02:33 PM

  • R400/T400/T500/W500: display driver "amdkmdap" crashes

    Executive summary: All current Lenovo ThinkPads with switchable graphics (R400, T400, T500, and W500) have usability issues in connection with Vista and the use of external monitors. For more than half a year, users were plagued by frequent Windows crashes. During that time frame, Lenovo did not comment on the various available reports and complaints. By the end of April 2009, Lenovo resolved many issues by releasing a new official driver. Though several problems, including severe ones, remain as of today. Lenovo has said to be actively working on the remaining issues (without outcomes so far).
    Important information for affected users: If you're having one of the issues reported here, then Lenovo advises you to call your local Lenovo Support. Demand that a case is submitted to hardware engineering. In particular, you should ask for "a CMVC case to be created and escalated". Using these "code words" ensures that your case is properly addressed.
    Old problem description
    On Vista 32 and Vista 64, the ATI display driver "amdkmdap" crashes when an external monitor was active before OR an application (game) using DirectX technology is used. The user typically receives a couple of so-called "Timeout Detection and Recovery" (TDR) messages from Vista:
    (Click here for an explanation of the message from Microsoft)
    Sometimes, amdkmdap crashes several times in a row. Then Windows crashes with a so-called "BSOD", likely resulting in data loss. Typically, Windows detects "atikmpag.sys" as the crashing driver. Sometimes, also an instantaneous reboot happens independent of prior TDR crashes. In such a case, no BSOD is displayed.
    The following movie illustrates the phenomenon: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LBX9QsCmrpY
    This behavior above has been confirmed for the following ThinkPad models: R400, T400, T500, and W500 (see below). Problem reports indicate that the symptoms are often related to playing games and/or the notebook being docked and the external monitor being connected via DVI.
    Though, the presence of these two conditions is not necessary to trigger the driver crash:
    There are reports where no dock was involved and the external monitor was connected directly to the notebook's VGA port.
    Furthermore, there are reports where the notebook was docked and an external monitor was connected to the DVI port.
    So far, there has been no report relating to a monitor being connected to the Display Port which is available on some models. (Possibly because this port is not used.)
    There are a few reports where neither a dock nor an external monitor was involved.
    Playing certain games reliably triggers the crash.
    Steps to reproduce
    While intially (around September 2008 - October 2008) the crash could be triggered easily, the situation is now (December 2008) more complex. The crashes do still occur, though there is no clear pattern anymore. According to various reports, the display driver crash can be triggered as follows:
    Resuming from standby
    Watching a DVD.
    Playing one of these games: Fallout 3, Bioshock, Team Fortress 2, Knights of the Old Republic.
    Arbitrarily during normal work. On a normal working day, the problem occurs at least once.
    Further issues
    Here are more issues which seem to be related. More information can be found in other posts of this thread:
    The notebook display and/or the external monitor runs at a low resolution after resuming from standby.
    After the login both monitors flicker while adjusting the resolution of the monitor.
    The external monitors cannot be activated using Presentation Director.
    The external monitor is blank after docking or undocking.
    There are some reports about display driver crashes on machines running Windows XP.
    The switchable graphics drivers limit the useable RAM under Vista 32 to 2.5GB (i.e. 500MB-1GB less than usual).
    Workarounds
    Lenovo has released a new "tip" document which provides a link to a new driver. Get it here but be sure to read the instructions!
    (Old tips follow below the line. Consider them as obsolete.)
    Here are some tips which might make the problem occur less often. I have not tried all of them. Though, A. and B. have improved the situation for me; your mileage may vary.
    A. If you do not have to use an external monitor, then switch to Intel graphics for time being.
    Otherwise:
    B. Make some changes to your system:
    Disable Aero.
    Create a new profile in the power manager with the following setting: When running on AC, turn off the monitor after 40 minutes. (Thereby, the notebook goes less often to standby.)
    Install the newest graphics drivers.
    Install the newest BIOS.
    Install the newest Hotkey utility.
    Install the newest drivers.
    C. Disable the switchable graphics in the BIOS setup and install modded drivers from ATI (see zilla's post in this thread for instructions).
    The last workaround (C.) has been confirmed to work reliably by several users. Though, thereby you use drivers which have not been tested by Lenovo. It's possible (but not very likely) that damage results by doing so. Also, it might be difficult to install a future Lenovo driver which resolves the issues reported here. Finally, you cannot use the power-saving Intel graphics. Thus, you should only use this workaround if you know what you are doing.
    The programs can be downloaded from the following locations. Notice that System Update does not always offer you immediately the lastest versions.
    R400 and T400 users: Go here.
    T500 and W500 users: Go here.
     User opinions
    "Is there any chance this will be fixed, or should I just get used to my "workstation-class" machine crashing regularly?"
    "I [am] thinking about to sell my w500 if this problems won't be fixed in the next weeks."
    "I've got a T400 w/ Vista 64 and I'll say the Switchable drivers on it S[**]K bad."
    "Unfortunately for Lenovo, our IT Manager is at the point of a awarding a new and rather substantial Enterprise Agreement for our whole organization's PC's, which included a rollout of many new PC's for 2009. The contract was going to go to Lenovo. He mumbled something about HP when I asked him about the state of affairs with my PC... [O]ur firm's IT Manager decided to return all the faulty Lenovo's for a refund and would replace them with HP's."  
    "Is someone from Lenovo paying attention[?]"
    "i'm getting angry with ati and lenovo."
    "there are no new drivers and no ETA for a fix."
    "ThinkPads are supposed to be good, so you'd think there wouldn't be a problem like this."
    "honestly it is completely unacceptable for lenovo to have done nothing this long. I paid extra to get the ATI card, and now I can't hook up my laptop to an external monitor without it crashing. I will probably end up selling the laptop soon since using an external monitor is extremely important to me and lenovo doesn't seem to care about fixing the situation."
    Update:
    - Lenovo support has informed me today (2008-10-24) that they are working on the problem.- changed subject (was: Major troubles with DVI-port and a T400) to reflect new information.- changed message body to reflect new information
    - See MIGR-70490 (dated 2008-09-21) for an official statement from Lenovo.
    - 2008-11-15: The problems are still present and there is still no ETA for a fix.
    - As expected, also R400 models are affected. See below for reports.
    - 2008-11-26: Still no word from Lenovo when the problem will be fixed. Added information on (partial) workarounds.
    - 2008-12-03: Lenovo updated MIGR-70490. Though, problems persist.
    - 2008-12-13: Updated problem description on the basis of new reports.
    - 2008-12-16: Updated problem description on the basis of new reports.
    - 2009-01-07: Updated problem description on the basis of new reports. Still no word from Lenovo. I called Lenovo's customer service in the Netherlands and was promised to receive a callback. Though, so far they didn't (want to) get back to me.
    - 2009-01-08: Updated workaround description on the basis of new reports.
    - 2009-01-10: Updated executive summary on the basis of new reports.
    - 2009-01-14: Updated problem description on the basis of new reports (movie).
    - 2009-01-19: Updated workaround section.
    - 2009-01-21: Happy birthday MIGR-70490! It's now 4 months. Updated workaround section. I called Lenovo's customer service in the Netherlands again.
    - 2009-01-22: Added section "User opinions"
    - 2009-01-23: Updated problem description on the basis of new reports.
    - 2009-01-24: Small updates.
    - 2009-02-02: Small updates.
    - 2009-02-03: Changes to section "Executive summary". Added section "Important information for affected users".
    - 2009-02-04: Update to section "Credits".
    - 2009-02-19: Update to section "Credits".
    - 2009-02-27: Quick update to "Executive summary" and "Workarounds".
    - 2009-03-10: Quick updates to section "Executive summary" and "Important information for affected users".
    - 2009-03-21: Quick update to "Executive summary"
    Credits
    Workaround "Aero off": Bubbi, TonyK
    Workaround "Modded ATI drivers": jtull89,  zilla
    Thanks to Mark_Lenovo and Confederate for their work behind the scenes 
    Thanks to feedback from: ajgiordano, Andy_7575, ben2e, brettgri, bri0831, Brimstar, Bubbi, CodeNameSly, cpueschner, dandill, diablo2man, ewilansky, gaccounts, gan, gandalf7, golffreaksi, Homer, hubertlam, Jiraiya, johnsonjf, jordan_moss, jmark, jtull89, kbarina, lenardg, lukest, misitmichaelf, mlb, MMetts, ojisan, pendaluent, Qot, rmccallen, sarnil, shaofengsd, Snakecharmed, StephanK, tarzan23, Texas1040, TheNewNumber2, TonyK, trickyDick, vedman, Vitalus, Waschbecken, xpnet, xrafx, zilla, ZPrime
     (Please don't expect that this list is complete. I am not paid to keep it accurate and complete and, actually, I have a life besides writing about Lenovo's problems. )
    Original post
    Hi there!
    I have major troubles using a Dell 2709W monitor with my T400. 
    The notebook is attached to a Advanced Mini Dock to which the monitor is connected via DVI.
     The problems are as follows.
    A. Activating the external monitor often fails
    Steps to reproduce:
    1. Attach a Dell 2709W via DVI to an Advanced Mini Dock which is connected to a T40
    2. Start Windows and make sure that the T400 is running on the ATI card.
    => Dell monitor enters power saving mode because no signal is coming.
    3. In Windows use either the Presentation Director, Windows, or the ATI tools to activate the Dell monitor.
    Expected result: The Dell monitor is activated and the Windows desktop is shown on it.
    Actual result: It takes 1-3 seconds for the Dell monitor to display something. The monitor shows the Windows desktop for a short period. Then it's black again and the monitor returns to the power saving mode .
    Analysis: It seems that the Presentation Director, Windows, or the ATI tools (or more aptly, I guess, the ATI driver) expect a quick response from the DVI-port that a monitor is present. If they do not receive the response, the DVI-port is deactivated again. Since the monitor is too slow to respond and enters the power saving mode too quickly, the monitor can hardly ever be activated.
    Suggested change: Change these tools (or the ATI driver) so that they wait longer for a response on the DVI-port.
    B. Resuming from monitor sleep causes Windows to fall back to a low resolution if the Dell monitor was activated before
    Steps to reproduce:
    1. Attach a Dell 2709W via DVI to an Advanced Mini Dock which is connected to a T400
    2. Start Windows and make sure that the T400 is running on the ATI card.
    3. Select the Energy Star profile
    4. Activate the Dell monitor
    5. Don't use Windows until the notebook display and the Dell monitor are set to sleep by Windows.
    6. Wake up the displays (e.g. by pressing some keys)
    Expected result: Both displays are run in the display mode as before.
    Actual result: The Dell monitor still sleeps. The notebook displays is run at a lower resolution (I guess 800x600). The Windows login prompt is not visible and it has to be guessed that it is shown. Though the typical Windows login background is visible. If the password is entered, then Windows can be used again. Though, the resolution is still low and the Dell monitor still sleeps.
    Analysis: It seems that by sending the Dell monitor to sleep, the monitor deactivates the DVI-interface or enters a low-power interface mode. This seems to disturb some component in Windows (the Presentation Director, Windows, the ATI tools, the ATI driver) in a way that Windows only activates the notebook display when it resumes from "monitor sleep".
    Suggested change: Change these tools (or the ATI driver) so that they can cope with the situation that the DVI-interface is deactivated and wait longer for the interface to be in a useable state. Reactivate an external monitor even if it "sleeps very deeply".
    Relevant system information
    - T400 2767-CTO (T9400, 2x2GB RAM, ATI, WXGA+ LED)
    - Advanced Mini Dock
    - Vista 32 Business (German) - fully updated
    - All Lenovo updates via System Update are installed- Dell 2709W
    - The system runs the ATI graphic card in the described scenarios
    Message Edited by Izmi on 05-21-2009 10:34 AM
    Message Edited by Izmi on 06-29-2009 03:13 PM
    Solved!
    Go to Solution.

    Lenovo support made me reinstall presentation director to rule out this component as a factor. After the reinstallation, the amdkmdap-problem is still present. Letting Windows go to standby and waking the system up afterwards, is a reliable method in my case to reproduce the problem on condition that an external monitor was active. The problem does not occur if no external monitor is present.
    A web search for "amdkmdap", "atikmpag","BSOD" with one of the ThinkPad-series names (like "T400") shows that other persons also have this problem with R400s, T400s, T500s, and W500s:
    - t400: Display driver crashes
    - W500 Display Driver
    - My W500
    - T400 Display driver stopped working...
    - T500 Video/Video Driver Issues (2056-4SU)
    - NUS T400 issues
    - T400 Display Driver Issue
    - Vista64 + 4GB RAM + External Display = BSOD
    - R400 problem report (in Chinese)
    - T500 problem report (in Chinese)
    - Bioshock keeps crashing (seems related)
    -  Vista x64, ATI graphics, dock + external LCD = bluescreens? (a report by a W500 user)
    - many problems with lenovo w500
    - another R400 problem report (in Chinese)
    -  Vista BSOD on Lenovo T500 with new Switchable Graphics
    - switchable graphics and external monitor through port replic
    - Problem with Lenovo T500 notebook & external LCD
    - Lenovo ThinkPad T400 - some impressions.
    - T400 freezes with graphics Intense programes
    - Standard Laptop mit ein paar Macken (in German)
    Some possibly related Non-Lenovo cases: 
    - Why Vista crashes so often when dual display is enabled?
    - Vista and 7.3 Display driver atikmdag stopped responding error
    - 4870 vista x64 multi-mon = atikdmag BOOM
    In the cases in which people observe the "amdkmdap"-problem and describe the circumstances, the use of an external monitor is always a factor. These other reports also indicate that it is likely not an issue with the hardware of my notebook (or then a general problem for many batches of these machine types). For it happens a) on many systems and b) on different kinds of systems.
    If others want to contribute to the problem solution, then we should provide Lenovo and ATI a good problem description. So, please add your description.
    Message Edited by Izmi on 02-03-2009 11:53 AM

  • T500 Problems and experiences with Lenovo's technical support / EZServ

    After some issues and numerous calls to Lenovo's Technical Support, I just thought I would share my experiences here.
    First off, I currently own a ThinkPad T500, which was designed to be a replacement for my older ASUS laptop.
    While the ASUS laptop is still running okay, I have had a hard time trying to get the company to properly warranty the laptop. (they would make falsified claims that nothing is wrong with the laptop, so that they would not have to replace any parts - and when they do replace parts, they would simply create another problem and totally ignore the described problem.) The experiences were so stressful and disgusting such that I am sick of arguing with the company any further. My decision on the ThinkPad was based on that IBM/Lenovo is designed to serve business class customers and theoretically should have "business-class support". For this very reason, I have added the best warranty service they was offered to me at the time (3yr onsite + accidental). I am just guessing at that time I just wanted to get away from small companies and go to a company that would back their customers' laptops.
    As soon as I got my hands on a T500, however, I have noticed that something is wrong with the card reader. Apparently the reader on the machine would not read SDHC cards (it does read SD cards, however.) This is a problem because I only use SDHC cards and the machine was not able to read any of them. As the card reader controller is manufactured by the same manufacturer (Ricoh) and my older ASUS laptop was able to read SDHC cards, I thought something odd was going on with my machine. This was also based on the evidence that other T500 owners were able to read SDHC just fine.
    In addition to the card reader, I was also having troubles in which the machine would freeze whenever Nero Burning ROM (a CD/DVD authoring software) is used.
    My first support call to Lenovo was not that pleasant, given that I was placed on hold for 20 minutes when the rep was looking up specs for SHDC compatibility. The rep also said that they would not troubleshoot 3rd party software and would not help me on the issue. I was also told that I should also call back during "regular business hours (apparently until 5pm EST, or 2pm PST (my time)" (despite that the technical support hotline is open 24/7) so that a supervisor can handle my case. This makes it very difficult for me to get to someone with any authority as I am usually busy throughout the day until late afternoons (~4pm PST -> 7pm EST).
    Nevertheless, my second call to Lenovo was much more pleasant. The rep handled my case in a timely fashion and promptly provided replacement parts indicated by my problem. (Onsite motherboard replacement for the card reader, and a separate shipment for the DVD-RW drive). Turns out that the motherboard replacement did fix the SDHC issue, although the freezing problem was not caused by hardware failures, but rather a faulty driver that was corrected after Lenovo released an update months later on the Intel SATA controller drivers.
    Five months later, after having to use a broadband WWAN card for my work, I also started to notice there is something wrong with the broadband WWAN card. The card used is the Ericsson F3507g card (or the AT&T broadband WWAN option). Not only would the connection be very flaky, it would also drop connections fairly frequently. It seems that a SIM card pull to another card would result in a perfect connection and ever since I have been using an addon card instead to use the Internet. When I confronted Lemovo with the problem, the experience was worse than the first one. I have made at least six service calls to Lenovo and everytime the reps will waste my time with basic troubleshooting which I told them repeatedly that I have already done (I have even reinstalled the OS but it seems that it does not matter to the reps). Here are some things that are repeated over and over:
    1) Can you uninstall the Power Manager Driver and the Wireless WAN drivers and reinstall them?
    2) Can you go on to our website and download the WWAN drivers (document ID: MIGR-70000 - I even remembered this number since it was repeated so many times) - and the Power Manager Driver and reinstall it?
    3) Can you go to Device Manager (the rep would go step by step to it even though I told him I already know how to get there), and see if there are any "bangs" (exclamation marks) on any of the devices?
    4) Since you were able to connect to the AT&T network, then from the hardware standpoint there is nothing wrong with your card. This indicates there is a software configuration or a driver problem. (I have been trying to acquire the latest drivers but what I have was already the latest)
    5) Since your card could connect to the network, you should contact your provider for help. (AT&T blames it on the card)
    6) I'm sorry but there is nothing I can do to help you. You should contact your provider about the card (despite that I acquired the card from Lenovo and not from them)
    7) Are you sure that your card is activated properly? It doesn't show in our systems that the card has been activated properly. You will need to call both AT&T and the Lenovo activation hotline (whatever this is) to have your card work properly. (I have never heard of this before)
    Despite telling these reps I have an addon card that works perfectly and that I have done all the basic troubleshooting already, none of them are really willing to give me a replacement card. They would either request that I send my computer back to the depot (which I do not want to do since I use this laptop everyday and that's why I have onsite warranty), fail to help me, or transfer me to someone else that makes me do all the troubleshooting all over again. (Every call I made to Lenovo can be said to be composed of at least 20 minutes of basic troubleshootings with the end result of not being able to help)
    After having the case escalated to a team leader, I was told that someone would give me a call within a few hours since their team leader is with another customer. Result? No callbacks. Not within a day, nor two.
    Called Lenovo again, they apologized, but samething happened - supervisor on the line - promised another callback by a supervisor - but nothing, nada!
    Called Lenovo a third time - was again told the same thing, but I am not falling for that anymore - the rep finally agreed to give me a replacement, as well as as to send out a technician that would fix the LCD cover that is starting to get loose on one side.
    At that time, I was so frustrated and this reminds me of the pain I have went through with my old ASUS laptop and their grumpy customer service. It just seems to me that it has to be that difficult to have anything resolved or fixed. (What is especially frustrating is that the basic reps do not have any authority to make any decisions, 90% of the time I will need to be transferred to a supervisor of some sort before my case can be handled successfully - which is hard at times given that I only have until 2pm PST to call them)
    Received replacement, but did not fix issue. I have noticed that the GPS (which was part of the WWAN card) also has problems getting adequate signals for a 3D Fix. I have once again called Lenovo, this time raising the concerns with the GPS and seeking for help. Along with the basic troubleshooting, here is what Lenovo has to say about the GPS issue which frustrates me even more:
    1) uh, G..P..S? what GPS? (most reps I call say this, shows me that they either don't know what a GPS is or know that there is a dedicated GPS builtin on the Ericsson module. Perhaps they don't even know that ThinkVantage GPS existed)
    2) You will need to have active service in order to use GPS (I do have active service, but nevertheless that statement is false since a 3D fix can be successfully acquired with a dummy card - I guess the rep has no idea what he/she was talking about)
    3) That's a software issue - you need to call AT&T and tell them about the problem (Again, I guess the rep has no idea that the GPS is not linked to AT&T's networks - there is a dedicated GPS on the card that allows the ThinkVantage GPS tool to acquire proper GPS signals) (Also, why would AT&T troubleshoot a tool that Lenovo made called ThinkVantage GPS? - I don't get it)
    4) You need to uninstall, and then reinstall the Power Manager driver and also the latest WWAN drivers. (I did that, did not work - I have told them I even reinstalled the OS from scratch)
    5) You need to go uninstall, and then reinstall the Wireless LAN drivers (although I am talking about wireless WAN, not LAN)
    6) There are two wireless adapters in your laptop? Are you sure about this?
    7) LAN, or WAN? What are you referring to? (I guess some reps are not aware what WWAN means)
    After dealing with the numerous reps that have no idea what I was talking about, I have decided that I would just take the machine into depot, which would give me a chance to explain the other issues I have with the machine as well.
    Here are some of the issues I am having with my T500 right now (please comment if you have the same issues or perhaps have a possible solution/workaround for it)
    1. The left side of the LCD cover has a pressure point, which causes the cover to dislodge from the rest of the panel slightly when pressure is applied from the back side of the cover. (Could be caused by closing the lid, for example) - IBM technician applied some adhesive to the inside, which helped it from dislodging, although the left side is still a little filmsy compared to the right.
    2. This error randomly pops up at infrequent intervals: "Display driver igfx stopped responding and has successfully recovered."
    The latest GFX driver is installed and all updates have been installed. OS has been reinstalled but problems still occurs infrequently.
    3. This error also pops up at infrequent intervals: "Active protection is not functioning as system detected the abnormal sensor status. To diagnose the sensor device, run PC DOCTOR DOS - HDD Active Protection Test and if it still shows, contact Help and Service for repair." The only problem is, my laptop only came installed with PC Doctor 5 for Windows and when I run it"
    I ran a sensor check in DOS using the diagnostic CD and the sensor checked out okay. This error seems to happen mostly after I changed a setting in the Active Protection System software. (ex. changing the suspend time, etc)
    4. By default, the internal microphone does not work. In order for the internal microphone to work, the Advanced multi-stream mode must be enabled in the SmartAudio control panel. If both redirection options are enabled, the internal microphones and the speakers would then work normally. However, the hotkey controls on the ThinkPad would not control the right device when headphones are plugged in (since headphones are classified as its own device when the Advanced stream mode is enabled) - Mute and volume controls thus only controls the internal speakers' volume, and have no control whatsoever when headphones are plugged in.
    5. The brightness on the T500 is rather dim. I am not sure if that's how the monitor is, but I can hardly see anything unless the display brightness is close to the max setting. I have the 1680x1050 matte screen.
    6. The WWAN card does not make a stable connection to the network and ThinkVantage GPS does not acquire a 3D Fix even when under direct sky for >20 minutes. What is interesting though is that if I turn off the monitor screen (Fn+F3) or close to lid, the WWAN connection will be very stable and GPS will function normally (acquire fix usually within 2-3 minutes). If the monitor/screen is turned back on after a GPS Fix is acquied, the signals will quickly deteriorate and the updates will either become delayed/inaccurate or a fix will be lost. The brighter the screen, the harder it is to get a fix or a stable connection. (At the max setting it is almost impossible to get a fix while at the lowest brightness a very weak fix can be acquired - this is the case even many sattelites have been detected) Perhaps something with power consumption? Or the LCD drawing too much power?
    7. Although it does not happen very frequently, pressing Fn+F3 to turn off the display might cause the LCD to flicker on and off non-stop.
    8. This used to happen more with the older version of the Lenovo Fingerprint Software - but sometimes the software tends to get stuck at the welcome screen after returning from sleep/suspend/standby mode. The screen will remain at Please Wait forever and a hard restart will be required to get back into Windows.
    9. At frequent intervals the sound from the internal speakers would stop working and only the headphones would work. The sound might, however, come back if I leave the headphones plugged in long enough and unplug them. Restarting the Windows Audio service will temporarily restore audio but the same issue tends to happen again soon after that. Driver issue? (I am not sure if it's relevant, but I tend to put my computer to sleep instead of shutting it down)
    I have explained all of these issues on a piece of paper that I have included in my shipment to Flextronics. I have also included in big letters to make sure that they do not send the laptop to the address where they originally sent the "box" to. This is because I am only at that address a few days during the year and I don't plan to be there most days during the year.
    On the first day, it seemed that the status changed from "Machine being repaired" to "Hold for customer information".
    Apparently I missed a call from a number with an area code of 901 (which is Memphis, TN - I assume this is Lenovo's support center, since this is where the package was sent to). No messages were left on the voicemail. Called the number back, but was however told that I dialed the wrong number and no one has ever called me on this number (the lady on the phone was quite rude too) I then called the 800 EZServ number instead, turns out that they wanted one of my passwords which I gave them.
    The evening after I saw that the machine was successfully repaired and that it is being shipped back to me. However, no tracking number was provided. (There still isn't a tracking number on the EZServ status page)
    Hoping that my machine was repaired in good condition, I took a day off so I would be able to wait for UPS to deliver my laptop.
    Such that I have something to work with, I called the EZServ # and see if they had a tracking number for my shipment. At the same time, I asked what components were replaced and/or what components were installed to the system. To my surprise, they reimaged the whole system and I was not even informed about this at all! (I do understand I checked the Yes box in the problem description page, but I felt that it was important that the repair center let their customers know before their data will be destroyed - luckily I imaged my laptop right before I shipped it out so I have a copy of my data) In addition, it also seemed that they did not read any of the pages I enclosed in the shipment since nothing about the WWAN card was ever mentioned, despite special emphasis placed on this when I called Lenovo to have my computer sent back. It seemed that the rep only recorded one of the problems I listed above, which was unsatisfactory.
    The repair process was disappointing, as I have included in my problem description that I have previously tried reinstalling the whole OS from scratch and the problems did not go away. Reimaging the system will also probably have no effect on the problems I have described in the problem description.
    What is more surprising to me though was that they totally skipped the notation I put on to have the notebook shipped to an alternate address relative to the box address. To make this impossible to miss, I miss drew a big * and circled it many times so that anyone would see it if they were reading the sheet. I found out shortly after checking on the UPS website that the city the package was being shipped to was that of the wrong address, and not the city of that of the alternate address. I was horrified after knowing that the package would not arrive today but yet I still took a day off work. (How disappointing?!)
    Again and again, I called EZServ to see if I can have the package intercepted so it can be delivered to the right address. An intercept was placed on the package, although I received a call 30 minutes later from UPS saying that the intercept failed since the package has already been delivered. UPS also told me there is no way the people living there can simply return it and continue on with the intercept. Not happy with what I am hearing, I called EZServ and see if they can set up a pickup request to have the package delivered to my address. The first rep hanged up on me shortly she answered. The second rep called UPS, placed me on hold for more than 20 minutes, then hanged up on me. The third rep called UPS, and told me that they have esculated the case and that "UPS will handle everything", whatever that means. (she refused to disclose any more details). She told me that I would be receiving a call from her shortly on the details on the upcomings and promised that I would be receiving my laptop back. As with Lenovo, I didn't receive any callbacks. I called EZServ once more, and all they would say is tell me to wait. Sick and tired of waiting and calling and not getting anywhere, I drove 100 miles to where they shipped my laptop and picked it up there. I just don't know whether to trust the EZServ people anymore....
    As far as the laptop goes, I didn't have time to open the box or to test it yet. But I will let you all know once I have taken a look at the results.
    While the past experiences have been painful, I haven't lost all hope in Lenovo yet - although I really think that the customer service can really improve on certain levels.
    Please give me advices on what to do next!
    Thanks for reading this!
    Message Edited by swg0101 on 04-04-2009 11:02 AM

    Swg0101
    Thanks for sharing your details - it seems like we should focus on recovery of your system at this point.
    I've sent you a PM - I'll look for your private message response with your contact information and case details so we can look into this and get you some help.
    Best regards,
    Mark
    ThinkPads: S30, T43, X60t, X1, W700ds, IdeaPad Y710, IdeaCentre: A300, IdeaPad K1
    Mark Hopkins
    Program Manager, Lenovo Social Media (Services)
    twitter @lenovoforums
    English Community   Deutsche Community   Comunidad en Español   Русскоязычное Сообщество

  • T500, how do I disable "client security password manager" popups?

    hello.
    I have recently noticed an extremely invasive and irritating popup occur frequently upon opening random folders.
    http://img249.imageshack.us/img249/4913/47354829.jpg
    I honestly do not know what I have done to trigger this, but I absolutely need to disable it.  When UAC appeared warning me about this application, I disallowed it because I did not know what this thing is or what it does.  I found out it was from Lenovo but I cannot figure out how to disable it or uninstall it.  I do not want this feature, it does not even function correctly.  The installation fails becaue it is missing a critical file, but I do not care.  I do not want to install anything, I want it GONE.  I don't know how much of the thinkvantage suite I would have to remove to get rid of this, I just want it gone, I don't want unexpected popups every time I open a folder, I do not need this feature or whatever it provides.  I want to remove it, I cannot find instructions on how to remove this.  I saw a tutorial to remove this software but it involves bring up the Thinkvantage menu and selecting"Thinkvantage Technologies" but there is no "Thinkvantage Technologies" option presented on my T500.
    If anyone can provide any insight on how to get rid of this extremely irritating piece of software I would greatly appreciate it.  It doesn't even function correctly and is extemely frustrating to deal with.  It is malware, I would like it gone.  Thankyou for your time.
    edit: I have not activated my "Security Device" so it appears I cannot access the Client Security Solution which seems to be required to disable this popup.  I do NOT want to actiavte anything because I do not want to want the risk of rendering my computer inoperable due to buggy first party software.

    I had run into a similar problem. I had windows 7 on a t500 which started giving all such popups every time you access control panel or explorer. I tried system restore it gave an error. I tried uninstalling client security from control panel, same popup. Finally I downloaded an uninstaller from download.com called "revo uninstaller". It removes the files and registry entries. Things seems to work on my end now. Will report is any problem comes up

  • Can't boot my T500 anymore... just getting to a black screen after the XP logo

    I have a big problem with my Lenovo T500. Never had any problems before. Then yesterday, I could not open OpenOffice anymore, neither convert to pdf from an already open OpenOffice document. I got error messages saying the programmes can't be openend. After trying to re-install Adobe Reader failed, I simply wanted to restart the computer, seeing if that oculd help. And now the big problems started...
    Re-booting was not possible. For 20 seconds, it seemed normal. But directly after the Windows XP logo (using
    Windows XP Professional 1), the screen went black and that was it. I see the mouse cursor and can move it, but that's it.
    After waiting some time, I turned the laptop off with the power button. And restarted it. This time getting to the screen where I could choose "safe mode" or normal startup, because the computer had been shut down improperly. First I tried normal mode, which lead to the same black page. Then I did the same again and tried "safe mode", which didn't work either - I just got the black screen with the "safe mode" notifier in every corner.
    What I tried then was the ThinkVantage button directly when starting the computer. Which lead me to the "rescue and recovery" menu where I could choose what to do: Complete recovery, losing personal files (it's about music, pictures, text documents for me) or quick recovery without losing files. Also there was the option of saving files before through USB. This is what I tried first. I marked 50GB of files and wanted to transfer them. Problem: Every external harddrive or USB stick I connected was not identified. So this failed.
    I chose to go with "quick recovery" first then. This took about 20mins. When it was done there was an automatic re-start which unfortunately got stuck at the black screen again...
    3 more re-starts using the power button did not bring anything either. The ThinkVantage button does not let me access the rescue and recovery menu anymore. It just says something like "checking the system" and then there is an automatic re-boot, which ends up at the black page.
    I am mighty scared now that I lost my computer and the data on it (I have backups for most things, but still).
    Does anyone know anything that could be done now? I do not have XP or anything, by the way. I bought this computer used a year ago and got it complete with XP installed (although I do have the product key). The warranty from the place expired 5 days ago and the place is in Germany, but I live in Sweden. They told me they can't help me but I should contact a local repair place.
    If anyone has an idea about what the problem could be (virus??) and maybe some help, I would be VERY VERY thankful.

    Maybe I should add that I probably didn't do the best thing with anti virus programs. I used Microsft Security Essentials, which was installed when I bought the computer.
    When downloading some program (not sure whether it was Acrobat Reader), I was asked to get McAfee. Kind of weird, I had said no. But McAfee somehow checked my computer and told me my MP4 player contained a trojan. That was 5 days ago. Security Essentials couldn't find it, even scanning the MP4 player directly. I guess I should have switched right away and to get McAfee to remove the thing? Maybe this is what caused all the trouble...

  • Lenovo T500 Brief Review

    Hello Lenovo Community!
    Recently, I bought a Lenovo T500. After much research and reading many user's opinions as possible (two of which that was really helpful was on this forum by MidnightSun and www.notebookreview.com) I chose the T500. In my research, I could not find many video reviews and was kind of disappointed (obviously, it was not a deal breaker.) I would have liked to have had more written reviews, video reviews and just in general more information. So, I want to do this review to help future researchers become informed consumers! If anyone has any questions or suggestions (e.g.. Of bloatware to remove or any tips) please chime in! 
    Preface
    Before I begin my review, I want to say that I am in no way an expert at computers beyond the basics. I've never bought a laptop before, and my old computer (given to me) was a Gateway M465-e, a business oriented laptop. It came with 512 RAM, 1.6 Ghz, 15.4" screen and I really liked it. It lasted me 5.5 years (and still going) although the past few months, it has really taken a dip (hence the reason for buying a new one!) I will be comparing my experiences with the T500 with that Gateway. I will be using my computer for mainly working with spreadshett, word documents, surfing internet, media hub (especially for iTunes), and, OF COURSE, playing video games! Whoot for switchable graphics!
    Specs
    Intel Core 2 Duo T9600 (2.8Ghz, 1066mhz 6MBL2)
    Windows Business Vista 64
    15" WSXGA+ TFT, CCFL Backlight
    ATI Mobility Radeon 3650 with Intel Advanced Management Tech.
    2GB DDR3 SDRAM
    Camera
    UltraNav
    160 GB, 7200 RPM
    Fingerprint Reader
    Intel Turbo Memory 2GB
     7-in01 Media Card Reader
    Express Card Slot and Smart Card Reader
    Integrated Bluetooth
    Intel WiFi Link 5300 AGN with My WiFi Tech.
    6 Cell Li-Ion Battery
    Initial Impression
    My computer took about a week to arrive. The packaging was fairly simple. I had expected the box to be bigger (why, I have no idea. I guess this is commensurate with the premium price. Hah.) Inside were the usual suspects: the computer, manuals, startup booklet, power adapter, XP BackUp CDs, ThinkPad nubs (replacements) and battery.
    At first look, I thought it was quite big and bulky. However, after comparison with my Gateway, I found it to be slimmer and lighter (I chose the T500 primarily because of resolution; I really wanted the 1680x1080 resolution.) Personally, I love the sleek black look. It makes it look ominous, menacing and clean. It felt sturdy, but not as much as I had expected (I had this crazy idea that it could take a light-medium bang from a hammer.) Perhaps the image formed from reading about IBMs were a bit inflated. Anyway, it was clean, all the ports were where they are meant to be, it smelled nice, and of course looked pristine! It implored me to turn it on.
    Build and Design
    As aforementioned, I am becoming a huge fan of this design. From the creased overhang of the top bezel to the asymmetrical screen position, I love it! Little details like the hashed/ribbed strip from the top left corner and the imbedded "UltraConnect" lettering above the screen really make the ThinkPad feel like it warrants the price, special and unique. The top of the ThinkPad is made of a rubber-plastic material that allow a good grip. There is minimal logos and stickers. I especially like the indicators on the top (when it is closed) as well as on the bottom of the screen (when opened.) The hinge also seems to have been well built as it has a lot of resistance in opening the lid. When it is opened moving the the notebook does not move the screen at all (I hate it when you have to readjust your screen after swinging it from one place to another.) 
    One thing that bothered me a little was the vertically-positioned USB ports. I have a USB-port-extension device which increases my number of ports by 3. However, I am unable to use this device because of the shape of the device and because of the vertical port. It is difficult to describe, see below for picture. Anyway, having only 3 ports is quite terrible, considering my 5+ year old Gateway had 4. 
    Keyboard and UltraNav
    One of the first things I looked for was the much-feared keyboard flex. This seems to have been mostly remedied because there this minimal flex on the right portion.  There is, however,flex on the left portion of the keyboard (maybe left of the u-h keys.) It is only when I press quite hard that it flexes. When I am typing regularly, as I am now, it is utterly unoticeable. The keyboard, overall, is quite good. I like the clicky feel of it and can type on it with no hinderances or reserve. The volume buttons are VERY welcomed as they provide responsively (my old GW I had to hold the Fn to adjust.) I just say that the position of the PgUp/PgDn/Home/End and Esc button is a bit awkward as I have to move my hand quite out-of-way to access them. This is but a minor issue. I also wished that the delete button wasn't where it is. I use the delete button quite a bit and it is kind of difficult (as in the out-of-the-way sort)
    As for the UltraNav, I am quite fond of it, although there are times when I prefer the normal touchpad-and-button. For me, the UltraNav is quite sensitive and can be frustrating to use. One moment you're shooting across the screen just fine, but then finding that one small spot on the screen is quite tedious. And yes, I know you can adjust it, but I just can't seem to find the perfect level. I have seen older ThinkPads, and think that I would have liked to have the red strips on the UltraNav buttons. 
    Display
    The display is great, it is of the matte variety and is non-reflective (rather, minimally reflective.) It is clear and crisp throughout without any dark areas or any irregular eveness. It looks great at 1680x1080.  The viewing angle range is wide and being 15.4" has lots of estate. The one thing I would like to comment on is brightness. My friend, sitting next to me, has a MBP, and I must say, it is far bright than the T500 at maximum brightness. And, yes, I did allow the screen to reach full brightness. This is not so much a big issue at the moment, but I do kind of worry that in a few years my non-LED display will become much less bright. But that's a trade off I'm willing to take (for screen resolution.) 
    Performance
    In terms of performance, it seems to be slightly slower than I had imagined. I expected that it would blaze through everything and it mostly does. When adding my 10k+ songs onto iTunes, it took a significantly shorter time than my Gateway, but longer than I would have liked.
    I played Bioshock, at first attempt at maximum resolution (1680x1080) and with all the bells and whistles turn on. It was sluggish, and barely playable. I had to turn the resolution down quite a bit before I thought it was smooth (as on Xbox or a PS3). I surmise this might have something to do with my RAM amount because even just sitting idle 65% of physical memory is used (darn you Vista and ThinkVantage!) The performance, I suppose, could be called as snappy and powerful and will handle, I'm sure, anything I will throw at it during normal usage (e.g. not gaming.) 
    Battery Life
    When I ordered the computer, I didn't put too much on the battery because the T500 will be my desktop replacement and will be plugged in most of its life. Despite this, I have attempted a to measure battery life on a charge; I must say that it is pretty good. On a full charge and normal usage, i.e. wireless, multiple tabs on while online, Windows sidebar, and Skype, I was able to get about 5 hours plus or minus half an hour (I usually don't use my computer in blocks of 5 hours, so when I do stop, I put it to sleep.) This is pretty good considering I have the 6-cell battery and is not really a priority for me. Though still important when considering the price of the system as a whole.
    Audio Speaker
    The speakers are generally weak compared to my Gateway. The volume isn't has loud and the quality of the sound is not as good. This too like the battery life, was of low priority because, even though I use the T500 for media, I have a set up at home where I can plug it into a system that amplifies the sound and quality through speakers.
    Heat and Fan
    Compared to my Gateway, the ThinkPad is infinitely better in terms of dissipating heat and reducing noise. On the GW the fan would run incessantly, even without any taxing programs being run. Then it would turn into hyper fan mode and eventually shutdown from overheating. In the ThinkPad, the story is completely different. Even when I ran Bioshock, though audible, the fan never was intrusive. The heat, too, was quite good. It gets warm but never hot. If you want to see numbers, you should look at the review on notebookreview.com. I don't disagree with those numbers. 
     *******EDIT******** 
    I apologize for not continuing the review as stated earlier. I won't review much else, UNLESS REQUESTED (and please, if you want me to review some part of the machine, I will more than happily do so, so just ask!)
    For the final part of this review, I will give, what will be my final impression on the machine (that is, before my long-term; which won't be for a long time.)
    Final Impression
    I have now had my T500 ThinkPad for quite some time now, having used it for various tasks and knowing its idiosyncrasies, can say that overall I would give it a 8.5 out of 10. I really hate giving a definite Yes or No to these things, but if I were to be asked whether I recommend this computer or not, I could not say without full reservation that I do. There are several reasons for this: Firstly, though I love the resolution (as aforementioned, 'twas reason I opted for the T500 over the T400), I wish it were brighter, i.e. LED-bright, but at this resolution, and as of this review, it is not offered. And sitting next to a MBP owner, who's gorgeous screen is a stark reminder of superiority in terms of screen brightness, it instills a sense of uneasiness because of the not-cheap price--though to be fair, a spec'd up 15.4" MBP is significantly more expensive (~$600 more; I have the 3 years accidental damage and warranty.) At full brightness, it is a joy to look at, anything lower however is much darker. For example, with all lights off and in darkness, the lowest setting was difficult to see---what?---I expect to be able to see (read: use) it comfortably without straining my eye at every setting. Otherwise, what's the point? This is to say the screen is not bright enough at all levels. I understand the remedy is as easy as turning up the brightness, but that is not the point. 
    Secondly, ThinkVantage is helpful however it is ultimately a bloatware for me. When I open up the Task Manager, I would say about a third of the processes taking up my memory is ThinkVantage stuff. Taxing my system when most of the time I don't need it. To uninstall it would kind of defeat one of the uniqueness of the system (I mean, they even dedicated a button for it) and just doesn't seem right. I have yet to do so because I don't know the kinds of effect it will have on the system, so it may or may not be done. 
    Thirdly, there have been several crashes. For example, yesterday instead of my usual Fn-F4 (sleep), I closed the lid instead (which should yield the same effect.) As I got home from work, I found that not only has it not been sleeping, but had had the processor running inside my protective case. It was HOT and as I opened the lid, I saw the Blue Screen of Death. Additionally, it takes a long time for the computer to go to sleep (I'm talking about 30 seconds-1 minute.) My 6 YO Gately does it in 5-10 seconds, but then again, it runs Windows 7. This is probably the fault of Vista, though and can't be blamed on Lenovo. 
    All in all, if I could re-order a system from Lenovo, I would consider the T400 with LED and the same configuration (though I would want the T500's more powerful graphics option.) I realized that though I initially wanted the large screen size, I would trade it for portabiltiy. I realized the T400's screen was sufficient after looking at the MBP. I still wouldn't get a MBP because it just doesn't offer the flexibility of a PC (I find PCs easier to manipulate in general.)  Happy shopping!
    Message Edited by StrangeL0ve on 07-21-2009 11:34 AM

    I have upgraded from 2gb to 4gb RAM (Vista bu 64bit) but T400 was still slower than the old MSI notebook. I had MSI 12", 1.8ghz sempron, 2gb RAM, 160HDD with UBUNTU 8.04. Now T400 with P8700, 4gb DDR3, discrete Ati 3470. What really helped me was NOT using Vista at all! I'm now on RC of Windows 7, it's much faster (boot, turning off, and aslo system respose is I think 4 times shorter than Vista has). Just wanted you to know how are these systems different. But if I had a choice, I would go for some linux distribution. Sadly fingerprint reader and thinkvantage software are not supported
    Message Edited by popo666 on 07-11-2009 10:20 AM

  • Bluetooth on T500 and Win7-64bits... How hard can it be??!!

    Hello,
    I've read several posts about this, but none of them solved my problem.
    I have a T500 2055-RH2, with windows 7 64bits.
    I just bought a bluetooth mouse online and imagine how I feel after 3 hours of useless debugging to install a mouse. Actually, my problem is more basic, I just can't seem to have bluetooth working.
    I tried to install: Bluetooth with Enhanced Data Rate Software II for Windows 7, Vista - ThinkPad
    When I do install this, it eventually says I have no bluetooth device, so somehow my bluetooth adapter is NOT enabled. I then tried to do Fn-F5 to enable it, but it's no use, because I can only see my WIFI in there, no trace of bluetooth...
    From the forum, I tried to install: ThinkPad Power Management driver for Windows 7
    I think it was already installed, but I installed it anyway, still no change, nothing in Fn-F5, still nothing.
    I then even installed a WIDCOMM (broadcom) driver, but then again, it says it can't find any bluetooth device.
    Are there any depencies I don't know about? Should I reinstall anything? What the HELL is wrong?! How hard is it supposed to be to install such a basic function as bluetooth??!
    Should I throw that laptop out the window? Because I really want to... (arg!)
    Help please...!
    Thanks...
    Solved!
    Go to Solution.

    atreid, welcome to the forum,
    not wanting to be the "boo-man", are you sure your T500 has Bluetooth? It's not showing as having it on the support site when I look up your system.
    Product: ThinkPad T500 2055-RH2
    Original description: Based on 2055-CTO: T9400(2.53GHz), 4GB RAM, 320GB 7200rpm HD, 15.4in 1680x1050, 256MB ATI Radeon HD3650, CDRW/DVDRW, Intel 802.11agn, WWAN upgradeable, Modem, 1Gb Ethernet, UltraNav, Secure chip, Camera, 6c Li-Ion, WinVista Home Basic 32
    If I select another system, e.g. 20552BG, Bluetooth is listed as a component. T500 Display Parts List - Bluetooth daughter card.
    Maybe you could check if the hardware should be installed? You need to enter your type and s/n on this site and see if it mentions anything about Bluetooth, let us know what you find out.
    A just in case: -  Please do not post you s/n on these boards.
    Andy  ______________________________________
    Please remember to come back and mark the post that you feel solved your question as the solution, it earns the member + points
    Did you find a post helpfull? You can thank the member by clicking on the star to the left awarding them Kudos Please add your type, model number and OS to your signature, it helps to help you. Forum Search Option T430 2347-G7U W8 x64, Yoga 10 HD+, Tablet 1838-2BG, T61p 6460-67G W7 x64, T43p 2668-G2G XP, T23 2647-9LG XP, plus a few more. FYI Unsolicited Personal Messages will be ignored.
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  • T500 shuts down/or freezes when I plug in my AC adapter and now will not start up.

    I have had my T500 for two years and I have had endless problems with this laptop. My latest issue started with the computer waking up from sleep mode with a black screen. The computer just froze there and I had to force it to shutdown. When I finally managed to get it started again, the computer gave me an alert saying that a display driver had stopped working. The computer ran fine for a while before it would issue the blue screen of death then have the same black screen issue again and shutdown. Then it got to the point where if I have my computer plugged in it would not even get to the BIOS screen, it would simply loop-restart over and over till I unplugged it, pulled out the battery, put the battery back and turned it on again. Then it would not start at all if I had my adapter plugged in and if I plugged it in at all while the computer was running, it would freeze and after a minute would shut down and again continuously try to start up. Now, the computer will not start in any way, plugged in or no. The lights all turn on like it normally does when it starts up, but then it shuts off and repeats the same process over and over again.
    I have no idea what to do this time and unfortunately being a student I do not have enough money to buy an external harddrive to back up everything on this computer. Frankly with all the problems I have had with this thing, I am considering just throwing it out.

    Try making a bootable Ubuntu disc and running that for a while. It's possible your Windows install is hosed.
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