Thinkpad T420 with Optimus: Card is turning on at random

Hey yall,
I'm using bumblebeed on my Thinkpad T420 and upgraded to bbswitch for power management. The discrete card still shows up in lspci when it's 'turned off" but power consumption goes down and bumblebee says its off, so I figure that's the best I'm gonna get.
Weird thing is, it keeps turning itself on for no good reason. I manually switch the daemon on and off, which I thought was completely controlling all software interface with the card. Apparently ACPI is turning the card on for some reason, and I don't want it to. The only reason I noticed is because I was watching the logs to figure out unrelated ACPI behavior. Pasted below is when I unplugged the laptop and plugged it back in a couple times to see what happened. About a minute later, ACPI wakes up the card. The stuff after that is me running a script that cycles the daemon, which is the most consistent way I have to disable the card manually. I think I pressed a laptop button in there somewhere too.
Does anyone know why ACPI might be waking up the card at random, and how to get it to stop? I have a feeling it's eating away at my battery without my knowledge by turning itself on when I'm on the road.
Apr 1 03:54:11 localhost josh: ACPI action undefined: PNP0C0A:00
Apr 1 03:54:11 localhost laptop-mode: Laptop mode
Apr 1 03:54:11 localhost laptop-mode: enabled,
Apr 1 03:54:11 localhost laptop-mode: not active [unchanged]
Apr 1 03:54:11 localhost josh: ACPI action undefined: PNP0C0A:00
Apr 1 03:54:11 localhost laptop-mode: Laptop mode
Apr 1 03:54:11 localhost laptop-mode: enabled,
Apr 1 03:54:11 localhost laptop-mode: not active [unchanged]
Apr 1 03:55:01 localhost kernel: [43515.975286] nvidia 0000:01:00.0: power state changed by ACPI to D0
Apr 1 03:55:01 localhost kernel: [43515.975304] nvidia 0000:01:00.0: power state changed by ACPI to D0
Apr 1 03:55:01 localhost kernel: [43515.975308] nvidia 0000:01:00.0: enabling device (0000 -> 0003)
Apr 1 03:55:01 localhost kernel: [43515.975313] thinkpad_acpi: EC reports that Thermal Table has changed
Apr 1 03:55:01 localhost kernel: [43515.975316] nvidia 0000:01:00.0: PCI INT A -> GSI 16 (level, low) -> IRQ 16
Apr 1 03:55:01 localhost kernel: [43515.975329] vgaarb: device changed decodes: PCI:0000:01:00.0,olddecodes=none,decodes=none:owns=none
Apr 1 03:55:01 localhost kernel: [43515.975477] NVRM: loading NVIDIA UNIX x86_64 Kernel Module 295.33 Sat Mar 17 14:55:45 PDT 2012
Apr 1 03:55:01 localhost josh: ACPI group/action undefined: ibm/hotkey / LEN0068:00
Apr 1 03:55:38 localhost bumblebeed[13836]: /usr/sbin/bumblebeed 3.0 started
Apr 1 03:55:38 localhost kernel: [43553.070886] bbswitch: disabling discrete graphics
Apr 1 03:55:38 localhost kernel: [43553.083249] pci 0000:01:00.0: Refused to change power state, currently in D0
Apr 1 03:55:38 localhost kernel: [43553.083871] thinkpad_acpi: EC reports that Thermal Table has changed
Apr 1 03:55:38 localhost josh: ACPI group/action undefined: ibm/hotkey / LEN0068:00
Apr 1 03:55:38 localhost bumblebeed[13839]: Received Terminated signal.
Apr 1 03:55:38 localhost kernel: [43553.091937] pci 0000:01:00.0: power state changed by ACPI to D3

Ok, so, apparently it is turning itself on when I'm using Flash. I am scratching my head. My browser should have no idea that card exists, because I use optirun to select things to run in that layer. And the bumblebee daemon is off. This seems like a security issue! I'm only able to control the card with root privileges; how on earth is Flash getting around that?
Any ideas are welcome, this is a little over my head. I don't understand ACPI in any intimate way.

Similar Messages

Does Thinkpad T420 with Windows 7 home Premium support Windows 10 update

Does the Thinkpad T420 running windows 7 Home Premium support the windows 10 upgrade? Also, my machine is very slow to start (3- 4 minutes). Will the upgrade to windows 10 help this issue?

The T420 is not supported by Lenovo for Win 10. That doesn't mean that it would not mostly work, but it does mean that you will certainly have some 'adventures, along the way, and may find that some things just don't work with Win 10 - whether those things are important few you will depend very much on how you use your T 420.

Thinkpad T420 with Dock 4338 Dual External Monitors won't work

Hey Everyone,
I recently purchased a T420 with Dock Model 4338 and am trying to connect two external monitors. I want to have my desktop visible on my primary monitor with laptop closed and that desktop extended onto my second external monitors. Both external monitors are Dell 19", one is being ran through the VGA port on the dock and the other is a VGA cord that I put a VGA to DVI-D adapter on to run off of one of the DVI Ports on the dock. I can get my desktop to display on the main external monitor, and everything detects the other monitor fine, but the extended monitor remains black. The screen is on, and recognized as the button light on the monitor is green not yellow and i can scroll my mouse over to that window and i lose the mouse so it's extending just not visible. I have made sure that both monitors work by checking each individually in the VGA port and they are operational, but the DVI-D port doesn't seem to work on my second monitor.
I have done some pretty extensive searching and can't seem to get this to work. At my job I have a T430 with the same dock and dual monitor setup that took no time and works great. Does the T420 just not support this?
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Thank you all,
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Solved!
Go to Solution.

DVI-D don't support passive dvi to VGA adapter. You are better off with a displayport to VGA adapter, as they are cheaper then a dvi-d to VGA converter.
Regards,
Jin Li
May this year, be the year of 'DO'!
I am a volunteer, and not a paid staff of Lenovo or Microsoft

Thinkpad T420 three monitors linux/nvidia optimus

Hello,
I have a thinkpad T420 with a nvidia nvs4200 optimus. It has two video ports, one vga and one displayport. With optimus and windows 7 it should be able to display an two external and the internal display, in sum on three monitors.
In the bios I can switch between integrated, discrete, optimus. With discrete I am able to use two monitors. With optimus enabled, the Intel can't see the displayport.
Now the interesting thing. I installed bumblebee and it works. For curiosity I set it up to use the monitor "DP1", et voila, after running the bumblebee deamon and something with optirun I can see the bumblebee X server on the third monitor connected to the displayport. I can run something on it with "DISPLAY=:8.0 gvim" or even "DISPLAY=:8.0 nvidia-settings". Btw. it uses the same mouse as the first X server.
Now, any ideas how I could setup it for something useful?
EDIT:
Ok, with Xdmx it is possible to span a desktop using all three monitors, but with disabled glx, that means no composite, 3d etc.
Setup to test it, assuming a running bumblebee installation:
pacman -S xterm xorg-server-xdmx
echo "exec /usr/bin/optirun /usr/bin/xterm" > ~/.xinitrc
sudo /etc/rc.d/bumblebee start
startx -- :7
-in xterm run
startx /usr/bin/xfce4-session -- /usr/bin/Xdmx -display :7 -display :8 +xinerama -noglxproxy
Until someone has an idea how to enable glx, this setup is hardly useful.
Gruß, Georg
Last edited by Dschoordsch (2011-08-25 09:27:21)

I managed to get 3 monitors working on my T420 with a Lenovo Mini Dock Series 3 Plus. Have a look at my xorg.conf below. Please note that with my T420, the DVI ports on the dock are (probably) hardwired to the nvidia card. The VGA might possibly be, as you said, hardwired to the intel card, whereas the DisplayPort might be hardwired to the nvidia card. So you'd need to power two screens (VGA + internal display) using the intel card and one screen (DP) using the nvidia.
"ServerLayout"
Identifier "X.org Configured"
Screen 0 "LG0" 0 0
Screen 1 "LG1" RightOf "LG0"
Screen 2 "INT" LeftOf "LG0"
InputDevice "Mouse0" "CorePointer"
InputDevice "Keyboard0" "CoreKeyboard"
Option "Xinerama" "1"
EndSection
Section "Files"
ModulePath "/usr/lib/xorg/modules"
FontPath "/usr/share/fonts/X11/misc"
FontPath "/usr/share/fonts/X11/cyrillic"
FontPath "/usr/share/fonts/X11/100dpi/:unscaled"
FontPath "/usr/share/fonts/X11/75dpi/:unscaled"
FontPath "/usr/share/fonts/X11/Type1"
FontPath "/usr/share/fonts/X11/100dpi"
FontPath "/usr/share/fonts/X11/75dpi"
FontPath "/var/lib/defoma/x-ttcidfont-conf.d/dirs/TrueType"
FontPath "built-ins"
EndSection
Section "Module"
Load "record"
Load "extmod"
Load "dbe"
Load "glx"
Load "dri2"
Load "dri"
EndSection
Section "InputDevice"
Identifier "Keyboard0"
Driver "kbd"
EndSection
Section "InputDevice"
Identifier "Mouse0"
Driver "mouse"
Option "Protocol" "auto"
Option "Device" "/dev/input/mice"
Option "ZAxisMapping" "4 5 6 7"
EndSection
Section "Monitor"
Identifier "LG0"
VendorName "LG"
ModelName "LG Electronics L227W"
HorizSync 30.0 - 83.0
VertRefresh 56.0 - 75.0
EndSection
Section "Monitor"
Identifier "LG1"
VendorName "LG"
ModelName "LG Electronics L227W"
HorizSync 30.0 - 83.0
VertRefresh 56.0 - 75.0
EndSection
Section "Monitor"
Identifier "INT"
VendorName "Unknown"
ModelName "Internal"
HorizSync 30.0 - 83.0
VertRefresh 56.0 - 75.0
EndSection
Section "Device"
Identifier "intel0"
Driver "intel"
Option "XvMC" "true"
Option "UseEvents" "true"
Option "AccelMethod" "UXA"
BusID "PCI:0:2:0"
EndSection
Section "Device"
Identifier "nvidia0"
Driver "nvidia"
VendorName "NVIDIA Corporation"
BoardName "NVS 4200M"
BusID "PCI:1:0:0"
Screen 0
EndSection
Section "Device"
Identifier "nvidia1"
Driver "nvidia"
VendorName "NVIDIA Corporation"
BoardName "NVS 4200M"
BusID "PCI:1:0:0"
Screen 1
EndSection
Section "Screen"
Identifier "LG0"
Device "nvidia0"
Monitor "LG0"
DefaultDepth 24
Option "TwinView" "0"
SubSection "Display"
Depth 24
EndSubSection
EndSection
Section "Screen"
Identifier "LG1"
Device "nvidia1"
Monitor "LG1"
DefaultDepth 24
Option "TwinView" "0"
SubSection "Display"
Depth 24
EndSubSection
EndSection
Section "Screen"
Identifier "INT"
Device "intel"
Monitor "INT"
DefaultDepth 24
SubSection "Display"
Depth 24
EndSubSection
EndSection
Last edited by fhirschmann (2011-09-20 21:46:31)

Thinkpad t420s - Help with video card on Ubuntu 11.04

Hi,
I just purchsed a Lenovo t420s with the following system specs:
Intel Core i7-2620M Processor (2.70GHz, 4MB L3,1333MHz FSB) with Intel
14.0" HD+ (1600 x 900) LED Backlit Antiglare Display, Mobile Broadband Ready
NVIDIA Quadro NVS4200M Optimus technology (1GB)
6 GB PC3-10600 DDR3 SDRAM 1333MHz SODIMM Memory (2 DIMM)
128GB Solid State Drive, Serial ATA
Intel WiFi Link 1000
It's a really good machine, but unfortunately I am having problems making it work with Ubuntu 11.04. I am a long-term Linux user, a python developer and a supporter of open source software, I cannot use Windows for my purposes and I need help to enable my vide card drivers.
I did a fresh install of Ubuntu 11.04 on my system, and updated all packages. I then installed the ltest Nvidia drivers available, and ensured that Optimus is disabled in the BIOS. After rebooting, nvidia-settings complained that my system isn't configured to rnu the drivers and I must run nvidia-xconfig so I did.
After running nvidia-xconfig, my system wouldn't want to run Xorg, and stayed in terminal mode. I checked the xorg log and found this:
(!!) More than one possible primary device found
(II) Primary Device is:
(EE) No devices detected.
Fatal server error:
no screens found
I saw something about this error here : ftp://download.nvidia.com/XFree86/Linux-x86/270.41.03/README/README.txt
I am running version 1.7 ov xorg, so this should be fixed. I tried to nvidia-xconfig --enable-all-gpus but it still wouldn't work.
The Ubuntu market is now at about 15 million Desktop users, and many more with other Linux distributions, I think Lenovo would greatly benefit by contributing to Ubuntu and helping the software be compatible with the hardware they sell.
Could someone please help me with this?
Kind regards,
Benoit

This will not help, but I recently tried 11.04 on a
Z560 (with just intel graphics) and had no luck
getting it to work. Previous versions work fine.
Is there any other linux distro that will serve your purpose?

23" Cinema Display with DVI-ADC Adapter. Won't turn on with 8800 card...

I am running Windows XP on a pc. I have had the ACD 23" with the DVI to ADC adapter for 4 years now and it has been flawless. I ran this using an nVidia 6800 Ultra card and then an 8800 GTS 640 MB card. All was well. I just got a 2 new cards for 2 diferent pc's and neither will recognize or turn on the monitor. Both a brand new HD 2600 pro ATI card and an NVidia 8800 GTS 512 card. The monitor works fine with my 2 PC laptops via their DVI connections and my MBPro. So it appears the monitor is fine. This is not the "can't see the monitor in the bios" issue, I can't even use it as an additional monitor in dual view mode when at the desktop as it is not recognized as being connected. Any ideas?
PS I also applied the latest bios update to the nVidia card from EVGA.
Thanks,
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Did anybody find a solution for this?
I bought a new T420s. The second week I had to send it in service because it was not turning on anymore. I couldn't convince them that the laptop suddenly restarts several times a day. And only after two weeks when it did not start anymore they told me to send it in the service.
No they brough it today. They made my day happy for 10 minutes until I turned it on and the wireless problem described in this topis apeared. The Inetl diagnostics tools installed with the card say: "Hardware radio is off". It worked before being send into the service.
Now, the wireless switch is on and I see the adapter installed by "no wireless connections available".
Pressing Fn-F5 it tells me to turn on the radio (the switch thing). But that is already turned on.
So I called again to ask them what is wrong. They told me they would send me a new mini wireless card that I can replace myself. I received it today, replaced it. BUT THE SAME BEHAVIOR!!! (((((((((((((((((((((
So I wonder, can the service guys (Wädenswil, CH) be so unprofessional to have forgotten to connect/enable the switch button?
PS:
1. The wireless LED is not turned on at all.
2. BIOS has wireless enabled
3. Device Manager sees the unknown network adapter (when driver uninstalled) and the Intel Wireless adapter (when driver installed)
(This double failure means a divorce from Lenovo products for me. Once I solve this issue I sell the laptop.) Yes I know service is better than other, but I want something that doesn't need it at all.
At least the Dell guys send a guy (freelancer service guy) at my place to fix the isssue. Now it is not only the costs for shiping it and investigate the problem (that are on my side) but also the productivity problem now costing us more than one month not beneffiting 1 minute from this laptop.
A very sad,
Gabriel

Is the ThinkPad T420s available with i7 without getting the NVIDIA graphics?

I'm looking at ordering a Lenovo T420s soon for myself. In both the reseller guide and on the Lenovo CTO site I don't see any configurations of the T420s that are offered with the Core i7 processor but without the NVIDIA Optimus graphics. Is this an available configuration?
Current: ThinkPad Tablet 2 | 64GB // ThinkPad T440s | i7-4600U | 12GB | 512GB SSD | FHD MT
Previous: ThinkPad T420s // ThinkPad T410s

Will we be seeing those machines in April? I would be upgrading mine to recycle mine to a new hire. No approval yet, but depending on the timeline I may not have the option of waiting...
I like the look of the T430u but we use docking stations here so that one may not be an option for me. Besides I want a full power laptop because I find iPad fills the ultraportable space for me quite well right now.
Current: ThinkPad Tablet 2 | 64GB // ThinkPad T440s | i7-4600U | 12GB | 512GB SSD | FHD MT
Previous: ThinkPad T420s // ThinkPad T410s

How to make Windows 7 Clean Installation with the Rapid Boot extreme feature on ThinkPad T420s

How to make Windows 7 Clean Installation with the Rapid Boot extreme feature on ThinkPad T420s

@Bennycui,
Clean install here
http://www-307.ibm.com/pc/support/site.wss/document.do?sitestyle=lenovo&lndocid=MIGR-77353
Then install RapidBoot
http://www-307.ibm.com/pc/support/site.wss/document.do?lndocid=MIGR-77013
//JameZ
Check out the Community Knowledge Base for hints and tips.
Did someone help you today? Press the star on the left to thank them with a Kudo!
If you find a post helpful and it answers your question, please mark it as an "Accepted Solution"!
X240 | 8GB RAM | 512GB Samsung SSD

I had a problem with imac screen going black. apple store diagnosed prob with video card which they replaced. Brought it home, turned it on (have done this 4 times) it starts up, wheel turns, there is a long bar at bottom which fills up, then it turns off

I had a problem with imac screen going black. apple store diagnosed prob with video card which they replaced. Brought it home, turned it on (have done this 4 times) it starts up, wheel turns, there is a long bar at bottom which fills up, then it turns off

Apple guarantees their work, take it back.

HT4199 I use an IMAC thas has the latest version of OSX. Lately I have had problems with my internet connection...now I see that my airport card is turned off. How can I turn it back on...I have done the obvious things in the network menu...even gone to

I have an IMAC that uses OSX maverick (10.9..) I cannot connect to the internet because my airport card is turned off. I .have tried repeatedly to turn it on, ,going into assist in diagnostics, as well as the opening wireless menu. I am thinking the card might have died. How can I run diagnostics on the card? How can I fix the problem? Java mama

Click the Wi-Fi icon in your Mac's menu bar.
If it looks like this, it's off:
Click it and select Turn Wi-Fi On.
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Coffee spilled underneath ThinkPad T420

Today I managed to tip over a cup of (lightly sugared) coffee on the table where my ThinkPad T420 was running. Fortunately it was at sufficient distance that it didn't tip into the laptop, but the liquid spill went underneath.
I quickly removed it from the spill, disconnected power and turned off, and attempted to clean up what I could. Unfortunately in handling the laptop I didn't keep it upright the whole time, so there was some spread of liquid across the bottom of the machine, albeit not a large amount.
So far as I can see, the major risks to the machine have been that:
Liquid may have leaked into the fan vents on the bottom of the machine;
There seems to have been some leakage into the cracks around the battery; although I removed the battery and cleaned up what I could, I imagine there may still be residue in various crevices
There may have been some leakage into things on the side of the machine, such as the SD card reader
Having left it standing for some time (correct way up so liquid would not propagate further into the system), with the battery removed, I decided to risk turning it back on with battery only just to make a backup of files and type this message. There's no obvious problem, but I'm going to turn the system back off again immediately after finishing typing. ;-)
I'd appreciate advice on the general risk to the machine here and how I should proceed with getting it cleaned up beyond what I've already done. I imagine the interior is fairly well guarded against liquid entering whether from top or bottom, but I can imagine there might be some corrosion risk from coffee/sugar getting into the ventilation system.
Thanks in advance for any advice!
Solved!
Go to Solution.

if you are worried about spillage and seepage into the laptop, then i would recommend you dismantle the laptop, and give everything a good clean to make sure no stray liquid got onto the laptop. This will prevent future headaches (if you intend to keep the machine for a while).
Once you have the motherboard by itself, you can see whether any traces of your coffee got onto the laptop and see whether the laptop casing has traces. You can clean the liquid residues off using all good PCB board cleaning fluids.
http://support.lenovo.com/en_AU/guides-and-manuals/detail.page?LegacyDocID=MIGR-76853
Regards,
Jin Li
May this year, be the year of 'DO'!
I am a volunteer, and not a paid staff of Lenovo or Microsoft

Thinkpad T420 Intermittent Freezing / Lockup

Thinkpad T420 Intermittent Freezing / Lockup
My Thinkpad T420 keeps intermittently permanently freezing / locking up. However it seems that anything that uses hardware acceleration makes the system suddenly lockup. For instance, boot into Windows 7 and open Chrome Browser play a YouTube Video and it will lock up or enable the Windows Areo Theme and try looking at the event manager will also make the system permanently lock-up.
Here is the troubleshooting that I have tried so far:
Fresh OS installation from the recovery partition and update using Lenovo System Recovery but problem still persists. ( includes updated BIOS )
Run Lenovo Diagnostics ( 20 times pass over ) and no fault reported. ( no test in Diagnostics for CPU Graphics )
Tried a known good harddrive and loaded Windows 7 and applied Lenovo System update and problem still persists.
Tried using a known good memory module ( Lenovo T420 memory module ) tested separately in each memory bank, the problem still persists.
Used the machine with out the Battery, using just power cord and problem persisted.
Used the machine with just the battery and the problem still persisted.
Using the machine with Battery connected plus power adapter and problem persists.
Removed the DVD drive and the problem persisted.
Removed the Wifi Card and the problem still persisted.
Removed the 3GS card and problem still persisted.
Swapped over another keyboard from another Thinkpad T420 and problem still persists.
Disabled Fingerprint reader in BIOS and problem still persists.
Confirmed no freezes if Thinkpad is booted into the BIOS and left for some hours.
Booted machine with a live Linux Mint 16 DVD and problem still persists ( Freezes straight away )
No freezing when the laptop is used in Windows 7safemode.
No freezing when the laptop is used with Linux Mint in safe mode though Mint does confirm that hardware acceleration has been disabled.
CPU tempertures are within the normal range.
The troubleshooting confirms that the problem is a hardware fault. So I logged a warranty call and explained that it was likely a fault with the System Board or the CPU. The engineer replaced the system board and the problem still remained.
So it look most likely that the integrated graphics seem to be causing the problem, especially when the system freezes when hardware acceleration is used. Has anyone else had a similar problem. I'm now waiting for the next plan of action form Lenovo. I did confirm the system freezing problem with Windows 7 and Mint 16 after the engineer replaced the system board and before he left. I'm still waiting on Lenovo getting back.

I done extensive testing, it was not the hard drive. It turned out that the integrated graphics on the cpu were faulty. The CPU has since been replaced and the problem solved. As per my first post, anything that used hardware acceleration would cause the freeze hence my suspicion about it being the cpu or planer board. It would freeze in windows and when using a live mint Linux cd, so the mint live cd ruled out the hard drive and preloaded software on it.
Thanks,

T520 with Optimus - Can't install Intel Graphics Driver in XP

Hello,
I have T520 with Optimus FHD screen.
I have XP installed in my Ultrabay HDD.
I understand that XP doesn't support Optimus and that I must go to BIOS and choose either Discrete or Integrated.
OPTION 1 (Discrete Only) Which someone what works:
- So, when I have Discrete enabled in BIOS - and installed Nvidia Drivers in XP - everything works fine, expcept on 90% initial boot ups after going from Win 7 to XP (F12 Options) - I assume the NVIDIA driver doesn't get initially recognised and the XP boots up in non native resolution.
- It's only after I restart again and use (F12 again) to pick Ultrabay with XP, the Nvidia gets properly loaded. But this time, there is a prolong delay (60 to 90 seconds) of black screen after the WIndows XP Welcome screen before the desktop appears.
OPTION 2 (Intgrated Display Only) - Of couse, this after uninstalling NVIDIA Graphic Driver in XP
- In BIOS, Integrated Graphic in choosen.
- XP boots up in basic resolution.
- I download (From Lenovo T520 Driver Page) - Intel Integrated Driver for Win XP 32.
- When I try to install it, it says "The computer doesn't meet the minimum requirements for installing the software"
- BTW, I do have all the WIndows Updates including NET 3.0 and higher
- So then, I try to forcibly installed through Device Manager and Having DISK - but I get Error message.
- But somehow, it works after.
One guess I have and that confuses me is the Otimus Graphic Card - where maybe it can only work with either Optimus Drivers in Windows 7 or Nvidia Drivers in Windows XP. And that the Integrated Intel HD Graphic Drivers in for XP on Lenovo website are only meant for T520 with Intel Graphics ??!!
Or can optimus be used with intergrated intel drivers only in the XP?
If anyone can shed a small light, I would be grateful.
Thanks You
Solved!
Go to Solution.

Glad to know everything is working for you.
You shouldn't need the discrete to watch flash videos, the Intel integrated should be able to handle that on its own.
The nVidia card shouldn't be running at all when the machine is in integrated . In fact it doesn't even run in Optimus except when it is actively being used. nVidia proved this when it was first demoing the technology. nVidia removed the nVidia chip from the motherboard of an active system that was running in Optimus using only the integrated graphics, and the computer kept running without issue and the power consumption was the same with and without the chip on the board.
If you really wanted FireFox to always run with the nVidia card (again, I don't know why you would want this) you can change the settings in the nVidia control panel to force FireFox to run with discrete.
When asking for help, post your question in the forum. Remember to include your system type, model number and OS. Do not post your serial number.
Did someone help you today? Press the star on the left to thank them with a Kudo!
If you find a post helpful and it answers your question, please mark it as an "Accepted Solution"! This will help others with the same question in the future.
My TPs: Twist 2HU: i5-3317U Win 8 Pro, 4GB RAM 250GB Samsung 840 | T420 4177CTO: i5-2520M, HD+, Win 7 Pro x64, 8GB RAM, Optimus, 160GB Intel 320 SSD, Intel 6300 WiFi, BT 3.0 | T400 2764CTO: P8700, WXGA, Win 7 Ult x64, AMD 3470, 8GB RAM, 64GB Samsung SSD, BT, Intel 5300 WiFi | A20m 14.1" PIII 500 (retired). Monitors: 2x Dell U2211h IPS 100% sRGB calibrated w/ Spyder3.

T420 with Multiple Monitors

I have a T420, with a Dock series 3 (model 4338). I would like to set it up to have 2 external monitors and to also use the laptops display. The KB references the Optimus drivers, which I do not have. My display adapter is recognized as an Intel (R) HD Graphics Family. Is there a way to also use the laptop display or do I have to have the Optimus to enable it?
Thanks in advance
Carl
:edit
my laptop
ThinkPad T420 (4177-Q5U)
15-2520M(2.50GHz) 2GB RAM 320GB 7200rpm HD 14in 1366x768 LCD Intel HD Graphics CDRW/DVDRW 1Gb Ethernet UltraNav Secure Chip Camera 6c Li-Ion Win7 Pro 64
Solved!
Go to Solution.

with your laptop this method is not possible, you would need the Nvidia equipped GPU to do this.
However, you can run the laptop with an additional external screen by getting a usb2dvi converter or an eGPU solution.
Regards,
Jin Li
May this year, be the year of 'DO'!
I am a volunteer, and not a paid staff of Lenovo or Microsoft

My thinkpad t420s doesn't last 2 hours

hardware and software:
* thinkpad t420s, brand new with standard battery
* CPU: i7-2640M CPU @ 2.80GHz, 4 cores. frequency scaling is enabled, they all usually run at 800MHz (ondemand governor)
* intel SSD, no HDD
* wifi: iwlwifi: Intel(R) Centrino(R) Advanced-N 6205 AGN, REV=0xB0
* thinkfan is installed, but couldn't get it configured properly. TODO
* kernel args
[dieter@dieter-t420s ~]$ cat /proc/cmdline
BOOT_IMAGE=/vmlinuz-linux root=/dev/mapper/cryptpool-root ro root=/dev/mapper/cryptpool-root cryptdevice=/dev/sda3:sda3crypt:allow-discards ro add_efi_memmap i915.modeset=1 i915.i915_enable_rc6=1 i915.i915_enable_fbc=1 i915.lvds_downclock=1 pcie_aspm=force quiet quiet add_efi_memmap
bios options:
* graphics is set to optimus (though i don't have bumblebee/optimus enabled right now, I haven't needed to attach an external display). TODO force "built-in GPU" in bios, maybe that helps.
* intel speedstep set to optimal battery usage when not on AC
* adaptive thermal management set to "balanced" (it's that or performance)
* cpu power management enabled
* pci-e power management enabled
test:with some basic usage (say 40 min of browsing over wifi and watching some vids, and the rest idle) it doesn't last 2 hours. (about 1h50min)
although I think I have all the most important things taken care of, I'll also have a look at https://bbs.archlinux.org/viewtopic.php?id=134109 and maybe laptop mode tools (I did look at it, but as i don't have a HDD and i have frequency scaling already enabled...)
I'll also need to try some power diagnostic tools like powertop or whatever it was.
any more tips? this is kindof disappointing, I was expecting 4-5-6 hours.. thanks!
Last edited by Dieter@be (2012-05-22 08:54:48)

Dieter@be wrote:
jdahm wrote:
I have a T420 (didn't want to bother with the dedicated GPU) and get 6+ hours. I followed the steps on 'Laptop' on the wiki, installed tp_smapi, thinkfan, granola, etc.
i also had trouble getting thinkfan to work. The trick I found with it is to stop the daemon and launch it manually (with the -n flag, as shown in the rc.d daemon script) to see what it complains about. After a few iterations to thinkfan.conf the daemon seemed to start without problem. This thread (found on the thinkwiki AUR page) helped me the most: http://ubuntuforums.org/showthread.php?t=1749186&page=1.
thanks, so what's your thinkfan config?
Here it is. Hope this is helpful. You'll probably need to run that find command and replace the four lines which start with "sensor".
## Notes:
# sources:
# + [url]http://ubuntuforums.org/showthread.php?t=1749186&page=1[/url]
# Use this command to find devices:
# find /sys/devices -type f -name "temp*_input"
# Specify the fan to use
fan /proc/acpi/ibm/fan
# Sensors
sensor /sys/devices/platform/coretemp.0/temp1_input
sensor /sys/devices/platform/coretemp.0/temp2_input
sensor /sys/devices/platform/coretemp.0/temp3_input
sensor /sys/devices/virtual/hwmon/hwmon2/temp1_input
#(0, 0, 55)
#(1, 48, 60)
#(2, 50, 61)
#(3, 52, 63)
#(4, 56, 65)
#(5, 59, 66)
#(7, 63, 32767)
# More conservative settings
(0, 0, 35)
(1, 33, 38)
(2, 36, 45)
(3, 39, 49)
(4, 46, 58)
(5, 50, 62)
(7, 56, 32767)
Last edited by jdahm (2012-05-24 01:29:35)

Thinkpad T420 with Optimus: Card is turning on at random

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