Thinkpad W540 Trackpoint issue

Hi.
I'm having some issues with my newly bought W540 thinkpad.
Each time Windows 8.1 starts up after a longer shutdown, the UltraNav trackpoint freezes.
The problem seems to affect the trackpoint only, i have no problem with the touchpad.
Loading the UEFI BIOS setup defaults seems to help, but i need to do it after every shutdown, which is
very frustrating. The problem doesn't occur when restarting windows.
Pleas help!

Hi Thinkblaze,
Thank you for the reply!
The driver version which you have mentioned is correct, & I think the firmware is not working as expected; this might be the cause for the hardware failure.
However we can check one more option and after that you can log the case for that.
Please uninstall the Synaptics driver from Control panel – program and feature option and restart the system, let windows install the default driver for that and check if the issue still persist.
And also check removing the cap of the Track-point and check if there is any dust inside that.
Click here for complete details on Track-point settings.
Hope this helps.
Best regards,
Hemanth Kumar
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Similar Messages

About Lenovo Thinkpad W540 for Music Production at a Professional Level

Hey there! I just signed up to this blog in search for an answer to my quest. I've heard a lot of good things about Lenovo ThinkPad W540, and I would like to make sure that I am getting what I really need to stay up to date, in this everyday changing technological world, for a while before making a purchase.
So far, this is what I got in my wish list:
Intel Core i7-4700MQ Processor (6MB Cache, up to 3.40GHz)
Windows 7 Professional 64
15.6" FHD (1920 x 1080) LED Backlit Anti-Glare Display, Mobile Broadband Ready
W540 NVIDIA Quadro K1100M 2G
16GB PC3-12800 DDR3L (4 DIMM)
500GB Hard Disk Drive, 7200rpm
DVD Recordable
Intel Dual Band Wireless 7260AC with Bluetooth 4.0
1 Year Depot or Carry-in
I would like to know what are the major differences between the above items, which I have in my wish list, and the ones below:
1) Intel Core i7-4930MX Processor (8MB Cache, up to 3.90GHz)
2)15.5” 3K (2880 x 1620), IPS LED Backlit Anti-Glare Display, Mobile Broadband Ready, Color Sensor
3) W540 NVIDIA Quadro K2100M 2G
4) 32GB PC3-12800 DDR3L (4 DIMM)
5) I would like a 1TB hard drive but they don't come at 7200 rpm, i guess the one in my wish list works fine.
6) Do I need a more sophisticated Optical Drive from the DVD Recordable in my wish list?
I guess whay I am trying to investigate is if I can function in the music production world with a Thinkpad W 540 with the specs already in my wish list? And, what difference would it make updating this machine with the specs below. Your assistance and comments will be greatly appreciated. Thank you!

Hi ColonellONeill, thank you for taking your time in attempt to solve my problems.
Temperatures varies, but it never reached to unbearably hot.
Shutdown warning: for the last couple of times, I did got the blue screen warning (that windows had problem and will restart after collecting the necessary information) on my Helix and hanged display on my external monitor. Otherwise, most of the time, there isn't warning at all.
I doubt if there is anything to do automatic windows update as I have scheduled it every morning at 3 'O' clock! Sometimes it works from weeks to couple of months without even noticing any of these technical problems but then when it starts, it stays for weeks; it just comes and goes - never been able to resolve the issues completely; even the technician.
(It just happend right now! and this time wihtout even warning, and Helix wasn't even running 30 minutes - temperature is normal, I can feel it's little warm.)
Currently I am using my Helix with Thinkpad USB 3 dock connected to external Monitor with wired keyboard and mouse connected back at the dock.

VGA Ausgang, ThinkPad w540

Versuche bei meinem ThinkPad W540 einen CTR-Monitor über den VGA-Anschluss zum laufen zu bringen, leider bekomme ich bei der Auswahl der Auflösung immer nur geringe Auflösungen mit max. 1280x1024 vorgeschlagen, obwohl der Bildschirm (Sonx GDM-FW900) Auflösungen bis zu 2304x1440 unterstützt.
Habe es bereits über den Intel-Chip und über die Nvidia-Systemsteuerung probiert, beides ohne Erfolg.
Der Bildschirm wird sofort vom System erkannt, nur ist leider die richtige Auflösung nicht einstellbar.
Kennt jemand dieses Problem?
LG

Hi gigapixxel,
Du kannst (fast) alles über das Gerät in das ThinkPad PSREF (Personal Systems Reference) finden, je nach Ausstattung kann es selbstverständlich Unterschiede geben. http://www.lenovo.com/psref/we/
Über der VGA dürfte 1920x1200 @ 60Hz funktionieren.
Andy
Deutsche Community Comunidad en Español English Community Русскоязычное Сообщество

Thinkpad W540 Power On

I know the answer to this is probably going to be no but I just want to check.
Is there any way to turn my W540 on with the lid closed?
I use it with two large monitors so it sits under them on a laptop/monitor stand but there is very little room so it is hard to get to the power button at the back. Is there any way to send a keyboard command or something to get it to power on?

Hello.
The only method I can think of to start a fully powered off ThinkPad is to set "Power on with AC attach" in BIOS - Config - Power section to Enabled. Then you can pull the power cord and reinsert it to power it on.
Other methods, both resuming it from sleep involve opening up the display to either resume it that way or if the display is open and the machine is sleeping, resume it with the fingerprint scanner.
ThinkPad W540 (20BG) - i7-4800MQ/24GB // ThinkPad T440s (20AQ) - i7-4600U/12GB
ThinkPad T440p (20AW) - i7-4800MQ/16GB // ThinkPad Helix (3698-6EU) - i5-3337U/4GB
ThinkPad W520 (4282-W4Q) - i7-2720QM/32GB // ThinkPad T400 (2767-W1C) - P9500/8GB
ThinkPad T61 (7665-CTO) - T7700/4GB // ThinkPad T60p (8741-C2G) - T7400/4GB

Installationsproblem bzw. Bootproblem bei Thinkpad W540

Hallo,
Ich habe ein Problem mit der Installation von Kubuntu auf meinem Thinkpad W540.
Im habe den Laptop ohne Betriebssystem gekauft und danach Ubuntu darauf installiert. Jetzt würde ich gerne auf Kubuntu umsteigen, jedoch komme ich nicht einmal ins Installationsmenü des Bootmediums. Auch wenn ich über drücken der shift taste, dann ins bootmenü komme, bleibt der Bildschirm schwarz nachdem ich auf kubuntu installieren gehe. Auch der Live Modus funktioniert nicht. Ich habe mich auch schon sehr viel in anderen Internetforen schlau gemacht und versucht mit Deaktivierung des secure boots bzw auch des UEFI Kubuntu zu installieren und ich habe es auch schon mit nomodeset probiert.
Wie ich mitbekommen habe könnte das Problem an der eingebauten Hybridgrafikkarte liegen?!?
Hat jemand schon Erfahrung mit diesem Problem bzw. hätte jemand eine Lösung?
lg
Laptop:
ThinkPad W540
Intel(R) Core(TM) i7-4810MQ CPU @ 2.80GHz
16 Gib RAM
Card-1: Intel 4th Gen Core Processor Integrated Graphics Controller
Card-2: NVIDIA GK106GLM [Quadro K2100M

Okay.
Wenn der Screen eigentlich erscheinen sollte, hast du da mal ein oder mehrmals auf die ESC Taste gedrückt?
Ansonsten guck dir mal folgende Seite an:
http://wiki.kubuntu-de.org/Installation/Neuinstallation/Alternativer_Installationsprozess
Vielleicht hilft dir das schon weiter.
Zur Not teste ich die Installation morgen mal und schau ob ich zum gleichen Problem komme

ThinkPad USB Keyboard with TrackPoint issues with scroll (55Y9003)

Hi Guys,
I am having issues with this keyboard...
I ordered it to use it on my work where I have Dell Vostro desktops.
However scroll simply doesn't work in all programs and even stops working ... I also using VM and it doesn't work at all in VMWARE even if you point inside it it still operates at host system !? Weird...
I have installed latest drivers 1.01 but nothing... So when I removed all drivers and just keep default scroll work as default but still not in all programs and not in VM Ware, etc... Just to be clear my regular mouse scroll works in all and works properly...
Is it possible that this keyboard will work only on Thinkpads used as external keyboard ?
There are two things to be installed when I start a disk one is driver and second one is some interface driver which can be only installed on Thinkpads ?! Couldn't be that that thing is missing when running on non Thinkpad systems?
Any help how to make scroll work in all programs?
Thanks.
Moderator edit: Removed UltraNav from the title. This keyboard just has a TrackPoint.

I have the ThinkPad USB keyboard on a non-Lenovo desktop, and it works.
Yes the keyboard driver installs, but not the Lenovo System Interface Driver, for obvious reasons. All the buttons and TrackPoint work.
Yes the TrackPoint does not scroll in all programs. Search the community for "trackpoint scroll fix" and you will come up with instructions on how to fix this.
I don't work for Lenovo. I'm a crazy volunteer!

External ThinkPad USB Keyboard with TrackPoint issues with scroll (55Y9003) and hotkeys on a x201

Hello
Once more there is a glitch with the drivers for this external keyboard 55Y9003.
I have the drivers:
16.2.19.13 for the ultranav system of the x201
1.10 for the external keyboard
My system is XP sp3.
The keyboard of the x201is fine relative to the one 55Y9003.
The scrolling is set to standard for both systems.
Please do not advise to select smooth; it is not a solution and the smooth scrolling has been systematically utterly unusable.
The issues:
-the hotkeys on the external keyboards are not all working:
basically, fn+f4 and fn+nmlk work but the rest does not (say fn+f8)
-the scrolling of the external keyboard is not at all identical to the scrolling of the x201.
For instance, in pdfs viewed with foxit for instance, I have not a problem to scroll horizontally with the x201 starting with the hand tool.
WIth the external keyboard, whan I press the middle button to activate the scrolling, it remains the hand tool, I can scroll vertically but not horizontally.
FIrefox as also issues whith the middle button.
-the external keyboard still suffers from the sticky shift key.
I know the x201 and the 55Y9003 are no longer fashionable, but Is there some directly guy working at Lenovo who could help ?

I have the ThinkPad USB keyboard on a non-Lenovo desktop, and it works.
Yes the keyboard driver installs, but not the Lenovo System Interface Driver, for obvious reasons. All the buttons and TrackPoint work.
Yes the TrackPoint does not scroll in all programs. Search the community for "trackpoint scroll fix" and you will come up with instructions on how to fix this.
I don't work for Lenovo. I'm a crazy volunteer!

Ubuntu 13.10 on a T440 - Wifi, Sound, Fingerprint reader and TrackPoint issues

I recently got my t440 and put Ubuntu 13.10 on it and have had a few problems pop up. Hopefully someone here can help, or I will find solutions and post here as things get working again.
Wifi - I have a Thinkpad 11b/g/n 2x2 wireless card. I do not believe there are currently Linux drivers provided for this card. According to thinkwiki, the 1x2 version of the card works with real tek's rtl8192se driver; I have tried to load it with modprobe, but it does not work for this card. There might be a solution to this with ndiswrapper, but I haven't been successful. I have ordered an intel wireless card to replace this one.
*-network UNCLAIMED
       description: Network controller
       product: Realtek Semiconductor Co., Ltd.
       vendor: Realtek Semiconductor Co., Ltd.
       physical id: 0
       bus info: pci@0000:03:00.0
       version: 00
       width: 64 bits
       clock: 33MHz
       capabilities: bus_master cap_list
       configuration: latency=0
       resources: ioport:3000(size=256) memory:f0400000-f0403fff
Sound - The sound works when ubuntu boots, but usually crashes shortly thereafter. There are some known sound issues with 13.04 and 13.10, but I haven't been successful stopped the problem with their suggestion.
http://itsfoss.com/fix-sound-ubuntu-1304-quick-tip/
http://askubuntu.com/questions/361730/no-sounds-after-upgrade
Fingerprint reader - All previous thinkpads had AuthenTec fingerprint readers; this generation ships with Validity readers. Info on thinkwiki is describes installing fprint, but fprint does not recognize the validity reader. This post looks promising.
http://www.tuxtrix.com/2012/05/how-to-activate-validity-fingerprint.html
TrackPoint - The trackpoint pointer works fine, but lenovo did away with the physical left/middle/right click buttons. The top on the touchpad can be pressed (in windows) for left/middle/right click, but I haven't gotten this functionality enabled in Ubuntu yet. Might be able to fix this in the xorg.conf file
http://www.thinkwiki.org/wiki/Synaptics_TouchPad_driver_for_X

Fingerprint reader- above links do not resolve the problem. fprintd and frprint-demo do not recognize the Validity fingerprint sensor. My issues are the same as described in this post.
Output from lsusb
benjib0t@benjib0t-ThinkPad-T440:~/Downloads/fprint_vfs5011$ lsusb
Bus 001 Device 002: ID 8087:8000 Intel Corp.
Bus 001 Device 001: ID 1d6b:0002 Linux Foundation 2.0 root hub
Bus 003 Device 001: ID 1d6b:0003 Linux Foundation 3.0 root hub
Bus 002 Device 004: ID 04f2:b39a Chicony Electronics Co., Ltd
Bus 002 Device 003: ID 0bda:8761 Realtek Semiconductor Corp.
Bus 002 Device 002: ID 138a:0017 Validity Sensors, Inc.
Bus 002 Device 001: ID 1d6b:0002 Linux Foundation 2.0 root hub
The device id is 138a:0017. In this fedora forum, a user successfuly gets a 138a:0018 to work.
1) Clone and compile this git repo: https://github.com/maffmeier/fprint_vfs5011.git
git clone https://github.com/maffmeier/fprint_vfs5011.git
cd fprint_vfs5011
sudo apt-get install libusb-1.0-0-dev libnss3-dev libglib2.0-dev libgdk-pixbuf2.0-dev
./configure
make
sudo make install
2) This has installed libprint is /usr/local/lib, but fprintd still does not recognize the device
3) I created a symlink in /usr/lib to the libfprint I compiled, in hopes that fprintd would pick it up, but to no avail
benjib0t@benjib0t-ThinkPad-T440:/usr/lib$ sudo fprintd
Launching FprintObject
** Message: D-Bus service launched with name: net.reactivated.Fprint
** Message: entering main loop
** Message: No devices in use, exit
Maybe I'll try compiling libfprint too...

W540 Questions & Issues

Hi Folks,
Questions & Issues:
1. Where is the Break key on the W540?
2. My W540 locks up about once every two days - there does not appear to be any common task that causes this. When it lock nothing works, not Ctrl+Alt+Del, I must power off with the power button. Any comments or suggestions?
Observations:
I'm not a fan of the new keyboard. For example, the F1..F12 keys are difficult to read (the F parts, not the pictures) and the off center feel leads to difficult typing (at least for me).
TIA

Hi SD
1. Try Fn+B for Break
Refer to this post for more information.
1.2.
2. Go to Start > Lenovo > System Update. Install all Critical and Recommended Updates.
3. If No.2 does not work, go to Task Manager > Startup > Try uncheck a few which is optional. Do not uncheck Lenovo Stuffs and Antivirus.
Peter
ThinkPad W520 | ThinkCentre E73 SFF | IdeaPad K1 | IdeaPad Yoga 11s | Miix 2 10" | 3000 Y300
Give kudos to reward people for their assistance | Mark thread solved if the solution works | Please do not send me an e-mail regarding technical questions | I am not an Lenovo employee
=====================================
Dolby ; IdeaPad Slate Tablet

ThinkPad S230u Trackpoint mouse and touchpad problems.

My Tackpoint keeps pulling mouse random directions slowly random times... (Same bug that my older X61 Thinkpad)
Can that be caused by static charge or something??
And Touchpad... How i can turn it off??
Is that button really missing??
I mean "Disable Touchpad" button with FN shortcut

Hi Finlander,
Welcome to Lenovo Community Forums!
I’m really sorry to hear that you are having trouble with Touchpad and TrackPoint in your Lenovo S230u.
I would recommend you to update the Ultranav Driver to the latest version and check.
In order to disable the touchpad, go to Control Panel -> Mouse -> Ultrnav -> Uncheck Enable Touchpad checkbox ->OK.
Spoiler (Highlight to read)
Hope this helps!
Best regards,
Mithun.
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Trackpoint issues on T60 - keeps pushing the wrong way after use

Hi,
I have had this issue with another Lenovo laptop, too, but my current laptop is a T60.
Sometimes (unpredictably), I may move the Trackpoint into one direction to move the mouse cursor, and as soon as I let go, the mouse cursor moves in the opposite direction for about 2 seconds or so.
This is highly annoying and disruptive.
Any idea what could cause this?
This has happened ever since I bought the laptop (new), so it should not be a matter of "worn out".
Is there anything I can do about this?
Thanks!
Message Edited by semmelbroesel on 01-04-2009 09:36 AM

semmelbroesel wrote:
Is there anything I can do about this?
Yes, don't rest your finger on it unless you're actually moving the pointer. It senses pressure and tries to recalibrate.
English Community Deutsche Community Comunidad en Español Русскоязычное Сообщество
Jane
2015 X1 Carbon, ThinkPad Slate, T410s, X301, X200 Tablet, T60p, HP TouchPad, iPad Air 2, iPhone 5S, IdeaTab A2107A, Yoga Tablet, Yoga 3 Pro
I am not a Lenovo Employee.
I AM one of those crazy ThinkPad zealots!
If you find a post helpful and it answers your question, please mark it as an "Accepted Solution"!

Thinkpad 600, trackpoint malfunctioning

Hello,
my Thinkpad 600 never failed me
(except for having to replace the CMOS battery every 5 years, which seems to be normal for this model)
but now the Track Point is "stuck" somehow. I touch it once and then the mouse pointer arrow keeps running
to the left side of the screen.
The external USB Mouse works fine, but only when the Track Point is deactivated in Thinkpad configuration.
Before, I sometimes had the problem that the arrow kept moving after I had stopped touching the TrackPoint,
but it always "calmed down" after a second or so.
Does anybody has an idea how to fix this ? Or is it just broken?
Thank you
Nia
Update:
On the Lenovo troubleshooting pages I found the following explanation
"The TrackPoint does automatic compensations to adjust the pointer sensor. During this process, the pointer moves on the screen automatically for a short time. This self-acting pointer movement can occur when a slight, steady pressure is applied to the TrackPoint pointer while the computer is powered on or while the system is running, or when readjustment is required because the temperature has exceeded its normal temperature range.
This symptom does not indicate a hardware problem. No service actions are necessary if the pointer movement stops in a short period of time."
Well, I am a little confused by this. So the TrackPoint does some kind of self-calibration? And what do I do if the
movement doesn't stop? Maybe should I install a new TrackPoint driver version?
Please, can somebody help me a little...
Message Edited by nia600 on 06-26-2008 04:25 PM

Welcome to the forum!
Yes, TrackPoint is supposed to self-calibrate and move occasionally, but is also supposed to stop doing that after a few seconds.
Quite a few people have reported this issue with 600 series in the past, and there is no known cure (apart from using an external mouse) that I'm aware of. It' s supposedly a glitch that develops on the main board.
Try updating your BIOS and drivers from the "support and downloads" section of Lenovo's website.
Good luck.
Cheers,
George
In daily use: R60F, R500F, T61, T410
Collecting dust: T60
Enjoying retirement: A31p, T42p,
Non-ThinkPads: Panasonic CF-31 & CF-52, HP 8760W
Starting Thursday, 08/14/2014 I'll be away from the forums until further notice. Please do NOT send private messages since I won't be able to read them. Thank you.

[T60p] Trackpoint issue

Hello,
I have a new issue since i updated my t60p. I opened it to add a SSD and a new processor (T7200), and since i reassembled it, my trackpoint doesn't work unless i unplug the palm rest (so the touchpad id unplugged).
If I plug the palm rest, the trackpoint stops to work. It does it even on a linux live cd, so it is not a driver problem.
In the bios both trackpoint and touchpad are set on "automatic".
Do you know this issue guys ?
Thanks

This is odd, but if what you report is 100% accurate, then it must be caused by the disassembly, so I would suspect the keyboard connector. Try unplugging and replugging it on the system board. While it's off take a good look at both connectors with a jewers loop, see if you see any damage. If you do, don't go any further without extreme caution. The keyboard can be replaced very inexpensively, but if you damage the connector on the board, you're looking at a lot of work and money.
I'll also state that I've done this hundreds of times and never had a problem like this, so it really sounds more like a software problem, but I won't doubt that you have ruled out that posibility, but you might want to double check. Also make sure all the other keys work on your keyboard... in fact you may want to do that first. If your connector is damaged or not seated properly, it's probable that other keys won't be working too. There are many software programs to test keyboards, There are also online tests you can use. I found this one on a google search, but I make no claims to it's function, or the safety of the webpage....
keyboardtester.com
So use it at your own risk
ThinkPad W-510 i7-820QM(1.73-3.06GHz) Quad Core... ThinkPad T500, T9900, 8gb SSD...FrankNpad T-60p/61p (X9000 2.8ghz) 8gb SSD ips FlexView...ThinkPad T-61p (T9300 2.5ghz) 8gb ram...Thinkpad X-61 Tablet 4gb ram...ThinkPad A-31 (1.9ghz P4 1.5gb ram)

ThinkPad SL510 Hotkey issue on Windows 10 and brigtness issue

Hi these are my issues.I have upgraded from Windows 7 to Windows 10.But now i found that the hotkeys shortcuts for brigtness with the key Fn don't work good. ( the sound hotkeys work perfect.) The brightness can't be controlled with the Fn+brigthness up key or Fn+brightness down key ( the bar that indicates the brightness blinks like something is wrong). I fast grab the bar before dissapear with the mouse and i can control it, with mouse. Most of all i find something very weird on the brightness of the screen as I am sure as i set the brightness on the lowest level the brightness was lower with Windows 7. I mean sometimes I want the brightness on the most lower level. But with Windows 10 even in the lowest level the screen is more bright from Windows 7. My laptop is SL 510 with Windows 10 upgraded from 7 in Greek language. Thanks a lot.

I have similar problems with my Thinkpad SL510 (type: 2847-6JG, S/N: LR ALE01):After I updated from Windows 7 x64 to Windows 10, the multimedia key that should mute the speakers was not working anymore.I have no problems with the brightness control hotkeys. Also the Lock hotkey (fn+f2), the Sleep hotkey (fn+f4), the Projector hotkey (fn+f7), the Num Lock hotkey (fn+f10), the Hibernate hotkey (fn+f12) and the Print Screen hotkey are working fine.So the hotkeys that didn't work were: the battery hotkey (fn+ f3), the wireless hotkey (fn+f5), the conference (webcam+mic) hotkey (fn+f6) and the trackpad+trackpoint hotkey (fn+f8).Here is what I managed to fix:1. After I installed the Lenovo Settings app ( https://www.microsoft.com/en-us/store/apps/lenovo-settings/9wzdncrfj12p ) my camera and mic hotkey (fn+f6) begin to work.2. After I installed Hotkey Features Integration for Windows 10 ( http://support.lenovo.com/us/en/downloads/ds029026 ) - which was NOT designed for SL510 but is the only one I could find that was made specifically for Win 10 and Thinkpads -, my multimedia keys (including mute for speakers) were working fine BUT none of the hotkeys were working anymore, except for the brightness ones that were stil working fine. Therefore I uninstalled this and reinstalled the old one: Hotkey Features Integration for Windows 8 ( http://support.lenovo.com/us/en/products/laptops-and-netbooks/thinkpad-sl-series-laptops/thinkpad-sl510/downloads/DS014985 ) which fixed the hotkeys problem but also made the mute key unresponsive again.Here is what else I've tried without any success:1. installing the new power management for win 10 ( http://support.lenovo.com/us/en/downloads/migr-4gxpeg )2. reinstalling old power management for win 7 ( http://support.lenovo.com/us/en/products/laptops-and-netbooks/thinkpad-sl-series-laptops/thinkpad-sl510/downloads/DS101347 )3. instaling some of the Wi-fi Drivers　TL;DRDedicated mute key for speakers, Battery hotkey (fn+f3), Wireless hotkey (fn+f5), Trackpad hotkey (fn+f8), not working on Thinkpad SL510 after updating from win7 to win10! Any helpful ideas?Thanks LATER EDIT:after trying @tasn sollution and uninstalling the hotkey driver using http://support.lenovo.com/us/en/downloads/migr-74261, the mute button for the speakers started to work, but now the mute button for the Mic is not working anymore...

The Venerable ThinkPad W540 – A Journey in Multiple Parts: Part 2

Missed Part 1? Catch it here
Part 2: System / BIOS setup.
For the average consumer machine, users can get the most out of it without ever having to contemplate these advanced setup procedures. A ThinkPad, however, requires the user to take a peek at them at least, because the default settings certainly do not fit all usage scenarios. From hardware settings, performance and power setup, to security, OS installation and enterprise deployment, almost everything is configurable. Having your ThinkPad wrongly configured in BIOS can slow down OS booting, disabled features you need are not showing up in OS and enabled features you don‘t need will produce unwanted activity / battery drainage etc.
For every ThinkPad I‘ve ever bought, sold or maintained through the years, the BIOS setup is the first thing I ever perform. This is particularly vital today, even before loading up any OS on it, because of the default legacy pre-installed Windows 7 or UEFI BIOS pre-installed Windows 8/8,1 OS, which like in the case of the former, upgrading your Windows 7 pre-installation to Windows 8 instead of clean installing will give you a legacy installed Windows 8 and thus fail to take advantage of some of the UEFI features that are built into the OS. I‘ll get into some of the differences between Legacy/UEFI installations in Part 3 as well as the main only and secondary hard drive dual booting.
NB. Although this setup is for the W540/T540p, most of the options are identical to other ThinkPad models and serve the same function, but being a fully loaded W540, it has several options that other models don‘t have, and thus a perfect machine demonstrate this on.
To enter the ThinkPad UEFI BIOS there are several methods you can use.
Press F1 on the Lenovo screen to bring up the BIOS setup instantly. (Only possible during restart or when started up again from a full shutdown, which you can have your machine enter if you hold down Shift while clicking Shutdown in Windows 8/8.1).
Press Enter on the Lenovo screen, again, only possible using the same restart methods as above, to bring up the Startup Interrupt Menu, and then select F1 for the BIOS setup.
From within Windows 8/8.1:
Open the Charm Bar by pressing Win+C key combination.
Click on Settings
Click on Change PC Settings
Click on General (Win 8) Update and Recovery (Win 8.1)
Scroll to the bottom and click on Advanced Startup -> Restart Now (Win 8) Select Recovery -> Advanced Startup -> Restart Now (Win 8.1)
Click on Troubleshoot
Click on Advanced Options
Click on UEFI Firmware Settings
Click on Restart
NB. By default, a Windows 8/8.1 shutdown is not a real shutdown. Instead, it is hybrid shutdown where contents of memory are saved to disk. This allows for a faster startup. However, turning on the PC after a hybrid shutdown does not allow for pressing F1 or F12 during startup. To disable this behaviour and for further information on booting Windows 8/8.1 pre-installed machines head over to this page: Windows 8/8.1 boot instructions - Lenovo.
If you have a ThinkPad with a Legacy BIOS, just press F1 on the ThinkPad screen.
On the main screen you can see various important information about your ThinkPad such as the serial and MTM numbers, information on your installed CPU and RAM, OS Licence and Secure Boot status. On the image above, I‘ve annotated where you can find the various categories of settings for your machine.
My W540 is setup as non-enterprise, standalone workstation, so the first things I do is turn off AMT (Intel Active Management Technology) and all Wake/Boot from LAN settings, as my machine won‘t be either booted up from LAN nor managed remotely.
To turn these settings off, open up your Config screen and select Network and toggle your preferred settings between Enabled / Disabled. I disable all options. The Intel AMT settings are also found on the Config screen, which I set to disabled. NB, do not select Permanently Disabled if you plan on reselling your machine later on, as permanently disabled means just that.
There are a couple of other features that I disable in the Config section, which is the Intel Smart Connect Technology, which powers on your machine on regular intervals to check for mail and social media updates and the Power – Intel Rapid Start Technology, which I don‘t need on my W-series machines, but I do keep it enabled on my ThinkPad travelmates, such as the T440s.
Walking through the other settings I change on the Config screen, on USB I have everything set to Enabled and USB 3.0 set to Auto. I am particularly fond of the USB always on and Charge in battery mode, as my ThinkPads that have large 9 cell batteries have managed to save my phone from running out of power on countless occasions. Finally, I set my display options for standalone operation, but if you have your machine docked and connected to one or more external monitors, you need to set these accordingly.
On to the Security screen, where many mission critical options reside. Many of these options should not be played with, as setting them wrongly can have serious consequences. Particular care should be taken when setting one or more Passwords for access control, as there is no fallback or fix that can reset a forgotten password.
Leaving the Security settings at their default is fine in most usage scenarios, but some features are disabled by default, like Virtualization, and need to be enabled for them to work. The Security Chip is initially set to Inactive, which means it is visible in your OS, but inactive. I set mine to Active as it is required by the Security Reporting Options, which I do monitor if something comes up as well as enabling the Intel Trusted Execution Technology (TXT) options, which I also have set to Enabled.
The UEFI BIOS Update Option is self-explanatory and in addition you can prevent older BIOS flashing by turning the Secure Rollback Prevention to Enabled. Memory Protection and I/O Port Access are all enabled by default and no restrictions or access control to your hardware is set. The Internal Device Access option is for the Bottom Cover Tamper Protection, which works in conjunction with the Supervisor Password, so if no Supervisor Password is set, the Tamper Protection won‘t take effect even if set to Enabled. The Anti-Theft module is active by default, and thus you‘ll get popups in your Windows OS regarding enrollment. If you do not wish to see those or you won‘t be using the feature, just set the AT Module to Disabled. Same as with the Intel AMT Control, the AT Module can be permanently disabled as well.
Lastly, the Secure Boot option is something that is always enabled by default on all machines that come with a Windows 8/8,1 sticker from manufacturer. Secure boot defines how platform firmware manages security certificates, validation of firmware, and a definition of the interface (protocol) between firmware and the operating system. Secure boot prevents “unauthorized” operating systems and software from loading during the startup process.
Quick summary of the Secure Boot feature:
UEFI allows firmware to implement a security policy.
Secure boot is a UEFI protocol not a Windows 8 feature.
UEFI secure boot is part of Windows 8 secured boot architecture.
Windows 8 utilizes secure boot to ensure that the pre-OS environment is secure.
Secure boot doesn’t “lock out” operating system loaders, but is a policy that allows firmware to validate authenticity of components.
OEMs have the ability to customize their firmware to meet the needs of their customers by customizing the level of certificate and policy management on their platform.
Microsoft does not mandate or control the settings on PC firmware that control or enable secured boot from any operating system other than Windows.
I will go deeper into the Secure Boot settings and functionality in Part 3, where the OS installation will be the topic, but unless you‘re clean installing a new OS or upgrading from Windows 7 to Windows 8, these settings as well as the OS Optimized Default setting on the Restart screen can be left at their defaults.
The Startup section is one that I always clean up and only leave the boot devices I regularly use active on the Boot Priority Order. Don‘t use it? Lose it. This eliminates your machine having to go through all possible boot options on cold boot / restart but a temporary boot device can always be selected through the F12 Boot Menu if you need to boot your machine from a device you don‘t regularly use.
I use my machine as UEFI OS only, as setting it up as dual booted Windows / Linux in UEFI mode has become much simpler, and effective in the last couple of years. However, dual booting a UEFI and a legacy OS, or legacy only is also an option, and will be further discussed in my next instalment.
For detailed information on the W540 System Setup, refer to the User Guide available here:
ThinkPad T540p and W540 - User Guide
Click here to read Part 1 of AtliJarl's mods to his W540, which is one of the machines we had passed to him for use.

Good write-up ;-)

Thinkpad W540 Trackpoint issue

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