Windows updates has this 'IBM PM Device' update, not sure what that is, or if I should install it. Has anyone else had this come up with thie automatic updates?

It's Thinkpad Power Management driver.

But shouldnt that program be through ibm/lenovo rather than windows xp?

Yep, Microsoft provides it's own set of drivers too, been for a while now.

For instance, this thread, for Vista but you'll get the idea.

my main concern is a conflict in drivers, so what do you think, should I do the windows PM update?

I always use the IBM-supplied drivers and do not use the Windows drivers. I do not experience any problems this way, and do not appear to be suffering any penalties either. ... JDH

Ill just skip it and do the lenovo pm update.

I also used to believe in this assuming that as the machine was from IBM, the priority should also be in favour of IBM. But it has turned out to be otherwise.

Recently I did a fresh customised installation of XP Pro on my T20 (in order to get rid of the many junks in XP which I never use and thus reduce its size and make it snappier). After the installation was over, as soon as the network was made available, it (after the usual verifications) offered me 7 driver updates for my various hardwares.

I out of curiosity accepted all of them.

Believe me, I was really surprised to find out that many of them were of 2007 versions compared to the drivers matrix at IBM, where I found most of them to have stopped at 2002 or 3.

My T20 display screen used to have a very yellowish-tint compared to my R51. But after the update it has become like a brand new screen and sharper too ! It also has given me a gamma adjustment choice. The LCD-Monitor inf from IBM is of v1.xxx whereas I got it as v4.xxx !

I think the driver update site of IBM is not being updated as frequently as it shuld have been. Probabely something else is wrong.

Yes, the IBM Software-Installer is no more available, and a latest version of System-Update (v 3.2) was available which seemed to be working better than the v3.0.

Thanks