Lenovo Kills Off ThinkVantage System Update

[PanEuropean]

TVSU has been given the pink slip. Details here: http://www-307.ibm.com/pc/support/site. ... 72207.html

[hausman]

Lenovo is changing the way customers obtain updates for their PCs and Servers.
For our PC customers, automatic updates via ThinkVantage System Update (TVSU) are being discontinued. Customers can continue to download updates by accessing the Lenovo support site at Lenovo Support & downloads. Lenovo is pursuing alternative solutions for system updates and future offerings will be communicated through the new Lenovo Message Center Plus.

Talk about marketing spin. "Changing the way" sounds like an improvement when they really mean "no longer supporting the official, automated procedure" which is the removal of a useful feature.

At least "Lenovo is pursuing alternative solutions for system updates" that are hopefully less awkward than digging through the Driver Matrix manually looking for those updates you don't yet have.

But why couldn't they have found an "alternative solution" before they killed TVSU? Is TVSU really that bad?

[ssd_thinkpad]

I want lenovo updates to be included in windows update. That's the easiest way for me.

[RealBlackStuff]

Unless something is amiss in your laptop, why update?
"If it ain't broke, don't repair it!"

[killer]

Very true, RBS. As I posted somewhere else on this site; Let sleeping dogs lie, Laissez faire, or, If it ain't broke don't fix it.

However, Client Security System (CSS) was causing me problems recently so I used TVSU to get the latest patch and now it works well.

[jdhurst]

I sure do not want to see Lenovo updates integrated with Windows updates. I can run most Windows updates without fear of breakage. Lenovo driver updates need to be considered very carefully first so as to have any pre-requisites in place and so as to be able to easily uninstall if they go wrong.

I don't understand this at all. Software Installer was an excellent tool and it was killed off, but at least we had some notice. System Update has been improved, but now it is (or soon will be) gone with no replacement in sight. I use the manual method anyway, so I will continue to do that.
... JDH

[jdhurst]

And gone it is. At least as I write this. ... JDH

[yak]

Same here, System Update server not available error pops up.

I don't get it. I just did a clean Vista install on my T60 couple of days ago and used System Update to install all the software from Lenovo I wanted. Came back to the laptop some time later and voila, all hotkeys are working, battery gauge is there as is everything else I chose.

Now all this has to be done by hand. Not good. They better have a good reason for this.

[beGi]

That thing was never useful to me...

Used it once, and messed up everything...

Since then, manual download only, and no problems since then...

No harm done...

[PhilD]

System Update was an awesome tool. i used it all the time to review available updates specific to my machine and operating system, and select which ones i wanted to update. Especially on a new (or restored) machine - select all the updates wanted, grab a cup of coffee, and return to a fully updated machine.

IBM's (Lenovo's) system update is (was) superior (by far) to that offered by any other computer manufacturer.

[YW-Slayer]

Same here, System Update server not available error pops up.

I don't get it. I just did a clean Vista install on my T60 couple of days ago and used System Update to install all the software from Lenovo I wanted. Came back to the laptop some time later and voila, all hotkeys are working, battery gauge is there as is everything else I chose.

Now all this has to be done by hand. Not good. They better have a good reason for this.

I agree. I have found System Update invaluable for when I wipe and re-install from the backup partition. Stupid, stupid, stupid.

[carbon_unit]

I guess different people have different experiences.
I have never been a big fan of TVSU. It never seemed to do the whole job for me, I had to finish up after it. I won't lose any sleep now that it is gone.
Software installer was better but that it is ancient history.
It is disturbing that there is no announced replacement for TVSU. Manual installation is just not for everyone. Hopefully they will come up with something to help in the future.

[Harryc]

Manual installation is just not for everyone.

Well, in my mind that's the main issue. Wait until we see how many folks get hung up on installing drivers now on the forums. It will be a mess. There are just too many rules and dependancies. If people would take the time to read the release notes then it would not be as much of an issue, but human nature being what it is ...
As much of a kluge that TVSU may have been at times, at least if offered the novice a way to get the latest updates on their system. Now, it's just a disaster waiting to happen.

[JaneL]

On the other hand, maybe people will stop updating drivers that don't need to be updated since the system is running just fine as it is (ie if it ain't broke, don't fix it). That will probably more than offset the number of problems caused by manually updating.

[Harryc]

We'll see. I still say that human nature will prevail .

[JaneL]

Only once! They'll resist that urge after that.

[hausman]

Lenovo driver updates need to be considered very carefully first so as to have any pre-requisites in place and so as to be able to easily uninstall if they go wrong.

Ironically IBM introduced software for its mainframes back in the 1970s that did all of that and more automatically. The software, SMP/E, is still used today on their latest and greatest mainframes. While SMP/E is overkill for ThinkPads, the concepts and solutions have been around for decades.

Doing manual driver updates is fine if you're installing one or two updates to address a particular issue. But it's a lengthy, tedious process when you want to install drivers and utilities on a newly-formatted hard disk. I'm going to miss it.

[archer6]

I have a lot of mixed feelings about this change. The negative is how it will impact the new Lenovo customers that are not technically skilled. That irritates me as they deserve a good experience, which this change ruins. Also as a few have pointed out when performing a clean install this was a handy way to obtain a large number of drivers. I'm rather fond of the manual way only because I like to read the changelogs and only update as I truly need to. Not just to have "the latest". I belong to the group that believes in: "if it's running well, enjoy, & leave it alone". This last thought is the most bothersome, and that is all the users that seem so compelled to update just for the sake of doing so only to create problems.
.
Cheers...

[ssd_thinkpad]

Lenovo driver updates need to be considered very carefully first so as to have any pre-requisites in place and so as to be able to easily uninstall if they go wrong.

Lenovo releases drivers that are not fully tested? It's hard to believe that given the ressources lenovo uses to produce so much software for their thinkpads and they even do not concentrate them on releasing full tested drivers. If that really would be the case - I do not want to install these on my production systems. Only fully tested drivers should be automatically installed by windows update, for sure.

[yak]

More info!

I just started System Update again today and it told me the System Update itself needs an update. I let it do it. Then I got a message that Lenovo plans a new way of updating the systems and that for now the updates are available under www.lenovo.com/support.

And then something more interesting. It told me to start System Update again in May to activate their new "Messaging System". The wording may be different in English because I have a German system and had to translate from the German "Nachrichtenübermittlungssystem".

After the message, the update stops and it goes back to the Welcome screen.

[GomJabbar]

Lenovo releases drivers that are not fully tested? It's hard to believe that given the ressources lenovo uses to produce so much software for their thinkpads and they even do not concentrate them on releasing full tested drivers.

It's not really that. It's just that some software/drivers requires other software/drivers to be installed first, and in a specific order.

Following up on yak's post...

For our PC customers, automatic updates via ThinkVantage System Update (TVSU) are being discontinued. Customers can continue to download updates by accessing the Lenovo support site at Lenovo Support & downloads. Lenovo is pursuing alternative solutions for system updates and future offerings will be communicated through the new Lenovo Message Center Plus.

IMO: Good riddance SU! SI was a much better tool. Perhaps a SI will be revived in some form.

[yak]

IMO: Good riddance SU! SI was a much better tool. Perhaps a SI will be revived in some form.

My adventure with ThinkPads started when SI was already gone. Can you tell me what was different about it and why was it better than SU?

[RealBlackStuff]

There is another positive side to this:
at least now you no longer have to install Micro$haft's DotNetFix bloatware to make SU work!

[GomJabbar]

I am going to take the liberty of quoting someone else on this.

Features of Software Installer missing from System Update...

1. Inventory a list of what you have and what is available without needing to update.
2. Be able to review your system without connecting to the internet (there is a check box for that in SI)
3. Look through C:\Drivers\Yourfolder and update what you might have manually downloaded.

Here is a thread from Aug 07, 2007 comparing SU to SI. Is it me or is System Update 3 rubbish?!

[neenee]

I am sorry to see this utility go as well.

As for .NET, the only true disadvantage to having it that I can see, is that it takes up a mere fragment of the harddisk space people have nowadays.

[uberT]

RIP: TVSU (POS)


I've still got Software Installer which I've always preferred for managing "updates".

[thaug]

I use SU all the time, and have not had the experiences that many here had. I just had to do a reinstall from factory on a laptop just yesterday, and all day I was trying to use SU. It makes it so much easier to get the drivers and software you need. Going through a web site, downloading and manually installing all of the updates is a major time waster, and not something that a typical user should have to perform.

While SU was often kludgy and slow, it was something I that I could leave running on a laptop, downloading 10-20 updates at a time and just leave it alone, so that I can do other work. That of course is now not an option, and it will make me look at other options when it comes to purchasing new laptops.

They speak of a possible future application, and SU itself says to come back in May for something. Maybe they will integrate the functionality in to the Lenovo Toolbox.

[uberT]

I had fairly good luck with the functionality on 3 of our 4 machines....assuming the updates themselves were not problematic. For whatever reason, the updates would never apply to our T43. Every one failed whenever I attempted to use SU. It always listed a HOTFIX under the critical tab...I've never been able to apply it or figure out what it was (via a manual installation process) cuz SU gave no reference or document number pertaining it:roll:

[mpcook]

Well, although SU was problematic and not as good as SI, it was still better than the manual ritual we are now left with. I am just happy I re-imaged and updated about 5 drives in the past few weeks, all using SU, I would be at it day and night still if they had discontinued it a few weeks ago. I also found (moot point now though) that if I ran it twice (or three times even), the next time it picked up updates not picked up the first time.

Hopefully a new utilitarian replacement will become available soon!

Mike

[thaug]

Not my petition, but for those that are interested, there is a petition set up from a user over the Lenovo forums. Get it here:
http://www.petitionspot.com/petitions/TVSU