Thinkpads Forum

Seems by default I get no on screen display when I adjust the back-light brightness.

Does anyone know anyway to get some kind of feedback as to what level back-light is set too.

The volume has it why not the screen brightness?

Do I have a setting wrong or need to update a driver or something? Or is it likely I need to wait for newer updated drivers to come out?

I'm new to thinkpads but pretty much every other laptop I've had the past 6-7 years has some kind of OSD for this.

thanks
Mike

Lenovo provides a driver for this.
I reccommend installing and running Lenovo's System Update 3 utility. You can get it on their website if it is not already on your machine in the "ThinkVantage" folder. This program will show you all the updates that are available for your model. If you study the optional ones closely you'll see that there's one for this purpose.

thanks

I ran that and there's 1 critical update for a registry patch to help USB device recognition (so i'll be sure to get that) and then 1 optional:
ThinkPad May 31, 2007
Keyboard Customizer Utility
for Windows Vista

is that the thing I want? doesn't seem to have any mention in the details.

It is part of the Keyboard Customizer.

wallybear wrote:It is part of the Keyboard Customizer.

great!

thanks a ton.

I never would have downloaded that unless you told me.

a little more help please-

I downloaded the keyboard utility and rebooted.

Still no OSD when I adjust brightness.

I dont see any option in the keyboard utility to enable it.

I tried it both with the "enabled key assingments" box checked and unchecked and still nada.

any ideas?

wallybear wrote:It is part of the Keyboard Customizer.

are you 100% sure? I dont have that installed and I DO have the OS volume and display brightness indicators. I also have 2 R61's that installed all the Thinkvantage software, and there is no OS brightness display.

do you have the latest 1.09 bios?

Sorry...my bad. It's not the Keyboard Customizer. It is the Hotkey driver. Here is the link:

http://www-307.ibm.com/pc/support/site. ... MIGR-67047

Here is part of the ReadMe file for this driver:

Hotkey Features for Windows Vista/XP/2000

Version 2.03.0705
======================================================================


What This Package Does
-----------------------
This package provides the utilities (sub packages) related for
the special keys and buttons on your computer. The special keys and
buttons are designed on the accessibility and usability. The utilities
enable the full functionality for the special keys and buttons.
This package contains the following sub packages;

<On Screen Display>
This program displays the result of the using of function keys
on the desktop screen. This program also provides some enhancements
of the function keys.
For example, whenever changes system speaker volume, this program
displays volume indicator on the desktop screen.

======================================================================
Sorry about the confusion....

oddly they dont say it includes the OS Display brightness. Like i said, I have it on my T61 from a clean install, but I cant pinpoint how it happened.

wallybear wrote:Sorry...my bad. It's not the Keyboard Customizer. It is the Hotkey driver. Here is the link:

http://www-307.ibm.com/pc/support/site. ... MIGR-67047

Here is part of the ReadMe file for this driver:

Hotkey Features for Windows Vista/XP/2000.....

thanks for the pointer- unfortunately I tried that and it DID update the OSD driver from 5.01 to 5.03 but still no joy...

I have always had the OSD for the volume but still cant get it for the display brightness.

excuse me while i go bang my head on the wall-LOL.

exlax- i have 14inch widescreen with integrated graphics- that what you have?

(off to go figure out my bios version- maybe that's it...)

i have a 14" nvidia.

OK. Here's my suggestion:

1- Uninstall every ThinkVantage application and driver.

2- Restart.

3- Launch System Update and let it find all the things you've removed. Select the things you need (or need most). Let them be installed.

4- Restart.

5- Check the operation of everything. I bet it will work.

I went through this same process when I was tearing out my hair over a similar issue. Vista isn't perfect...and neither is Lenovo's interaction with Vista. But a clean install of things should fix it.

I have a 14-inch T60. Specs are in my signature below.

Let me know what happens.

thanks for all the help-

so I can basically nuke anything thinkvantage and then the system update finds whatever i need- pretty neat.

Dont have the time at the moment but I guess that's what i'll need to do when i get a few...

one last bit-

my bios is 1.09 - dated in May- when I look on the website there's a 1.09 dated in June- but i assume that they are the same becasue they just didn't post it to the website since it was so new for the t61's?

did you check the display properties to see if the brightness option is enabled. When you go to Display Properties and then advanced you'll see the OSD tab and you can check off what to show there.

Well i'm in the same boat (T61 with integrated graphics,15.4" model though). Volume OSD is working properly, but i cant get the screen brightness OSD to work.

Hotkey drivers are installed. Checked display properties and Hotkeys are enabled.

I'm feeling pretty darn frustrated as well.

While it is true the Hotkey utility driver controls this function, the display driver must be the Lenovo supplied one. Also I believe you need the Lenovo System Interface driver and Lenovo ACPI Power Management driver installed.

Drivers and software - ThinkPad T61

SHoTTa35 wrote:did you check the display properties to see if the brightness option is enabled. When you go to Display Properties and then advanced you'll see the OSD tab and you can check off what to show there.

sorry- i'm dense and new to both vista and thinkpad.

Can you be more specific?

If i right click on the desktop I can select "graphics properties...." which brings up the intel graphics window. I dont see an OSD tab there. Can you aim me?

GomJabbar wrote:While it is true the Hotkey utility driver controls this function, the display driver must be the Lenovo supplied one. Also I believe you need the Lenovo System Interface driver and Lenovo ACPI Power Management driver installed.

Drivers and software - ThinkPad T61

I have a brand new T61 that came with windows ultimate installed. Wouldn't they include all the correct drivers?

I'm starting to think the current drivers for the T61 with integrated graphics only has OSD for volume and the thinklight but not yet for the screen brightness.

As above - all new to thinkpad- can I email support somehow or do I need to wait on hold to speak to a person to ask a silly little question like this?

michaelk wrote:

SHoTTa35 wrote:did you check the display properties to see if the brightness option is enabled. When you go to Display Properties and then advanced you'll see the OSD tab and you can check off what to show there.

sorry- i'm dense and new to both vista and thinkpad.

Can you be more specific?

If i right click on the desktop I can select "graphics properties...." which brings up the intel graphics window. I dont see an OSD tab there. Can you aim me?

Go to "control panel." In classic view, go to and click "Intel GMA Driver for Mobile." Go down and click "Hot Keys."

GomJabbar wrote:While it is true the Hotkey utility driver controls this function, the display driver must be the Lenovo supplied one. Also I believe you need the Lenovo System Interface driver and Lenovo ACPI Power Management driver installed.

Drivers and software - ThinkPad T61

GomJabbar, how would i go about checking to see whether or not my system has the drivers you listed already installed or not? I dont want to dl them if they're already present.

The ACPI Power Management driver is listed as July 10, 2007, version 1.43

I wish I could give you a good answer. I currently do not have a Vista installation to check things. Most of these drivers show up in Windows Add or Remove Programs (look under IBM, ThinkPad, and ThinkVantage). AFAIK, the On Screen Display does not show up there. I am not sure what reporting capabilities System Update has as I don't use it.

EDIT: You should also find some driver versions in Device Manager. ACPI Power Management comes to mind (look under System Devices > ThinkPad PM device).

GomJabbar wrote:I wish I could give you a good answer. I currently do not have a Vista installation to check things. Most of these drivers show up in Windows Add or Remove Programs (look under IBM, ThinkPad, and ThinkVantage). AFAIK, the On Screen Display does not show up there. I am not sure what reporting capabilities System Update has as I don't use it.

EDIT: You should also find some driver versions in Device Manager. ACPI Power Management comes to mind (look under System Devices > ThinkPad PM device).

Thanks for your help. I actually found the ACPI Power Management driver you were referring to- I went to "Device Manager," then went down to "System Devices," then "Thinkpad PM Device Properties," and went into the driver tab.

I have v1.42 listed and clicked update driver, but according to the system, i have the most up-to-date-driver already installed. I'm guessing i should do a manual update from the IBM driver site?

Edit: I cannot find the Lenovo system interface driver you are talking about.

Edit2: Can you also expand on what you mean by "the display driver must be the Lenovo supplied one?"

hypertrophy wrote:

michaelk wrote: sorry- i'm dense and new to both vista and thinkpad.

Can you be more specific?

If i right click on the desktop I can select "graphics properties...." which brings up the intel graphics window. I dont see an OSD tab there. Can you aim me?

Go to "control panel." In classic view, go to and click "Intel GMA Driver for Mobile." Go down and click "Hot Keys."

I can find that and the check box for 'enable hotkeys" is checked. I dont see anything for an OSD tab that SHoTTa35 said to pick what to enable- it doesn't exist in the intel driver properties that I have and which lenovo lists as the latest and greatest on their website.

Also- I updated the ACPI power manager to the newest version so it's not that.

when I get a bit of time I'll delete all the lenovo drivers and use the system update to put them back in and see if that helps...

Well, i just got done installing all three drivers: ACPI Power Management, Lenovo System Interface, and Power Manager for Vista.

Still no brightness OSD.

Edit: Installed new version of the Hotkey driver and still no brightness ODS as well.

I have the same problem.

Have volume OSD, but no Brightness OSD.

My config:

T61 15" WSXGA+, Integrated Graphic, Vista Premium.

That makes 3 with integrated graphics on the T61 that don't have it.

My vote is the current integrated graphics driver (or whatever driver needs to be ficed to do this) doesn't have the feature- hopefully they update it shortly.

michaelk wrote:That makes 3 with integrated graphics on the T61 that don't have it.

My vote is the current integrated graphics driver (or whatever driver needs to be ficed to do this) doesn't have the feature- hopefully they update it shortly.

It IS the integrated graphics driver that's causing the brightness OSD problem.

This is what i posted in my thread:

hypertrophy wrote:I discovered the problem to be with the Intel X3100 (960GML / 965GM) v.7.14.10.1244 driver.

There was a problem with the driver which caused my display to blink out, causing the driver to restart itself. I uninstalled the driver and upon restart, the brightness OSD appeared, but i was no longer able to adjust the brightness of my screen.

Windows automatically downloaded the display driver again and restarted. When windows tried to boot, i received the dreaded BSOD. I had to restart the computer from the last known stable configuration.

After restarting the notebook, i manually reinstalled the Intel X3100 driver again and restarted. The brightness OSD no longer appears.

I'll contact lenovo again about the driver incompatibility with the brightness OSD.

So i just got off the phone with Tech Support in Atlanta Georgia again and notified them about the driver incompatibility with the screen brightness on screen display.

He stated that it was one of "those" types of problems where if not enough people call in to report the problem, they will more then likely not try to resolve the issue.

With that note, if any of you are having the problem, please notify tech support so they can find a solution. Thanks.