I got an X31 (my first thinkpad)

[TheRedFox]

I found it on the internet for around $248 USD. I'm quite satisfied with the look and feel, especially compared with my last laptop (now 11yr old Compaq Armada 110 jank-book) It's WAY lighter.
anyways, I had a few questions, most of which I've forgotten, but I'll try to remember them

first of all - how do you down-clock the cpu to save battery
how do you get the IBM access software to work
how are Kahlon's batteries charge-wise especially compared to OEM batteries that have been sitting around in warehouses
Where is the Mini-PCI slot (if there is one, I was lead to believe that there was)

thank you for you're trouble.

[gator]

Welcome to the forum. You got a nice thinkpad, and it should serve you well.

Here are some answers to your questions:

1. For underclocking, you need to install some program like mobile meter or NHC or RM clock.

2. You should probably uninstall the access IBM s/w. It is outdated and lenovo does not maintain it anymore. Download and install 'Thinkvantage system update' from this link:
http://www-307.ibm.com/pc/support/site. ... VSU-UPDATE

Run the software and it will give you the latest drives and softwares for your X31. Make sure that you install s/w only that you absolutely need. There are many programs in this suite that might run in the background and take up memory. You do not absolutely need all the s/w that system update shows you. For starters, I would install the latest system drivers, latest BIOS update, fingerprint reader driver and s/w (if you have one and want to use it) and the wireless control utility (if your machine has wifi).

On the other hand, if you know what you are doing, you can get the latest version of the individual drivers from the X3x system matrix and install them on a need-by-need basis:
http://www-307.ibm.com/pc/support/site. ... rintLenovo

3. I would anyday use NOS OEM batteries compared to 3rd party.

4. The mini-pci slot is in the back of the machine. Look at the hardware maintanence manual:
http://www-307.ibm.com/pc/support/site. ... MIGR-44018
Some more information here:
http://www-307.ibm.com/pc/support/site. ... 44205.html

[sjthinkpader]

To run the ThinkVantage System Update, and you are running XP SP2 and older, your will need to install the .NET Frameworks first or update to XP SP3.

[TheRedFox]

Thank you very much. I'm really liking my X31. it seems really good so far (not in the best condition of course, but good enough.)

[TheRedFox]

having trouble figuring RMclock out... how do I lower the frequency and voltage? there are so many other options, and I suspect you need to know more about processors than I do to understand what all of the options mean... still I seem to get a little over two hours of batt, which is pretty nice (compared to the 10 second battery life of my Compaq "Jankbook")

[aceo07]

I would recommend NHC for undervolting, nless you're running Vista. I find NHC easier to understand and configure. RMClock took me a bit longer to understand and setup. I do, however, use RMClock on my x61t under Vista. I use NHC on my x40 under Windows XP.

[jtt3011]

Don't think I'd bother with the ThinkVantage facility and the required MS .net stuff. Just go to the Levono Thinkpad site:

http://www-307.ibm.com/pc/support/site. ... ind=0&doct

Take the option to 'detect my system' and it will list all the appropriate drivers, including BIOS. Download the lot, and install as needed.

Get some more memory and a bigger faster disk - they're pretty cheap these days. And a used X31 Ultrabay will be a very worthwhile acquisition.

[fschwep]

I'd suggest getting TuneUp Utilities as well. It's not TP-specific but it helps a lot when you need to tweak the machine. I used it to deselect a lot of the utilities that want to start with Windows and run in the background, while keeping the option to select them again when I think I need them; and just this weekend it helped me to quickly optimize my X31s settings (and those of a T42 and an R51) for our internet connection which got upgraded from dial-in to ADSL. Almost doubled the download speed.
I'm not sure you need Access Connections or any IBM/Lenovo networking stuff. If Windows allows you to connect to the internet using wifi, keep it that way. AC and Windows don't really get along. If you have any trouble with the connection go to wirelessforums.org, there are very knowledgeable people there.
I'm always a bit conservative where upgrading of drivers and the BIOS is concerned. If it works without a hitch, why not leave it that way. If there is some conflict you may need to upgrade.

The X31 is a great little machine. The advice about getting some more RAM is sound, as is a bigger harddisk. A maxed out X31 is pretty quick. If you want to replace the harddisk, you need to get all the drivers you need on an external drive first (copy the DRIVERS and IBMTOOLS directories to an external HD, USB key or CD-ROM), especially if you have no recovery disks and don't use a disk cloning program. Did you get recovery disks with the machine?