Fresh Install Of XP on X40 without rescue discs

[packmath]

Hi,

I have a very sluggish x40 running Windows XP and I was thinking of wiping the drive and starting again. However, I bought it off Ebay and have no rescue discs. I have also wiped the built in IBM backup system, just to make life interesting.

I have a copy of XP SP2 I can use, a standalone DVD drive that attaches to the x40 and I have located the Lenovo website which seems to overflowing with drivers - but then my meagre knowledge gives out. Could anyone give me a pointer to a list of vital drivers for this machine? I'm a writer, so all the bells and whistles aren't really necessary.

Thanks for any help or advice in advance.

Cheers,

Packmath

[rkawakami]

Welcome to thinkpads.com!

The X40 systems use a slow and expensive 1.8" hard drive so I'm not so sure how much extra "speed" you're going to get by going through with a full re-imaging of the hard drive. It will get rid of any detritus that may have been left on the system by previous software installs but some help can sometimes be gained by the use of registry cleaners and checking to see what programs are running in memory. You can also try defragmenting the hard drive. One of the easiest ways to make Windows more responsive, but does cost some money, is to increase the system memory size. How much is in the laptop currently?

I'll let others suggest a complete list of drivers that you would need. I personally don't have any X4 systems to know what's required but based on other Thinkpad systems, you should probably should at least have:

- ThinkVantage Active Protection System
- Battery MaxiMiser and Power Management Features
- Hotkey utility

ref: http://www-307.ibm.com/pc/support/site. ... MIGR-54078 (X40/X41 Drivers and software)

[davidspalding]

Basically d/l all those drivers (most current for your model) that Ray pointed you at and install what you think you need.

In my experience, the Battery Maximizer and Power Managers are mutually exclusive. I like Power Manager 1.13c, but 1.51a is pretty good.

Hotkey utilities, yes. Thinkpad Configuration (which gets you to all kinds of hardware configuration applets), yes. Access IBM (for your MTM, or "machine type model," e.g. 2672-KBU), YES, as it's the online owner's manual. BIOS and Embedded Controller updates, yes. Card reader, yes. PC Doctor, YES (can diagnose problems). Active protection, yes IF you move the laptop around regularly. Trackpoint drivers, yes (or you can download Synaptics, at least that works for my T43). System Update, yes IF you want automated and guided updates to IBM/Lenovo software. Fingerprint Software, if you want to use that. Access Connections, if you want something a little better than Windows to manage networking AND you have plenty of RAM. I prefer versions 3.82 or 4.52, if you can find those. LCD Monitor will provide the display profile for your laptop that Windows Display properties (advanced) can import. Presentation Manager, NO, I hate it, and ATI's Catalyst Control Center (included with most video driver packages) works better.

All these downloads will create folders under C:\DRIVERS (generally), from which you install. Copy to the clipboard the "install path" that the EXE shows you while unpacking,and then load that in Explorer to find the Setup program.

Oh, and ensure System Restore is on, and that you have a backup, in case the installs botch something.

[godling]

Echoing rkawakami's advice on increasing your system RAM first, if possible, and cleaning out the registry. Also, if you're going to re-build your OS and don't mind spending a few extra bucks ($100+) try getting a 1.8" SSD to replace your hard disk. Installation of the hardware is brilliantly simple, and the speed performance you'll get will outweigh a new OS load by factors of 10.

-Jon

[jtt3011]

First, follow the advice to clean up the registry and defrag the hard disk. You will find a good free registry cleaner at:

http://www.eusing.com/free_registry_cle ... leaner.htm

(take the 'Skip' option at the opening splash screen to avoid the donation plea), and there's a decent enough defrag application included with XP. See if those steps result in the sort of performance improvement you seek.

But if you must reinstall XP, you will probably find most of the appropriate hardware drivers for your hardware configuration will be found and installed. Check Device Manager in the XP Control Panel to see any devices flagged for attention, of which the Wireless hardware will almost certainly be one. Get the drivers you need from the Levono site, but avoid the various utilities on offer. If you can get that far on your own, you won't need the additional utilities - some of which may load on start-up and slow down your machine - and you'd probably never need to use them again them once you've established a satisfactory installation set up. ThinkVantage Access is a particular no-no, since it requires installation of MS .net, and all the baggage that comes with it.

Other than that, download and install XP service pack 3, install you required application(s), and get on with the rest of your life!

[Speeder.dk]

Also checkout the Thinkpad Superguide at NBR, really useful for installing Windows from scratch
http://forum.notebookreview.com/showthread.php?t=333677

/Speeder

[davidspalding]

I might have my facts a little fuzzy, but I think a newer version of Access Connections 4.52(or was it Power Manager 1.52) required .Net version 3 to install. That can be installed with Windows Update, if you need it for something else. I went with AC 3.82 (last of the stable, reliable, and speedy Access Connections for my T43 IMHO), and Power Manager 1.13c.

I don't recall if IBM/Lenovo still make older versions available online, but I've got them archived. I'd have to check if the board allows redistributing old IBM software (or talking about it here).

This is where having Recovery Discs can be indispensible, if only to keep a backup of C:\DRIVERS with the versions that the laptop shipped with ... and likely as not didn't really need to be improved. (IMHO few of the updates truly provided speed increases.)

[sjthinkpader]

...
I don't recall if IBM/Lenovo still make older versions available online, but I've got them archived. I'd have to check if the board allows redistributing old IBM software (or talking about it here).
...

Some are still available.

http://www-307.ibm.com/pc/support/site. ... B#previous

I have a large achieve too.

[davidspalding]

I have a large achieve too.

Overachiever...?

[sjthinkpader]

You got me, over archived.

[davidspalding]

Be careful with those Registry cleaners. Make sure you make a backup of the old registry (and test the registry cleaner for restoring an old backup), and make a system restore point. Eusing shaved off 2MB of a 161MB registry, but in the process blitzed Client Security Solutions setting for using my FPR to login, and also borked TurboTax. Restoration efforts continuing here....

I used to use the Microsoft registry cleaning utilities for Win2K in a lab, took them home, and then wondered why certain functions of MS Office 2000 (MSDN copy) didn't work. Sure enough, the registry cleaner was removing "invalid" elements of the Office install.

ADDENDUM
___________________

I'll put it less diplomatically. Do not use this EUSING REGISTRY CLEANER. In the few days since I used it on my T43, I've found that it corrupted an installation of Turbotax 2008. Attempts to repair with system restore and the Eusing tool to re-merge the backed up registry (warning: it permanently deletes the registry file it restores, so you'd better have a backup copy) resulted in audio mixer and USB fingerprint devices no longer functioning, gosh knows what else is corrupted.

I may have to do a full restore from backups to eradicate the damage this free tool inflicted. I would only recommend Eusing to my enemies.

[gongo2k1]

Your problem is Windows.
Ditch it and run Linux instead.



Come to the Dark Side... you know you want to...

[davidspalding]

Haha ... maybe just stop waiting for my recovery discs and install F10 on the spare hard drive.