Thinkpads Forum

A standard factory option when pressing the ThinkVantage button is something like "turn off display" along with "update my system", "disable hard disk protection" and so forth.

When I did a custom restore with rescue & recovery the option for "turn off my display" disappeared.

Anyone know of a way to get the "turn off display" option to appear in the ThinkVantage "quicklinks" menu?

Which version of Windows?

Anyways, Customize the menu to display "Power off display".

Thanks for the reply. I'm using Vista 32.

The "turn off display" option is not listed under the customize menu. Any idea on how to get it to show up there? There is an option for a "new" shortcut...but what .exe to point it towards?

Nothing even happens in Windows Vista Basic when I press the ThinkVantage button. I don't think the button is broken - during startup if it is pressed it will bring up recovery options.

What is it supposed to do? The machine is factory-fresh, but I'm thinking of wiping it completely and getting a better HD (current: 120GB 5400RPM SATA. Want: 160Gb 7200RPM Seagate SATA, and eventually a SSD)

Jackboot wrote:snip.........The "turn off display" option is not listed under the customize menu. Any idea on how to get it to show up there? There is an option for a "new" shortcut...but what .exe to point it towards?

It's connected to Thinkvantage Power Manager and is termed "Power off display" in the version of Vista I'm using. I suggest you update your drivers to the latest available version.

iamdmc wrote:Nothing even happens in Windows Vista Basic when I press the ThinkVantage button. I don't think the button is broken - during startup if it is pressed it will bring up recovery options...............snip

Make sure LPMGR is enabled in the startup if it's not there then you probably have uninstalled a driver or two.

@ryengineer: I do have the latest version of ThinkVantage Power Manager installed...

Have you done a custom restore on your system? Or even a clean install?

Jackboot wrote:snip.......Have you done a custom restore on your system?.....snip

Yep, quite a lot, even performed on NetVista's and ThinkCentres, once or twice on IBM servers too.

If time permits me, I will try to perform it on one of our test models at work.

Clean install did twice of Vista on few of my colleagues thinkpads.

Hrm very interesting...I thought that maybe a custom restore was the culprit for no "power off display" option but that can't be it then.

Why don't you just use Fn + F3? I set mine to "Turn off screen" and it works just fine

Well I'll be [censored]...Fn-F3 has a "power off display" option. Thanks for the tip iamdmc. I can just use that although I still wonder why I don't have that option when I press the thinkvantage button.

On mine the turn display off exe is
C:\Program Files\ThinkPad\Utilities\PWMOSDV.EXE

i edited my registry to run a batch file that powers off the display and locks the workstation.   this is handy for when i need to leave my desk for a while and don't want to put my thinkpad to sleep.

registry entry:
[HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SOFTWARE\IBM\TPHOTKEY\8001]
"File"="c:\\lock.bat"

batch file ("lock.bat") contents:
@echo off
cd "C:\Program Files (x86)\ThinkPad\Utilities"
start PWMOSDV
rundll32 user32.dll, LockWorkStation
cls

note: replace the "Program Files (x86)" path with "Program Files" under 32-bit OSes.   mine is like that because vista 64-bit installs 32-bit/legacy apps into their own PF directory.

I set the "short press" of the screen rotation button to turn off the display, and the "long press" to rotate the screen. Does wonders and requires no thinkvantage access or whatever :p
You can do this by simply going to the control panel -> tpc settings -> buttons