Thinkpads Forum

I'm thinking of upgrading from WinXP Pro (x32) to Win7 on my X61s (not the tablet) and I'd like to know what others' experience has been. Any gotchas to be aware of? Any advantage of 64-bit over 32-bit given the slight amount of RAM the system will accommodate (I already have 4GB, so I guess I'd see a 33% increase if I went with x64)? Thanks.

There's no good reason not to use 64-bit, especially if you've got 4GB of RAM chillin' in your sockets. This ain't no XP x64 - drivers are abundant and backwards-compatibility is good.

Be aware that you can't jump straight from XP to 7 - you'll need to back up your files and do a clean install. This is a blessing in disguise. Install-over upgrades are never a good idea.

I haven't bothered to upgrade from Vista and I'm a happy camper, though I do prefer 7. Using XP is a drag now - it feels so primitive. You won't look back.

Thanks for the feedback, j-dawg. Are there any drivers I'll need to download separately from Lenovo, or does Windows handle everything automatically? Will the ThinkVantage button still work the way it always has?

I actually couldn't tell you - I haven't done a clean install in a while.

As I recall, they temporarily discontinued Thinkvantage System Update and then brought it back; that should grab the drivers for you if you don't want to do it manually.

@ Involute >> I just installed fresh copy of32 bit version of Windows 7 on X61 7673-4NU model.

Bluetooth not working & like j-dawg said, can not install ThinkVantage setup's. Also "Hot keys" doesnt display even after installation. Can not upgrade BIOS if running 64 bit version of Vista or 7.

I am thinking to switch back to Windows XP pro now.
Also I suspect Win 7 not controlling heat sensors/fan of processor. laptop is heating up quickly. Doesn't heat too much but still.

I went ahead with the upgrade and it looks like Bluetooth is dead on mine, too. I just checked for the first time as I never use it. I *was* able to install ThinkVantage and it works fine, though differently. It doesn't provide the range of services it did before, and the presentation is different. I don't know about Hot Keys as I've never used 'em, so I didn't try to upgrade them. Everything else seems OK.