Thinkpads Forum

Hello,

I have just made a clean install of Windows 8 Pro x64 on my X220. I've used Lenovo System Update to install most recommended things. However, I have not installed:

1. Lenovo Power Management Driver (this did not show in system update but is on the drivers website)
2. Lenovo Settings Dependency Package (this did show up in system update)

I know the Power Manager application is no longer supported in Windows 8, so am I right in thinking there is no need to install the power management driver...or would the native Windows 8 power management benefit from this driver?

Like many X220 owners who's systems shipped with W7, I cannot download the Lenovo Settings Metro app via the store, so can I skip downloading the settings dependency package? Or would there still be a benefit to having it installed?

I would just like to keep my system as clean as possible and not install anything unnecessary.

Many thanks in advance

UPDATE: I've just noticed that the Lenovo Power Management Driver is listed in my uninstall programs list, so I guess something has installed it anyway...possibly system update, though it is not listed under my update history.

May I ask why Windows 8 in the first place???

I am also curious about this. I installed Windows 8 on my X220 as well and have been using the Windows 8 native drivers for a while. I haven't noticed any significant change in battery performance over Windows 7, but the lack of a lot of the lenovo apps on the fresh install is nice. One thing I do really miss is the battery indicator that lenovo had that would tell you how many hours you had left. Windows does this natively, but I need to click the battery icon to figure it out, I liked it right in front of me.

I get just under 6 hours with a 6-cell on my X220 with Windows 8. I'm pretty sure I was getting more with Windows 7 but I cannot be sure, as I did not run it for long.

I know the Power Manager application is no longer supported in Windows 8, so am I right in thinking there is no need to install the power management driver...or would the native Windows 8 power management benefit from this driver?

I'm not sure what this means. I just loaded Win 8 on my X200T, and Power Manager 6 loads and seems to run just fine. Perhaps it's not running accurately--I'll have to test it. But the taskbar gauge seems to keep pace with the Windows gauge.