X201i Swapping Wifi Cards

[Don Coyote]

I've read about how the BIOS throws an error when a new wifi card is put in and you need to figure out a trick to defeat it. however I'm swapping over from a card that is not even listed as an option for my model in the Thinkwiki (a Realtek) to one that is (Intel Centrino Advanced-N 6200). Probably a futile question, but why would BIOS reject it if it is one of the cards installed by the factory?

Seems like i have no choice but to see if i can fool the BIOS into seeing the old card's ID...

[ajkula66]

Welcome to the forum!

If your Intel card is a Lenovo-issued one (with a FRU number on it) it will work fine. If not, expect to get a "1802 error" on boot.

Good luck.

[spuddog]

just google around and find a non-whitelist bios. I forget where I got mine, but I believe there are some threads in this section on it.

Scott

[Don Coyote]

It is not a Lenovo specific card, i had no idea when i bought it. I see some now on ebay, but they list specific part numbers for each. Are there Lenovo branded cards that might not be white listed?

I looked around at some of the BIOS flashing pages and haven't found anything i would be comfortable trusting. Lots of old sites with broken links and very confusing writing. It also all seems to be for Windows. I'll poke around some Linux sites to see what they recommend, but i'm not feeling confident about messing with the BIOS from what i've seen out there.

[EOMtp]

... Are there Lenovo branded cards that might not be white listed?

Welcome to the forum!
Yes -- amongst the many Lenovo-branded cards, only the specific ones white-listed in your machine's BIOS will be accepted. Not much point in bothering with a modified BIOS if one can resolve the issue for circa $8.00 -- see below:
http://www.ebay.com/sch/i.html?_odkw=60 ... 1&_sacat=0

[Don Coyote]

I ordered one of those (at 3x the cost) and put my old Realtek back in to use with Windows for the interim. Even under Windows the Realtek POS was losing connection frequently. I tried swapping in the new card today and it got past the BIOS check, but Windows just said it could not find a driver and i'm not sure what else to do with it as i haven't messed with things since XP. I guess i'll try putting my Linux hard drive back in to see if the kernel has the right drivers, but if Windows can't work with it automatically i'm thinking i was sold a lemon...

[ajkula66]

but if Windows can't work with it automatically i'm thinking i was sold a lemon...

Nope.

You need to go to Lenovo's site, enter your model number and download the proper drivers for your new card.

[EOMtp]

+1. Download and install the drivers.

Here are the X201i Intel WLAN drivers for Windows 7 and XP:
http://download.lenovo.com/ibmdl/pub/pc ... w213ww.exe

[Don Coyote]

Thanks, i'll plug in and take care of that if i ever swap my Windows HD in again, but i put the SSD in now got it fired up rather painlessly under Linux.

(Thanks to Intel for making reliable equipment and a raspberry to Lenovo for sticking that Realtek junk in a laptop they overcharged for in the first place, not to mention the time and money wasted because of the whitelist...)

[ajkula66]

(Thanks to Intel for making reliable equipment and a raspberry to Lenovo for sticking that Realtek junk in a laptop they overcharged for in the first place, not to mention the time and money wasted because of the whitelist...)

Huh...if you ordered it new, you had the choice of several wireless cards, no one put a gun to your head and made you choose the Realtek one.

If the laptop wasn't purchased new, how did Lenovo overcharge you in the first place then....

[Don Coyote]

I remember having second thoughts about buying it because ordering from the website seemed a bit clunky and talking to someone from customer service didn't seem well integrated with the process. I have no recollection of a choice of wifi cards, but even if there was i wasn't looking for a certain brand of card but for a quality manufacturer that does not give poor hardware as a purchase option to customers that have no reasonable way to evaluate such things in advance.

[ajkula66]

I remember having second thoughts about buying it because ordering from the website seemed a bit clunky and talking to someone from customer service didn't seem well integrated with the process.

So, have you bought it online or over the phone? I don't get it...

I have no recollection of a choice of wifi cards, but even if there was i wasn't looking for a certain brand of card but for a quality manufacturer that does not give poor hardware as a purchase option to customers that have no reasonable way to evaluate such things in advance.

Huh...it's not like you bought a machine with Lenovo's "in-house" brand...quite a few people are happy with Realtek cards. You were not. You swapped it. Enjoy the laptop, that's why you bought it in the first place, a couple of years ago, I'd presume...

And, if you didn't take time to evaluate your options prior to purchase and ended up being displeased due to given course of (in)action, the blame can hardly be put on Lenovo...

[Don Coyote]

I was ordering online, but when i called whatever number they had on the site i talked to a series of people who didn't really seem to know much about about sales specifics. I remember particularly trying to find a way to buy it sans Windows to save money on an OS i didn't need, but couldn't get a difinitive answer and figured it was not an option although i've had others since indicate to me it should have been.

As far as Realtek goes I have yet to hear of a Linux user that has been able to get that card to do anything but hobble along with much coaxing as well as some stories that single it out as problematic under Windows.

After a large number of hours spent during a busy point in my life to narrow down options on a laptop, i ended up going with Lenovo because i thought the Thinkpad was the digital equivalent of a BMW motorcycle. Maybe it was when IBM was taking care of it, but i've seen very little to make me glad to have dealt with Lenovo. A generally solid machine to be sure, but riddled with pesky little issues and not what i would expect from the initial investment.

[ajkula66]

I was ordering online, but when i called whatever number they had on the site i talked to a series of people who didn't really seem to know much about about sales specifics. I remember particularly trying to find a way to buy it sans Windows to save money on an OS i didn't need, but couldn't get a difinitive answer and figured it was not an option although i've had others since indicate to me it should have been.

The "others" are full of it. Lenovo doesn't sell ThinkPads without an OS in this country, unless you're a corporation ordering 5,000+ pieces. IBM was the same way. Linux on ThinkPads was discontinued as an option somewhere around T61 era.

The only way to get a ThinkPad without an OS is to buy one through the Outlet that was a part of a cancelled corporate order.

As far as Realtek goes I have yet to hear of a Linux user that has been able to get that card to do anything but hobble along with much coaxing as well as some stories that single it out as problematic under Windows.

Didn't have a problem with it on my (long since sold) X201T...in either OS...

After a large number of hours spent during a busy point in my life to narrow down options on a laptop, i ended up going with Lenovo because i thought the Thinkpad was the digital equivalent of a BMW motorcycle. Maybe it was when IBM was taking care of it, but i've seen very little to make me glad to have dealt with Lenovo. A generally solid machine to be sure, but riddled with pesky little issues and not what i would expect from the initial investment.

X201 is not a bad machine overall...as for the investment, just like most other things, one has to use the item in order to see any ROI...and when you find a laptop without any pesky little issues, please let all of us know, since I don't believe anyone has been able to locate it yet...

[Don Coyote]

The "others" are full of it. Lenovo doesn't sell ThinkPads without an OS in this country, unless you're a corporation ordering 5,000+ pieces. IBM was the same way. Linux on ThinkPads was discontinued as an option somewhere around T61 era.

I'm thinking of people who have bought Ubuntu or Debian (Fedora?) machines, but maybe i confabulated the brands with more practical manufacturers that orient on end user satisfaction.

[ajkula66]

I'm thinking of people who have bought Ubuntu or Debian (Fedora?) machines, but maybe i confabulated the brands with more practical manufacturers that orient on end user satisfaction.

What Lenovo was offering was SLED, which was SUSE-based.

I'm not aware of other manufacturers - not in this country anyway - offering Linux as an option on their laptops...so I'd love for you to point these "more practical manufacturers that orient on end user satisfaction" to me...after all, I'm a Linux user myself.

[Don Coyote]

Here's the one my labmate got: https://www.system76.com/laptops/model/panp9
His only negative comment so far has been that it is running Unity by default an is not easy to change. I'm not up on market prices to say if the pricetag is lower without Windows, but they look more reasonably priced than what i remember a few years back.

I've also seen higher end, developer oriented Dells offered with Linux: http://www.dell.com/us/enterprise/p/xps-13-linux/pd
Again can't compare pricing myself, but as Dell is the only other manufacturer i've noticed that does a keyboard, um 'nub', they may hold promise if Lenovo continues to degrade the Thinkpad heritage.

What i've mostly come across is mention of Linux being an unadvertised option for various manufacturers. I have of course simply been noticing conditions i considered favorable, not tracking them constantly, and wouldn't be surprised if this was a short lived trend that either didn't support itself or that MicroSoft discovered it could marginalize by pressuring manufacturers and retailers.

[ajkula66]

Here's the one my labmate got: https://www.system76.com/laptops/model/panp9
His only negative comment so far has been that it is running Unity by default an is not easy to change. I'm not up on market prices to say if the pricetag is lower without Windows, but they look more reasonably priced than what i remember a few years back.

Ne experiences with Mom & Pop Store-grade laptops. Might be the best thing since liverwurst. Nevertheless, I'll pass

I've also seen higher end, developer oriented Dells offered with Linux: http://www.dell.com/us/enterprise/p/xps-13-linux/pd
Again can't compare pricing myself, but as Dell is the only other manufacturer i've noticed that does a keyboard, um 'nub', they may hold promise if Lenovo continues to degrade the Thinkpad heritage.

Interesting. I'd love to see what the exact same XPS costs with W7 or W8.

HP and Fujitsu also offer TrackPoint-style devices, and HP's version is light years ahead of Dell's, especially when you put on a *proper* cap from a ThinkPad.

What i've mostly come across is mention of Linux being an unadvertised option for various manufacturers. I have of course simply been noticing conditions i considered favorable, not tracking them constantly, and wouldn't be surprised if this was a short lived trend that either didn't support itself or that MicroSoft discovered it could marginalize by pressuring manufacturers and retailers.

Linux has a marginal share of the market, and although the use has gone up, the overall trend will stay the same. Therefore, apart from one-off occasions, an expectation that major manufacturers will offer Linux on continuing basis is a rather unrealistic one IMO.