Thinkpads Forum

I am a new owner of this machine... needed something affordable (X230 or X240 were out of my budget and i'm a sucker for ThinkPad design and keyboard) but powerful enough. Ended up with an i7-8GB-256SSD X220.

So, i was running Win8 without a glitch on my desktop. X220 comes with Win7 Pro licence and i was wondering if anyone can point out Pro's and Con's of upgrading to Win8.1 on this little machine?

I dont mind the Metro since it can be circumvented, and i liked the speed and responsiveness of it on my desktop and SSD.

I also read about some problems with some devices in this machine regarding Win8 (bluetooth or example) and i was wondering if everything is ironed out with newest drivers/updates? Will my X220 feel faster, more responsive and agile under Win8.1 or is that a lost cause and i should stick with Win7? I plan on using Bluetooth occasionally, 3G occasionally, Logitech peripherals with Unified receiver, external monitor, etc...

I would appreciate first hand experiences and advice.

Thanks

peraklo wrote:X220 comes with Win7 Pro ... Pro's and Con's of upgrading to Win8.1 ...

I cannot think of a single "Pro". What do you expect to gain from 8.1 over 7?! I would keep Win7 without hesitation.

Windows 8.1 does have an advantage in regards to speed and security, but its metro interface and awkward placement of tools/programs can make it annoying. If you are used to xp or 7, stick with Windows 7.

I have used 8.1 for months now and i don't have a problem with Metro or tools placement. I can adjust to it as well as revert back to Win7 style... I like the speed and responsiveness of 8.1, "better" SSD support, etc, but i don't want to spend a lot of time installing, troubleshooting and repairing quirky drivers for X220 hardware (like the mentioned Bluetooth, if it has not yet been patched).

I used to have a X220 with Win 7 and upgraded to Win 8. It was the best thing I had done since installing the IPS panel and SSD. The features and advantages of Win 8 should be known to you since you have it running on your desktop.

Driver-wise, most drivers are already included in Windows. There are just a few thing that are worth installing, like the audio driver and power management system and perhaps the on screen display. Bluetooth did work, but I wasn't able to switch it off via FN+F5, so I had to so in the BIOS.

Other than that I can't remember having any problems.

One thing I have noticed is that Windows 8 has received much more resistance from the U.S. than from the rest of the world, simply because the user interface is unfamiliar. I don't understand why so many Americans cannot or do not want to adapt to the new interface. On online forums, I have seen quite a few people call us "stupid Americans" because of this. It's a pity because Windows 8 is superior to Windows 7 in all other ways. That being said, I have never been interested in upgrading Windows by just one generation, unless it's free. Thus, I have gone from XP to 8, and from Vista to 8, but have never done 7 to 8.

Aurora wrote:Bluetooth did work, but I wasn't able to switch it off via FN+F5, so I had to so in the BIOS.

You can disable it via the Device Manager.

Even if Windows 8.1 is great, I am intimidated by it's new features and I don't want to look stupid to any simple problems I may come across.


But when the times comes, I'll switch.

With Windows 8 you get a castrated Power Manager where you can't set charge thresholds for the battery; meaning it dies faster.

Or did Lenovo finally provide a proper power manager for windows 8?

I am dual-booting Win7 and Win8.1 on my X220, and both run fine.

It is true that many Lenovo tools do not support Win8, the Power Manager is among them.

Fn+F5 can work if you install the hotkey in Win7 compatibility mode.

All in all, I see no reason to upgrade unless you stumble at a particular feature/application you want and is only supported on Win8. Win8 does have some advantages, but for everyday use they are fairly minor.