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SOLVED: Long and winded migration from x200 to x201

X200/X201/X220 (including equivalent tablet models) and X300/X301 Series
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TOTAL
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SOLVED: Long and winded migration from x200 to x201

#1 Post by TOTAL » Sat Jan 11, 2020 8:19 am

Hi
I have bought on ebay an x201 expecting a quick fix to my problems with x200, which worked for me fantastically for 7 years. There is however, a labyrinth of unexpected problems.
The seller having hundreds of positive and no negative review in the last 12 months, I assumed I could just trust the purchase would be free from defects.

Unfortunately, I missed the implications of 'some settings' being locked in BIOS.
1) It turns out all the settings are deactivated, including the ordering of boot drives and activation of bluetooth. In 2020, it sounds like a disaster. The installed system is windows 10, which I was hoping to quickly replace with Windows 7 or linux MX, but it is not possible out of the box. 'No returns accepted' policy should have sounded alarm...


To address this, I want to remove the CMOS battery - can you please just give me a hint if this is a waste of time? I have disassembled x200 before, so should be able to dig that far.

It also appears that x series has lost support from lenovo.com.
2) Is it why the Lenovo maintenance files appear to have been made unavailable? As x200, I would like my x201 to

3) have middle button work as middle mouse button (could this be just locked up by BIOS?),
4) have the battery charged only up to 80% (what a great pro-ecological functionality) and respond to sudden falls by deactivating hdd. Concerning the latter, I have tried installing the app (https://support.lenovo.com/us/en/downloads/ds101988) but the app did not appear to have a user interface, so could not tell if it worked. Also, the x201 is not listed among supported systems.
5) When I try to detect the product on the website, and even after installing the dedicated app or when I give the serial number taken from the original sticker, the computer can not be identified.
6) The windows 10 installed appears to be full and legal, but it would be great to check that, too. If windows is stolen, then maybe so is the laptop, in which case I think I could trigger money claim procedure with ebay.

Can you please help me with these problem?
Equipped with 4gb, x201 feels like a great tool for many years, but the above problems are making me wonder if I should sell it and buy an x220 - an extra cost that would provide no ROI in terms of speed or functionality.

Many thanks.
Last edited by TOTAL on Wed Feb 26, 2020 6:38 am, edited 1 time in total.

Neil
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Re: Long and winded migration from x200 to x201

#2 Post by Neil » Sat Jan 11, 2020 8:40 am

TOTAL wrote:
Sat Jan 11, 2020 8:19 am
To address this, I want to remove the CMOS battery - can you please just give me a hint if this is a waste of time?
Unlike some other computer brands, removing the CMOS battery will not clear an unknown ThinkPad BIOS password. It will likely only make matters worse. The rules of this forum (rightfully) do not allow for the discussion of ways around removing the BIOS password.
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Re: Long and winded migration from x200 to x201

#3 Post by dr_st » Sat Jan 11, 2020 8:41 am

Don't remove the CMOS battery until you get some answers from someone here who is more experienced with these issues. If there is a hidden password there somewhere, it may lock you out of the PC completely.
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Re: Long and winded migration from x200 to x201

#4 Post by Cigarguy » Sat Jan 11, 2020 8:42 am

First mistake, buying from EBay.
Second mistake, trusting EBay's or any site's "review" system. Take it with a grain of salt at best.

Not being able to change the BIOS due to the supervisor password being set is problematic. You pull that CMOS battery and you'll be SOL when the machine asks you to set the BIOS date and time but you can't. When the CMOS battery dies and you go to replace it out you'll be SOL.

Sounds like the battery is old and needs replacing. If you intend to keep the machine do your best to make it work with the OS of your preference. Use it and enjoy it. I had 2 x201 and love that machine. With a good extended battery it easily ran for 4+ hours for me.

However sooner or later the CMOS battery is going to die on you. When you go to replace it the system will prompt you to reset the BIOS date and time. You won't be able too. The laptop at that point will become a door stop until you change the BIOS date and time.

TOTAL
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Re: Long and winded migration from x200 to x201

#5 Post by TOTAL » Sat Jan 11, 2020 9:11 am

Thanks for your answers. That's a pity. Good to know CMOS battery trick won't do - saves time and further disappointment.

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Re: Long and winded migration from x200 to x201

#6 Post by dr_st » Sat Jan 11, 2020 10:47 am

Cigarguy wrote:
Sat Jan 11, 2020 8:42 am
However sooner or later the CMOS battery is going to die on you. When you go to replace it the system will prompt you to reset the BIOS date and time. You won't be able too. The laptop at that point will become a door stop until you change the BIOS date and time.
What if you replace the CMOS battery while the system is on? Will it still lose the BIOS settings?
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TOTAL
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Re: Long and winded migration from x200 to x201

#7 Post by TOTAL » Sat Jan 11, 2020 11:08 am

That's a great question I would like to hear an answer to also.

One more thing, the answer from the seller concerning the authenticity of installed windows: "The windows license is logged to the CPU and does not need to be keyed in."

Does that make sense? Any way for me to verify if windows is genuine?

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Re: Long and winded migration from x200 to x201

#8 Post by dr_st » Sat Jan 11, 2020 3:45 pm

If Windows is not complaining that it's not genuine after a week of using it, it's usually a good sign.

If the machine originally had a Win7 license, it's probably had the free upgrade done to it at some point.
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Floyt
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Re: SOLVED: Long and winded migration from x200 to x201

#9 Post by Floyt » Sat Apr 17, 2021 3:52 am

To answer your questions about changing battery during laptop running, the answer is, no you will not lose any settings.
That battery is there to keep settings if charger is disconnected, and main battery taken out. If laptop is running, power is supplied either from main battery, or charger to CMOS - so it's safe to swap Bios battery without losing any bios settings, of course if you have enough basic skills to not short out any connections during that procedure on the motherboard.

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Re: SOLVED: Long and winded migration from x200 to x201

#10 Post by Floyt » Sat Apr 17, 2021 3:59 am

Btw. Longevity of those batteries if no power is taken from them (laptop working/main battery connected/charger connected) is about 10 years +/- 2, so it would be a good idea to swap it out in some near future so to not brick device with set password or take care to have main battery charged to at least 10-20% all the time

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