ThinkPad tablet convertible FAQs/hints/tips

[Lucky#Slevin]

While configuring my new X220t to fit my needs, I came across a few issues, difficulties and annoyances, so I decided to share my or other people's solutions.

Questions specific to ThinkPads:

Problem: The LED of the fingerprint reader is on, even though my laptop is turned off.
If you noticed the green LED of the fingerprint reader being lit, even though your laptop is switched off, and wondered whether it drains your battery: it does. The only advantage to this feature is, that you can start AND log on to the laptop in one action. Disabling this feature means, you will have to start the laptop via the button and log in once the log-in-screen is up. You can still use the scanner, once your laptop booted up.
Solution: Go to "Control Panel" -> "Lenovo - Fingerprint Reader" -> "Settings" (after authentication) -> Section "Authentication" -> Subsection "Power-on security" -> uncheck "Use fingerprint scan instead of .." (2 options).

Problem: I uninstalled the ThinkVantage Toolbox, but now the blue ThinkVantage button is unused. How can I assign it to start a program?
Solution: Open regedit, locate "HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SOFTWARE\IBM\TPHOTKEY\8001" and change the file key accordingly.
Credits go to: ColonelONeill

Problem: The full screen magnifier is annoying me, how to I turn it off?
Solution: Uninstall the feature through "Control Panel" -> "Programs and Features".

Problem: I keep accidentally touching the touch pad while using the keyboard, how do I turn it off permanently?
Solution: Press Fn+F8 (on the X220t) and click on "Manage Settings..", or go to "Control Panel" -> "Mouse", which will open the same window. Go to the section called "UltraNav" and uncheck "Enable TouchPad".

Problem: You didn't hear me right. I want to PERMANENTLY disable the touch pad.
Solution: Hit the blue ThinkVantage button to interrupt normal start-up, when booting the ThinkPad. Then hit F1 to enter the BIOS. Got to Config -> Keyboard/Mouse and then set "Touch Pad" to [Disabled].

Problem: I keep accidentally hitting the browser forward key or browser back key instead of the arrow keys. Is there a way to fix this?
Solution: To disable them, download and install the "Keyboard Customizer Utility" for Windows Vista (works fine in Win 7) from Lenovo. After installation, you can disable both keys in the tab "Key Sensitivity" by unchecking "Enable Browser Keys". I have not found a way to remap these keys so far. If anyone has, PLEASE notify me, as I myself yearn to be able to do this.

Problem: I am used to having the Ctrl-key as the leftmost key in the bottom row, but they put the Fn key there, how do I switch the keys' behavior?
Solution: Restart your ThinkPad and hit the blue ThinkVantage button when the ThinkPad logo appears. When the gray selection panel appears, hit F1 to enter the BIOS Setup. Go to "Config" -> "Keyboard/Mouse" and set "Fn and Ctrl Key swap" to [Enabled]. Hit F10 and select "Yes". Now "Fn" and "Ctrl" are switched.

Problem: Whenever I use the wireless radio hardware switch, a pop up window notifies me, of what I have just intentionally done. It is annoying to have to confirm intended actions.
Solution: Rename the Program "C:\Program Files\Lenovo\HOTKEY\pmev2_1.exe" to something else like: "pmev2_1_NO.exe"

Problem: I use Skype on my ThinkPad and whenever I set it to "Away" it just goes to "Do Not Disturb", how do I fix that?
Cause: This bug is caused by the Bluetooth Headset Helper, a little process by lenovo.
Solution: Restrict the access of this process to Skype via the options: Tools -> Options... -> Advanced -> "Manage other program's access to skype" -> remove the "Bluetooth Headset Helper"

Questions specific to any ThinkPad tablet:

Problem: "Enable ActiveRotate" is gray, how do I access this feature?
Cause: The Lenovo Active Protection System is not installed. Since this program uses the accelerometer to protect the hard drive, it is needed for the sensor to function at all. I personally think, that this is a severe implementation error on the side of Lenovo, but until they change it, it's the only way to go.
Solution: Install Lenovo Active Protection System, or deal with the status quo.

Problem: The "Lenovo SimpleTap red button" is annoying, but the 2-finger-tap-gesture doesn't work well.
I don't know if it is just me, but I find the 2-finger-tap gesture to be quite difficult to perform correctly every time. If you disabled the touch pad (like me) and don't want to have the red button floating around, here is what you could try:
Solutions:
1. Make the SimpleTap surface appear when you hold down the screen rotation key. Go to: "Control Panel" -> "Tablet PC Settings" -> "Buttons" -> select "Screen Rotation" -> click "Change..." -> select "Start a program" for the option "Press and hold:" -> Find SimpleTap, usually: "C:\Program Files\Lenovo\SimpleTap\SimpleTap.exe".
2. Make a software shortcut to SimpleTap anywhere you like. For example the task bar, start menu, desktop.

Questions specific to the ThinkPad X220t:

Where can I get a summary of all gestures supported by my X220 tablet?
Take a look at this: JesseBAndersen on YouTube

Problem: I understand all Fn-Key shortcuts except for the combination with PageUp (the symbol resembles a light source). It doesn't seem to work.
Cause: The ThinkPad X220t does not have a ThinkLight.
Solution: None.

Problem: I start my X220t and while in the log-in screen everything seems to work fine, but as soon as I am on my desktop, the pointing devices fail. Why is this, and how do I fix it?
Cause: See the next question, the cause and solution are the same.

Problem: I am using my X220t in tablet mode, but when I slightly nudge the screen, my cursor moves. I figured out, that it is the trackPoint, which is not disabled as it should be, when in tablet mode. How do I fix this?
Cause: Like the question before, the cause to this is an error with the drivers from Lenovo. When you turn your X220t off in tablet mode, but on in laptop mode, it still "thinks" it is in tablet mode, which disables the pointing devices. When you turn your X220t off in laptop mode, but on in tablet mode, it still "thinks" it is in laptop mode, which keeps the pointing devices enabled.
Solution:
1. Call Lenovo and complain about it, so they fix the driver to check at start-up whether the mode is correctly set.
2. Use "Fn + F8" whenever it is not working properly, activate any other option and then go back to your preferred one. (It resets the mode correctly.)
3. Don't turn your X220t off or on in tablet mode, ever again. (That's what I am doing.)

Problem: I like using the mobile internet feature (not WiFi) of my X220t, but the system won't allow me to use the default tablet mode screen orientation.
Cause: Lenovo figured out (probably WAAAAY after designing this laptop) that the human body with all its water disturbs certain kind of electro-magnetic waves. Because the reception quality drops, when the antenna (the little black bar on the top edge of your screen) gets close to your body, Lenovo decided you just shouldn't use it in the correct orientation, when using mobile internet.
Solution: Deal with it.

Questions regarding the tablet use. These are not specific to ThinkPads:

Problem: My Wallpaper looks fine in landscape orientation, but once I switch to portrait, areas of the "default color" appear above and beneath it.
Solution: There are several ways of solving this, each different in result:
1. You can set the desktop background to always fill your display: Right click on desktop -> "Personalize" -> "Desktop Background" -> "Picture Position" -> "Fill". This will select the biggest-possible section starting at the center of the image to display in either orientation.
2. Like 1. but set to "Stretch", though this usually only works out well for single-color wallpapers or other boring stuff.
3. Create a wallpaper that incorporates the default color and looks good in both orientations. Like this: GottaBeMobile.

Problem: I bought a tablet for comfortable scrolling in web pages, but it doesn't work in the opera browser.
Solution: type "opera:config" in the address bar. Use quick find ("scroll") to access "User Prefs -> Scroll Is Pan" and check this option. Hit save, and restart the browser.
This has been fixed in newer versions of opera.

Additional tips for improved usage of your tablet by JesseBAndersen
In this video he explains his thoughts on some simple settings to improve your tablet experience.
JesseBAndersen on YouTube

I will add to this list as I encounter more issues. If you found something similar, please don't hesitate to tell me, and I will add it (with credits, of course), to have the list as complete as possible.Fill

[StarGehzer]

Thanks for taking the trouble to post up such a good list.
I found it while searching out how to permanently disable the touch pad.
I knew I could disable it via Control Panel / Mouse, but I've found that if my X220 goes to sleep, when it awakes the touch pad is active again.
I'm still looking for a way to permanently disable it.
If anyone has a suggestion, please post it up.

[loyukfai]

Nice.

With regard to the wallpaper orientation issue, do you think this still works...?

http://goo.gl/1lZ8y

It's from 5 or 6 years ago, we discussed it on tabletpcbuzz.com but the thread is probably gone by now. Now I just live with the black space, cause even Apple think it's acceptable now. : )

Cheers.

[Lucky#Slevin]

Thanks for taking the trouble to post up such a good list.
I found it while searching out how to permanently disable the touch pad.
I knew I could disable it via Control Panel / Mouse, but I've found that if my X220 goes to sleep, when it awakes the touch pad is active again.
I'm still looking for a way to permanently disable it.
If anyone has a suggestion, please post it up.

I edited my post above to include a solution for that.

Problem: I keep accidentally touching the touch pad while using the keyboard, how do I turn it off permanently?
Solution: Press Fn+F8 (on the X220t) and click on "Manage Settings..", or go to "Control Panel" -> "Mouse", which will open the same window. Go to the section called "UltraNav" and uncheck "Enable TouchPad".

Problem: You didn't hear me right. I want to PERMANENTLY disable the touch pad.
Solution: Hit the blue ThinkVantage button to interrupt normal start-up, when booting the ThinkPad. Then hit F1 to enter the BIOS. Got to Config -> Keyboard/mouse and then set "Touch Pad" to [Disabled].

[StarGehzer]

Thank you, thank you, thank you!

[fatpolomanjr]

So THAT'S how I get the Accelerometer to work. There's no way I'm going to install the Thinkpad Active System Protection, though; the last time I started installing Thinkvantage stuff I knew I'd never use, I ended up with like 85-90 processes running in Task Manager on idle, with like 8-9W power used. After my most recent clean install that number is down to 68, with idle usage at 6.5W.

Going to assign my ThinkVantage button a key right away. Thanks!

[Latios]

Just a question. Though it applies to other X series tablets as well
Is there a way for the system to disable the trackpoint when it enters tablet mode? The machine can certainly recognise it's in tablet mode. It'd be nice to have a way to have it turn off so the back of the display touching it doesn't cause a cursor to appear or move around instead of doing it manually each time.

cheers

[Lucky#Slevin]

Just a question. Though it applies to other X series tablets as well
Is there a way for the system to disable the trackpoint when it enters tablet mode? The machine can certainly recognise it's in tablet mode. It'd be nice to have a way to have it turn off so the back of the display touching it doesn't cause a cursor to appear or move around instead of doing it manually each time.

cheers

With this, you broach the subject of my long-lasting trouble with the Lenovo support hotline.
I noticed the symptoms you describes as well as something different, which I thought was not related to it: Sometimes, when I started up my x220t the trackpoint and trackpad did work in the log-in screen, but as soon as I was logged into windows they stopped working.

These two phenomena are related. The cause is an error by lenovo, which they DID NOT UNDERSTAND, no matter how clearly I explained it. Maybe this is because they don't seem to employ native speakers in their help line, but I am diverging from the subject...
It's needless to say, they didn't fix it.

The problem is, that whenever you turn your device ON, but you do it in the other mode than you turned it OFF in, then you get problems. When you turn it off as a tablet but then turn it on as a laptop, the pointing devices shut down within windows, because they "think" they are still in tablet-mode, where they should (expectedly) be disabled. When you turn it off as a laptop, but start it up as a tablet, the pointing devices stay active, because they still "think" they are in laptop-mode.

I believe this is what you are experiencing? The simple (but annoying) solution is to use "Fn + F8" to go to the UltraNav settings and activate any option, and then go back to your preferred one, as this seems to reset the "tablet/laptop mode state" correctly. Or, much easier: Don't ever turn it off or on in tablet mode.

P.S.: I will provide this question in my inital post as well.