Windows Xp Professional --> Windows 7

[ranjit]

Hi All,

I have just purchased a brand new licensed Microsoft Windows 7 Professional (32-bit) DVD. I wish to upgrade my aging IBM ThinkPad T42 (2373-NUA) laptop currently running on Microsoft Windows XP Professional to Microsoft Windows 7 Professional. The laptop runs on a 1.6 MHz processor with 2 GB of RAM.

I have run Windows 7 Upgrade Advisor and there seems to some issues as expected. It looks like Aero will not be supported, and also the Intel(R) Pro/Wireless LAN 2100 3B Mini PCI Adapter requires attention. Will this wireless adapter work on Windows 7? If not, are there any alternatives? In addition, there are some programs that I use that require upgrading to new drivers.

As my laptop is exactly six years old and contains a lot of sensitive information, I do not wish to take any short cuts. I would appreciate if the gurus in this forum would hold my hands and guide me in the "right" direction to successfully install Window 7 in my laptop.

Cheers,
Ranjit

[craigmontHunter]

Windows 7 will run well on that system. Aero won't work, but you will want to find the windows vista driver for video card. this will enable standby, and allows directx to work.

For the wireless card, use the xp driver, it will work without a problem (or you can use the driver for the 2200).

One thing is to remember the gpu issues, so there is potential for the system to fail, so you may want to start looking at replacements (any T60, intel T61s...)

I have always heard that you should do full installs as opposed to upgrades, but you may want to wait and see if anyone has had issues doing a upgrade (you should still back up all of your data first)

Good luck.

[ranjit]

Hi craigmontHunter,

I think you have misunderstood me. I do want to do a full install and not an upgrade from XP to 7.

Can I install the driver for the 2200ab or 2915abg directly to the wireless adapter that I have? Is it simply that or do I have to change the complete hardware?

How and from where do I obtain the windows vista driver for video card. The video card that I have is the ATI/Radeon 7500 32MB (version: 8.133.2.1.1.1-070206a).

Cheers,
Ranjit

[craigmontHunter]

Sorry, I just wanted to make sure that there were potential pitfalls with an upgrade.

The windows 7 2200bg driver should work for it, I used it in the past, but the windows xp 2100 driver will work in windows 7. or for cheap you can get a 2200bg card which works out of the box.

PM me, I have the display driver, but I have no idea where I got it (it is the mobility radeon 9000 driver that you use to enable the most features), since I failed to backup my bookmarks at one point .

[billp117]

Windows XP cannot be upgraded to Windows 7. (Only Vista can be upgraded) It will require a custom installation that erases all data...it is best to use "easy transfer" which you can download from Microsoft.

As to your drivers...I usually Install Windows 7 and then allow it to do all the updates. Keep going back for more updates and eventually you will download the correct Windows 7 driver for your video. Have an ethernet connection plugged in and you can then go to Lenovo to download the wifi driver. Finally Lenovo System Update 4.0 will take care of the rest.

The secret is to allow for the Windows updates to run...then go back and check for more. One more thing...I always go into the bios and disable the hidden partition as you won't be able to use it in the future. You might as well recapture that space on your hard drive.

Good luck...

[ranjit]

Hi craigmontHunter and billp117 for your very useful comments.

During my search for the Windows 7 driver for the ATI/Radeon Mobility 7500 video card, I cam across a solution provide by 'shadowempire" (the first post in the thread):

[url]http://www.sevenforums.com/graphic-card ... 0-a-2.html[/url]

I also came up with the following thread in this forum:

[url]http://forum.thinkpads.com/viewtopic.ph ... +windows+7[/url]

The whole business of updating the driver for the video card is making my head spin! What should I do?

Billp117, I like your method of using Windows Update to do the work for you. I will certainly try that first.

craigmontHunter, is the ATI/Radeon Mobility 9000 driver the one for Vista? Also, can I just use the Intel Pro/Wireless LAN 2200bg driver for the 2100 3B and still use the same hardware? Is it the Vista driver that I should be looking for?

Cheers,
Ranjit

[ranjit]

Hi All,

Which wireless adapter is more suitable and more stable to run on Windows 7 -- the Intel PRO/Wireless 2915abg LAN Mini PCI or the Intel PRO/Wireless 2200 bg LAN Mini PCi?

I have started upgrading some of the components of my IBM ThinkPad T42 machine to take care of and avoid serious compatibility issues when I move from Windows XP Professional to Windows 7 Professional. I hope that the move works out okay.

Cheers,
Ranjit

[GomJabbar]

Probably either one is ok. I personally have the Intel 2200BG adapter and it works just fine in Windows 7. IIRC, I got the driver through Windows Update using a Wired LAN connection. Using the Hotkey Features Integration software and ThinkPad PM driver, Fn + F5 works to bring up the box to turn both Wireless and Bluetooth on and off.

I also have the ThinkPad Active Protection System driver, UltraNav driver and UltraNav Utility installed from Lenovo on my T42.

[ranjit]

Hi GomJabbar,

Thank you for that information.

I am deciding to go with the 2915 abg. Is the 2915abg wireless adapter easy to install in the laptop. Are there any instruction guides?

Cheers,
Ranjit

[GomJabbar]

Watch the movie!
http://www-307.ibm.com/pc/support/site. ... 50233.html

Or read all about it!
http://www-307.ibm.com/pc/support/site. ... MIGR-46464

[ranjit]

Thank you so much for that information, GomJabbar.

Cheers,
Ranjit

[ranjit]

Hi All,

How does one completely disable and delete the "Hidden Protected Area" (HPA)? Is the HPA the same as the IBM_Service (4.55GB) that is found in Administrative Tools --> Computer Management--> Disk Management.

I have done my back-ups, and I am ready to install Windows 7 on my aging laptop. I would very much like to start with a blank HD (Hitachi Travelsar HTS721010G9AT00 - 100GB, 7200 RPM) with absolutely nothing on it.

I have also ordered a brand new Intel PRO/Wireless 2915abg LAN Mini PCI adapter to replace my Intel PRO/Wireless 2100 3B LAN Mini PCI adapter, and a brand new cooling fan.

Cheers,
Ranjit

[GomJabbar]

How does one completely disable and delete the "Hidden Protected Area" (HPA)? Is the HPA the same as the IBM_Service (4.55GB) that is found in Administrative Tools --> Computer Management--> Disk Management.

Generally the T42 does not have the HPA, but it does have the hidden Predesktop Area. You can disable the security for the Predesktop Area in the BIOS, then use partitioning tools to delete the Predesktop Area and the other partitions as well. You can also use Hitachi's Drive Fitness Test's 'Erase Function' for this.

Hitachi Drive Fitness Test

I think that some of the early T42's may have the HPA, and this does require special tools to delete. You can use the Hitachi Feature Tool for this.

http://groups.google.com/group/ibm.ibmp ... f946520409

Hitachi Feature Tool

[craigmontHunter]

You need to go into the bios and under security, disable the HPA (or whatever it is). Then you can disable it and use the disk space.

[baraider]

This is off topic but I want to know your reasons to upgrade to W7? As far as I know XP has been a fine OS

[ranjit]

Hi baraider,

I agree with you that Windows XP is a fine OS, especially after SP 1, 2 and 3 were released. I have been using Windows XP Professional for the last nine years and not once did I have a crash except for my own mistakes.

Recently, I did a clean install of Windows 7 Home Premium on my wife's laptop (HP Pavilion DV3000) and I was simply amazed by the improvements over XP and Vista. The boot times very drastically slashed, access to networks was a breeze, and the general layout was very pleasing to the eyes. Windows 7 was also lighter in design and well organized. 9 out of 10 persons that I have spoken with have been very satisfied with Windows 7. Even the ones that do not have the Aero feature.

After nine years, I feel it is time for a change. If I can successfully install Windows 7 Professional on my aging IBM Thinkpad T42 and also replace and upgrade some faulty components, such as the fan and the wireless card, I would be a happy camper and enjoy using my T42 for maybe another three years or so.

I hope that this helps to understand my reasons to install and use Windows 7.

Cheers,
Ranjit

[ranjit]

Hi GomJabbar / craigmontHunter,

Yes, I can see the 'Predestop Area' in the BIOS. Currently, it is set to 'enabled'. Do I change this setting to 'disabled' after I re-format my HD, and then use the Hitachi Drive Fitness Test' to delete the partition?

When I use the Hitachi Drive Fitness Test', do I 'Erase Boot Sector' or 'Erase Disk'? How can I check if I have HPA installed in my laptop?

Cheers,
Ranjit

[craigmontHunter]

If you have not installed windows 7 yet, change that to disabled before you install it, then when you install, delete the origonal partition, and tell windows 7 to use all the space. This will get rid of it. If you have installed windows 7, set it to disabled, start windows 7, and go to computer management, and expand the main partition over the newly found empty hard drive space. (when it is set to enabled, the hard drive appears to be smaller, it does not appear to be a seprate partition), and after it is unhidden (disabled) it is just empty space (I hope that I helped you)

[ranjit]

Thank you for your quick response, craigmontHunter!

I have not yet installed Windows 7. I am still waiting for the new fan and wireless card to arrive from IBM. Since it is Chinese New Year holidays the whole of next week, I am expecting the pats to arrive only in the following week. I want to wait till these components are installed in the laptop before I install Windows 7.

OK. I will disable the 'Predesktop Area' in the BIOS before I install Windows 7. Now, what do you mean by the 'original partition'? Are you referring to the 'IBM_Service' partition or the IBM_Preload (C:) partition found in Administrative Tools --> Computer Management --> Disk Management? Do I delete the 'IBM_Service' partition, as well as the main IBM_Preload (C:) partition or only the IBM_Service drive?

When I run Hitachi Drive Fitness Test, do I 'Erase Boot Sector' or 'Erase Disk'? How can I check if I have HPA installed in my laptop?

Cheers,
Ranjit

[craigmontHunter]

You appear to have a diffrent system from my T41/2 hybrid, but you should still set the predesktop area to disabled, and then when you install windows 7, just choose advanced drive options and delete all of the partitions, and tell the installer to use the entire drive. This will ensure that you can use the entire drive, but make sure that you make recovery disks (if possible), so that if you ever choose to sell the system, you do not have to include the windows 7.

If you do have the HPA (which I don't think), when you set the setting in the bios to disabled, that partition will appear as free space, since it is defined by the bios, and not the MBR. I have never needed to run anything to install windows 7. on my entire HDD. Like that, since you have the IBM service partition, I do not think you have the HPA.

[ranjit]

Hi All,

I have finally upgraded my IBM ThinkPad T42 (2373-NUA) laptop with the following hardware and software:

1) Upgraded the original Intel(R) Pro/Wireless LAN 2100 3B mini PCI Adapter to a Intel (R) PRO/Wireless 2915ABG LAN mini PCI Adapter (Part No. 27K9936). The reason for this upgrade is because I wanted a wireless adapter which was compatible to Windows 7;
2) Upgraded the orignal IBM CD-RW/DVD Drive - Model UJDA 765 to Lenovo CD-RW/DVD drive - UJDA 775 (Manufactured by Panasonic Communications Co. Ltd.). The reason for this upgrade was because the earlier one had come to its end of life;
3) Changed the original Fan (short) - Part No. 91P2524. The reason for the change is because the fan had come to its end of life.
4) Changed the original Palmrest as it was cracked in several places; and
5) Changed the original Keyoard as the keys had become very slippery.
5. Upgraded the original Operating System from a Microsoft (R) Windows XP Professional to a Microsoft (R) Windows 7 Professional SP1.

Wow! The laptop looks great once again. I hope to continue using this amazing laptop for at least the next three to five years!

Some observations so far:

1. Although, I had changed the Pre-Desktop Area setting in BIOS to 'disabled', and formatted and deleted the partitions before and while installing Windows 7, I still have a "System Reserved" partition with a capacity of 100MB (NTFS) in size with a free space of 72MB! I am not sure what this partition is, and I was wondering if it is possible to delete this partition and reclaim the space. My total Hard Disk is 100.03 GB, and I have a primary partition C: which is 93.06 GB in size.
2. As expected, the Aero feature is not available.
3. The Video graphics adapter is non-functional. As suggested by various members, I am planning to install the 'ATI Mobility Radeon 9000' driver to resolve the graphics issues.

Currently, the Windows Experience Index subscores of the laptop is as follows:

1. Processor - 3.0
2. Memory - 4.1
3. Graphics - 1.0
4. Gaming Graphics - 1.0
5. Primary Hard Disk - 5.0

Right now, the laptop is fully updated using Windows Update and Lenovo System Update. I shall be back with more information in the coming days. I am hoping that the ATI Mobility Radeon 9000 driver will solve some issues and increase the WEI subscore.

Cheers,
Ranjit

[craigmontHunter]

The system reserve is part of windows 7, it is the actual boot partition - it is not a reminant from the xp install. The WEI scores will max out at about 1.9, since it is not a WDDM driver, only an XDDM (or the other way around - I digress) The biggest advantage of the video driver is that it will enable stanby mode, which has obvious advantages. Other than that, it sounds like you have an almost new laptop, I hope it continues to serve you as well.

[ranjit]

Hi craigmontHunter,

I installed the ATI Mobility Radeon 9000 (XDDm driver) a few days ago and my current WEI score are as follows:

1. Processor - 3.1
2. Memory - 4.1
3. Graphics - 1.9
4. Gaming Graphics - 1.0
5. Primary Hard Disk - 5.0

As expected, the graphics has maxed out at 1.9. Has anyone increased this score using the ATI Mobility Radeon 7500 adapter?

Although, the laptop looks and runs great, the laptop seems to be overheating a little. Is there a solution to overcome this problem? While using Microsoft Windows XP Professional all these years, I never had any heating issues. Is this a known issue on Windows 7?

Cheers,
Ranjit

[Neil]

When you replaced the fan, did you use a quality thermal compound such as Artic Silver?

[craigmontHunter]

as well as thermal compound, make sure that speedsetp is enabled ("adaptive") - this will keep the system cooler. For windows 7 on my t41, I used to run the thinkvantage software I wanted from the T6x, and it worked fine. (not drivers, but power manager...)

Unfortunately, 1.9 is the highest WEI score you can get with an XDDM (xp) driver - in order to get above that, you need a WDDM (Vista/7), which was never made for the card. You can't run Aero on an XDDM driver, no matter how capable the graphcis card is.

[ranjit]

Hi Neil and craigmontHunter,

The IBM/Lenovo original Fan (short) - Part No. 91P2524 was brand new. I noticed that the fan came with thermal grease, and the technician who installed the fan said it was sufficient.

To answer your question Neil, no additional thermal grease was used apart from what was already there. Should I add more?

How do I enable the speedstep to "adaptive"? What do you exactly mean by "For windows 7 on my t41, I used to run the thinkvantage software I wanted from the T6x, and it worked fine. (not drivers, but power manager...)"? By the way, all drivers, security updates, etc. are up-to-date, and I have installed Power Manager v3.5.

Cheers,
Ranjit

[craigmontHunter]

Sorry about the confusion

The thermal grease that came on the fan should be enough, that's what it was designed for. Unless you changed the paste on your old fan, it should be exactly the same as before. If you do decide to change the paste, use as little as possible so that it does not hinder the heat transfer off the cpu die to the heatsink. IMHO, it is not worth it to change the factory thermal compound unless you need to take the fan off for another reason.

For speedstep, in power manager, go to the "advanced" section, choose a power plan, and under the system setings page, there should be an option "Maximum CPU speed" - make sure that is set to adaptive, which will allow it to slow down when it is not running (I have found that the windows 7 power manager starts in "High performance", which creates more heat).

If all of the software is up to date, then disregard what I last said, I was running off memory on how my t41 behaved when I put windows 7 on it.

[ranjit]

Hi All,

After running Windows 7 Professional successfully for a few days on my very old IBM ThinkPad T2 laptop, I have started to see some BSOD errors pop-up intermittently. The error codes that is displayed is as follws:

Problem signature:
Problem Event Name: BlueScreen
OS Version: 6.1.7601.2.1.0.256.48
Locale ID: 1033

Additional information about the problem:
BCCode: 1000008e
BCP1: C0000005
BCP2: 898A8979
BCP3: 9E16F998
BCP4: 00000000
OS Version: 6_1_7601
Service Pack: 1_0
Product: 256_1

Files that help describe the problem:
C:\Windows\Minidump\032911-21540-01.dmp
C:\Users\***************\AppData\Local\Temp\WER-68999-0.sysdata.xml

Read our privacy statement online:
http://go.microsoft.com/fwlink/?linkid= ... cid=0x0409

If the online privacy statement is not available, please read our privacy statement offline:
C:\Windows\system32\en-US\erofflps.txt

I feel that the laptop is also heating up! Could this BSOD be related to temperature problems, a hardware failure, a corrupt registry, or simply a device incompatibility or driver error? Please let me know.

Cheers,
Ranjit

[craigmontHunter]

could you please disable automatic restart on windows faliure, and see if it references a *.inf or anything on the BSOD. That was an issue I had with different display drivers, never with this one, so it may be another piece of hardware. if you can get the name, we can figure out where the issue is.

[ranjit]

Hi craigmontHunter,

I have disabled automatic restart, and I will post the BSOD error the next time I see it. Thank you for your help.

Cheers,
Ranjit