Thinkpads Forum

I just finished what appears to be a successful install of WinXP on my 560x. Video and sound and CD drivers all appear to be working fine.

Question, is it better to let WinXP handle the driver end of things, or should I re-install the factory drivers I have downloaded from the Lenovo website? I'm not sure if the factory drivers have any advantages over the "if it ain't broke don't fix it" approach.

And, do I really need to re-install the Thinkpad configuration software (the factory software) when it appears that WinXP is handling the hardware end of things OK as well?

Sorry if this sounds terribly naive but drivers are not my strong point.

Your opinion is appreciated!
--mirau560x

One of the important files from Lenovo are the .inf files that are specific to your Thinkpad in regards to XP. Those files aren't native to XP and if available I do always install them. Configuration Utility is really a personal preference (to me). I sometimes have problems with XP SP2 and Lenovo drivers or applications on older hardware probably because neither has been updated in awhile. I can live without most of the Lenovo offerings.

For example, today I've been trying to install the Configuration Utility on my 240X for the third time (istel, in another thread asked about the Hotkey software for his 240X). I'm running into a problem between it and Outlook Express - user32.dll. Evidently the Configuration Utility is trying to map to the same address space as the .dll and it's causing a conflict that won't allow the Utility to start up. I can live without it, I'm just putzing around for another member's sake.

If you enter Control Panel -> System -> Hardware -> Device Manager and don't find "unknown" or exclamations next to a device then it's up to you. You wouldn't harm your system by not installing Lenovo software.

Go with the XP drivers, they are most likely newer and thus more compatible.