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Thinking of Purchasing ThinkPad X1 Carbon G9 in the UK, Need Information?

X1 / X1-Carbon (X1C) / X1-Extreme (X1E) Series/Generations
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Nansin
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Location: Broxburn, Scotland, UK

Thinking of Purchasing ThinkPad X1 Carbon G9 in the UK, Need Information?

#1 Post by Nansin » Thu Jan 12, 2023 11:29 am

I am thinking of purchasing the following ThinkPad: ThinkPad X1 Carbon Gen 9 (14" Intel). Obviously the this would be a UK/GB purchase.

I have tried phoning Lenovo UK for the last couple of days to ask some questions. I get put in a call-queue and, every time, after about 4–5 minutes the line just goes dead (very frustrating).

So I am wondering if anyone here can help with my questions, which are as follows:
  1. I am thinking of installing the OS myself, which would be 'Windows 10 Pro. X64 International English'. But I need information on the licencing for this: Is the Licence Product Key embedded in the BIOS? If so will that allow me install Windows 10 Pro. now and have it licenced automatically and Windows 11 Pro. later, and have that licenced automatically, should I decide to do so?
  2. If I was installing the OS myself how do I get drivers for the laptop and how do I get essential Lenovo software for the system? A search led me to this webpage: Lenovo System Update: Update Drivers, BIOS and Applications. But there it says the downloads are for ThinkPad X1 Carbon 9th Gen (Type 20XW, 20XX). Looking at the page I would purchase the laptop from it gives no indication of the 'Type' — how do I determine the 'Type' from the purchase webpage?
  3. Is the Solid State Drive replaceable by user? And any comments on the ease that this could be done if it is possible?
  4. Is the battery replaceable by the user? And any comments on the ease that this could be done if it is possible?
  5. The only English keyboard on offer is 'English (EU)'. In what way does this keyboard differ from a standard 'English UK' keyboard?
  6. Lastly: I note from the purchase webpages that there is an offer for a 'Sealed Battery Replacement' service. From that I would take it that Lenovo are claiming that isn't possible for the user to replace the battery (though there is always the possibility that, despite what Lenovo says, the user might be able to replace the battery). In any case is this 'Sealed Battery Replacement' an on-site replacement, or does the user have to courier the laptop to Lenovo to get the battery replacement done?
Hope the folks here can help with these questions.

mikemex
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Re: Thinking of Purchasing ThinkPad X1 Carbon G9 in the UK, Need Information?

#2 Post by mikemex » Thu Jan 26, 2023 9:19 pm

Nansin wrote:
Thu Jan 12, 2023 11:29 am
I am thinking of purchasing the following ThinkPad: ThinkPad X1 Carbon Gen 9 (14" Intel). Obviously the this would be a UK/GB purchase.

I have tried phoning Lenovo UK for the last couple of days to ask some questions. I get put in a call-queue and, every time, after about 4–5 minutes the line just goes dead (very frustrating).

So I am wondering if anyone here can help with my questions, which are as follows:
  1. I am thinking of installing the OS myself, which would be 'Windows 10 Pro. X64 International English'. But I need information on the licencing for this: Is the Licence Product Key embedded in the BIOS? If so will that allow me install Windows 10 Pro. now and have it licenced automatically and Windows 11 Pro. later, and have that licenced automatically, should I decide to do so?
  2. If I was installing the OS myself how do I get drivers for the laptop and how do I get essential Lenovo software for the system? A search led me to this webpage: Lenovo System Update: Update Drivers, BIOS and Applications. But there it says the downloads are for ThinkPad X1 Carbon 9th Gen (Type 20XW, 20XX). Looking at the page I would purchase the laptop from it gives no indication of the 'Type' — how do I determine the 'Type' from the purchase webpage?
  3. Is the Solid State Drive replaceable by user? And any comments on the ease that this could be done if it is possible?
  4. Is the battery replaceable by the user? And any comments on the ease that this could be done if it is possible?
  5. The only English keyboard on offer is 'English (EU)'. In what way does this keyboard differ from a standard 'English UK' keyboard?
  6. Lastly: I note from the purchase webpages that there is an offer for a 'Sealed Battery Replacement' service. From that I would take it that Lenovo are claiming that isn't possible for the user to replace the battery (though there is always the possibility that, despite what Lenovo says, the user might be able to replace the battery). In any case is this 'Sealed Battery Replacement' an on-site replacement, or does the user have to courier the laptop to Lenovo to get the battery replacement done?
Hope the folks here can help with these questions.
Yes, Windows license resides in the ROM (not sure if the BIOS itself).

You don't seem to know the process to install WIndows 10. I'd look around for that topic if I were you. Long history short, WIndows 10 updates all drivers by itself. But I prefer to do so via Lenovo's Vantage application. You can always download (from Lenovo support site) and install the drivers manually, if you prefer so.

Yes, you can replace the M.2 SSD yourself. Be sure to get rid of any password before doing so; otherwise you won't be able to use it somewhere.

Yes, the battery is user replaceable. You have to open it up. First disable the battery in the BIOS under Power options, else you'll probably fry something.

I think there is only one British layout. It has the European-style large enter key, not the narrow US version.

The 'Sealed Battery Replacement' is a kind of battery warranty. The original warranty only covers it for one year. It is a CRU as far as I know, so there is nothing special about doing it yourself.
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Re: Thinking of Purchasing ThinkPad X1 Carbon G9 in the UK, Need Information?

#3 Post by RealBlackStuff » Fri Jan 27, 2023 2:06 am

English (EU):
The ANSI-layout (= US really) with the Euro-sign added on the 5-key.
Image

English (UK):
The ISO-layout as used in UK, Ireland, etc. with the Euro-sign on the 4-key.
Image
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Nansin
Posts: 8
Joined: Thu Jan 12, 2023 10:53 am
Location: Broxburn, Scotland, UK

Re: Thinking of Purchasing ThinkPad X1 Carbon G9 in the UK, Need Information?

#4 Post by Nansin » Fri Jan 27, 2023 2:47 am

Thanks very much for the responses guys. Very helpful.

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