x301 windows 10 vs windows 7 as of now

[1tntla]

Hello,

I've succesfully authenticated windows 10 on my x301, and I like the overall responsiveness of it. However, the drivers seems to be an issue... has anyone successfully set up windows 10 on x301 and has been using it without much issues?

Should I stick with windows 7 for now?

Thanks for sharing guys =]

[shawross]

Hello 1tntla

I have setup Windows 10 because I had a spare SSD but I have only been using it a few days. I can just swap SSD's and go back to Windows 7.

I actually like Windows 10 and yes it is very responsive. For the X301 this is great because with the low voltage processor it might struggle otherwise.
I have installed Lenovo ThinkVantage Updates , the UltraNav driver and Lenovo PowerManager.

I installed the fingerprint software but I wasn't impressed and I am happy with the code login of 10 so I uninstalled it.

I had Compatibility issues with Hotkeys so I uninstalled it also.

Really the less Lenovo software I install the better I feel because it is not supported.I wanted Power Manager because I use the Threshold battery charging and if it didn't work it would be a deal breaker for me. Below is the description of how to get Power Manager to work and it may be useful for other programs that have Compatibility problems. I have poached most of this off a forum and it worked for me.


Lenovo Power Manager doesn't work because the Setup file is blocked.
The blocking mechanism is a so-called hard block and is applied by the Program Compatibility Assistant.
The following workaround fixed it for me:
Install the Windows 10 Assessment and Deployment Kit ( adksetup for Windows 10) from https://msdn.microsoft.com/en-US/window ... x#adkwin10 (when you install Windows ADK, choose only Application Compatibility Toolki (ACT))
From the start menu, run the Compatibility Administrator, either the 32-bit or the 64-bit version depending on your application
In the left-hand pane under System Database (32/64-bit) -> Applications, look for the corresponding application (if you can't find a good match, you can look it up in the Event Viewer, see below)
In the large pane on the right-hand side there should be an entry AppHelp - HARDBLOCK
Right-click the exe-file with the hard block and select Disable entry
Now you should be good to go. In my case I additionally had to set the program to run in Windows 7 compatibility mode.
Open the Event Viewer eventvwr.msc
In the left-hand pane, navigate to Application and Services Logs-> Microsoft -> Windows ->Application Experience -> Program Telemetry
In the large middle pane, double click on the event with a timestamp that matches the blocked message. In the window that opens, there should be passage of text like
Compatibility fix applied to C:\DRIVERS\VISTA\PWRMGRV\Setup.exe.
Fix information: Lenovo Power Manager, {c2c0a0a8-ec3a-4f72-b657-5c39de76c771}, 0x10161.
The boldfaced part is what the application is called in the Compatibility Administrator

In Device Manager I still have 3 devices not recognised but I am not in a hurry to correct these yet. Microsoft have blocked me from getting updates because at the moment I am overseas and my mobile number for verifying was lacking the international code so I have to wait 30 days but you get that.
You will need to wade through all the settings menus to get your ideal setup. Should you stick with Windows 7 or go to Windows 10?
Well that will be entirely up to you but once you have activated Windows 10 you should be able to go back to Windows 10 in the future I think.
Activating Windows is matched to your motherboard and once you have activated I think it will remain on Microsoft's database so you could reload to Windows 10 in the future i think. (don't quote me )
Currently I don't have any driver issues and I feel I have everything installed. I am going to persist with 10 for a while and I am surprised how good 10 is.
I am not too worried about the privacy issues although I have basically everything switched off. Windows 10 is basically like a mobile OS and if you don't want apps using your info then turn it off.
I would stick with Windows 10 for a while especially if you get your drivers sorted. I think you will find it will get better also with new upgrades.

Good luck

[jdrou]

Thanks for info on Power Manager; I don't think I've seen any other workarounds posted.
Looking forward to an update after you've used it a while. There could be a good reason why it was blocked.

I've also been updating all my Windows 7 machines to 10 just to make sure I have the license available in the future. I might still be using some of them when Win 7 stops getting updates or I may want to sell one and the Win 10 activation would add some value.

[shawross]

Yes the Power Manager work around opens the door for not only PM but maybe other driver issues. I think Windows 10 is quite user friendly actually and the more I discover the more I respect the OS. Task Manager is a prime example of this.
I really think the less you rely on Lenovo the better though.

Because I use Skype and to a lesser degree Hotmail I have a Microsoft account and with this being the case they allow you to verify your account by secure code. My secure code is confirmed by my mobile and when I last did it in Australia I didn't enter the international prefix. This brings up a red flag if you change security info and because it is done by a machine it locks you out for 30 days.

Yes activating your Windows 7 COA on Windows 10 should enable the Windows 10 upgrade in the future. Unless you change your motherboard that laptop will have no authentication problems with Windows 10 ever I think.

[jdrou]

The major advantage of Lenovo Power Manager for me is that it gives you control over the battery charging policy. Even if Win 10 has some charge-management mechanism of its own it almost certainly doesn't give the same level of control to the user.

[MisterB]

Power Manager makes a big difference and is much better than the Windows power management functions. I don't know how big a difference in the X301 but it is noticeable in my low power X201T and the difference is huge in my W520 which can use anywhere between 14 and 150 watts depending on CPU and GPU load. Power manager can really fine tune power usage and give you quite a bit more battery time.