What is all the new software

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#1 Post by **jdhurst** » Thu Dec 08, 2005 11:43 am

Would anyone with a new ThinkPad mind providing a brief description of new sofware the ThinkVantage Productivity Center, Away Manager, CSS, and R & R . Of this bunch, all I have on my T41 is Rapid Restore Ultra and I don't use it, partly because I backup in a different way, and partly because it appears to have caused some problems.

What is Productivity Center? (never heard of it).
What is CSS? (Client Security Software?)
What is Away Manager? (never heard of it).
What is R&R? (and do I really need it).

And, am I missing anything?
Thanks, ... JD Hurst

christopher_wolf · #2 Post by **christopher_wolf** » Thu Dec 08, 2005 11:49 am

Well, here is what I know

Productivity Center --> I have no idea.
CSS --> Embedded Client Security System, it provides most notably file encryption and very secure management of user accounts; plus it can manage all your passwords in webforms and similar applications
Away Manager --> I have no idea

R&R --> Rescue and Recovery; allows you to restore your system to a factory image or to a previously save state; it does, when you want to revert, give you the option of choosing what files and folders you do want to keep and what ones can be rolled back to the previous state; which is nice.

Now, I have to check up on some of that software; HTH

cwestwater · #3 Post by **cwestwater** » Thu Dec 08, 2005 12:37 pm

Productivity Centre - it's only on X41's, Z Series and R52's. It is basically a wee application that when opened pops up a menu structure that links to stuff like Defrag HDD, Backup, Away Manager, updated Message Centre, etc.

Here is the link to the Lenovo webpage. Just seen it today for the 1st time on an X41 I was building. Didn't have time to play with it.

cwestwater · #4 Post by **cwestwater** » Thu Dec 08, 2005 12:40 pm

Oh sorry - Away manager. Lets you schdule tasks like Defrags, antispyware scans (with M$ Antispyware), VirusScans, etc either on a schedule, or when the laptop has been idel for x amount of time.

Again, it's mentioned on this page. If I hadn't shipped the X41 to our London office would have got some screenshots.

cwestwater · #5 Post by **cwestwater** » Thu Dec 08, 2005 12:43 pm

should just Edit the above, but here we go...

Link to Download page if you have a:

ThinkPad R51e
ThinkPad Z60m, Z60t
ThinkPad X40, X41

#6 Post by **GomJabbar** » Thu Dec 08, 2005 7:04 pm

I saw in the following thread where beeblebrox installed Away Manager on a T40p, and was quite happy with it. I decided to give it a try on my T42. It works well for Norton AV scans. It didn't pick up Norton SpeedDisk, so it used a Windows command line defrag utility. I switched users during a defrag and hosed Away Manager. I uninstalled and reinstalled and haven't had any problem since. I don't use it for defrag anymore though.

You can also use it to run Windows Disk Cleanup, Windows Backup, and Rescue and Recovery Backup. I haven't tried it with these.

Link: http://forum.thinkpads.com/viewtopic.php?t=15733

#7 Post by **GomJabbar** » Thu Dec 08, 2005 7:27 pm

Regarding Rescue and Recovery version 3, check out the following threads.

Link: http://forum.thinkpads.com/viewtopic.php?t=15964

Link: http://forum.thinkpads.com/viewtopic.php?t=17683

#8 Post by **jdhurst** » Thu Dec 08, 2005 9:29 pm

Thanks All.

So:
1. Productivity Center is Access IBM under a new name according to the Lenovo web page. I looked at Access IBM, but never needed it except occasionally to look up some feature. I saw it as helpful for some users and pointed them to it.
2. Away Manager - I use professional products and Windows Scheduler and don't need this. Perfect Disk, Ad Aware and Symantec Client Security all run painlessly, silently, automatically and at very low resource levels already.
3. Rescue and Recovery - Someday I will look at this, but right now I use Windows Briefcase for documents on two computers and Total Commander to synchronize my very large store (5 Gb) of files on two computers. Then I copy critical stuff to a second hard drive in my desktop. 3 copies of everything critical.
4. Embedded Security System - I don't think I want my files encrypted in case I lose the key. I secure the systems and the hard drives with password locks, and I can't yet get my head around further encryption. I know people (probably small in number) have royally screwed themselves with encrypted files.

Thanks again, ... JD Hurst

#9 Post by **GomJabbar** » Fri Dec 09, 2005 1:22 am

jdhurst wrote:Embedded Security System - I don't think I want my files encrypted in case I lose the key. I secure the systems and the hard drives with password locks, and I can't yet get my head around further encryption. I know people (probably small in number) have royally screwed themselves with encrypted files.

I feel the same way. I downloaded and installed the previous version of CSS and looked it over for several days. In the end, I decided that the risk of me losing my data because of CSS was greater than the risk of theft. As I did not find the CSS software very intuitive, I could envision scenerios where I would hose my system. I uninstalled CSS after just a very few days, and haven't looked back.

DavidNZ · #10 Post by **DavidNZ** » Fri Dec 09, 2005 1:23 am

jdhurst wrote: 3. Rescue and Recovery - Someday I will look at this, but right now I use Windows Briefcase for documents on two computers and Total Commander to synchronize my very large store (5 Gb) of files on two computers. Then I copy critical stuff to a second hard drive in my desktop. 3 copies of everything critical.

jd, typing this feels a bit like deja vu from another thread on the issues of backups, but just in case I'm deeaming: might want to take a look at "Synchronize It!" (http://www.grigsoft.com). I use it to sync files and folders between the main HDD in my X40 and three externals. The best thing about it is its ability to create 'projects' which consist of several folder pairs.

Screenshot: http://www.flickr.com/photos/davidnz/71698981/

Also, thanks for the recommendation on Perfectdisk - i bought it last week after reading a few of your earlier posts praising it. Cheers.

David

pphilipko · #11 Post by **pphilipko** » Fri Dec 09, 2005 8:35 pm

The CSS software has some major issues. Occasionally, when booting up the computer, it doesn't give the 'box' to input the password, but simply continues to boot up as if there was no security chip.
Not only that, but CSS slows your computer down by up to a minute.

My advice: Stay far away from CSS as possible.

BruisedQuasar · #12 Post by **BruisedQuasar** » Sat Dec 10, 2005 6:43 pm

...About Rescue and Recovery. I am new to Thinkpad & W2K but not to PCs. I have never trusted the recovery system in which buyers get Windows only on a virtual drive sector of their hard disk. This might be good for Microsoft but it doesn't seem to be fair to buyers.

I have an external hard drive that I use for four PCs, just to backup the Windows OS. I take it that in order to make a backup of the W2K (I have no experience with Win 2000) I must reformat\partition to NTSF as you do with XP?

Second, can Rescue and Recover be used to burn a mirror image of your HDD onto DVD or CD?

Anyone know if a T23 can boot from a USB connected exernal CD\DVD?

Thank you in advance for any replies.

#13 Post by **GomJabbar** » Sat Dec 10, 2005 8:26 pm

Assume your hard disk has failed...........

If I understand correctly, you can boot up from the Rescue Media (also called Recovery Media or Rescue and Recovery Media), which is on one CD. From here you can restore a backup made with the Rescue and Recovery Program. I am not sure if this restores the Rescue and Recovery workspace on the hard drive or not. If the Rescue and Recovery workspace is functioning on the hard drive, you do not need to boot up with the Rescue Media, you just boot up into the Rescue and Recovery workspace and restore your Rescue and Recovery backup. You can also restore just a file(s) or directory(s) if you choose.

You can also boot up the Product Recovery Discs, which are on 6-7 CD's on a hard drive to bring your ThinkPad to the condition as it was new (software wise). Note if you use these discs, all existing data on the hard drive will be erased. This includes all partitions.

The Rescue and Recovery program does not image you hard drive like Norton Ghost or Acronis True Image.

beeblebrox · #14 Post by **beeblebrox** » Tue Dec 13, 2005 7:58 am

Hi Folks,

just saw my name in this thread.
Yes, I find Away manager very good, you can configure it as you want. I have put in some of my tools, it runs fine on my T40 and T23.

I have to clue why people use the crappy RnR, it is painfully slow, inefficient and a pain in the ...ss.
Acronis True Image is my way to go.

BTW: I find the Windows install in a hidden space very enviro friendly. Imagine, if your company has ordered 10.000 new Thinkpads for the next fiscal year and all are provided by the company software image anyway in the CIO department, you have saved 5x10.000 = 50.000 new CDs which would go straight to waste.
Any user who needs those CDs can quickly make them himself on his writer. So why the complaints all the time?

What is all the new software

What is all the new software

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