thinkpad z61m format and software bundle issue

[ethanjorg]

hey,

i have z61m and i want to format the hard drive.
it just that i have all hose thinkpad, thinkvantage and lenovo software of my computer and i would to know which are essential forme to reinstall after the format

thanks
ethan

[jkahng]

there are two ways you can reinstall your os
1. do a full recovery with the recovery function in thinkvantage or from the recovery disks you have made. (this will reset EVERYTHING to factory default. meaning you will loose any partitions/data that you made)
=> you get all the thinkvantage stuff as well as the bloat ware

2. install xp or vista fresh with a retail version and install whatever drivers you need from scratch. => this will take considerable amount of time as you need to find all the relavant drivers. and such.

[bontistic]

Welcome to the forums!

That basically depends on what you use one a day to day basis.

For starters, here is a similar discussion on the T60 forum about speeding up the boot time by uninstalling certain programs.

You can use the machine for a while to determine which programs are not being used at all. Most members vote on Message Center, DLA, CSS, etc. because they never get to use them or they choose not to use them.

The Z61m is a heavy machine, do you usually carry it around? If not then you might be always connected by wired ethernet and Access Connections might be of no use to you.

If you can provide a list of software you are planning to remove, some members can give you good and bad insights about them so you can decide for yourself.

[ethanjorg]

thanks for the help

i will try and look what i really need and post it here

but are there any software from the bundle that u can say that i must

have?

thanks

[bontistic]

That's too difficult.
What if I tell you what applications are a must for me?

1. Power Management Drivers / Applications - this is basic stuff
2. Software Installer - I'm too lazy to install updates manually but I do not want them to install automatically either, here I can select which ones I want to install and just leave it running
3. Record Now - important to me for making backups of what ever
4. PC Doctor - for running quick tests on the system's health
5. Battery Maximiser/Power Manager - very seldomly take my machine off the port replicator but I do like to monitor my battery's health once in a while.

Hope this helps.

[ethanjorg]

thanks alot