**Important** Sign the T43 HD Firmware Petition

Message

#1 Post by **Harryc** » Sat Jul 19, 2008 1:54 pm

I've decided to start a petition to (hopefully) entice Lenovo into researching and producing firmware updates for more than the current supported list of drives. You can help and here's how. Send me a PM with your real name and email address. I will keep a list of names/emails on a hidden forum at this site. If we get 100 names or more, I will announce that fact in this thread and we'll create a petition and post it here for approval (minus the names of course). If the membership agrees to the format we'll submit it to Lenovo. I'd like to solicit your ideas as to what to ask for specifically. I am leaning toward asking for firmware for all models of Hitachi drives for starters since that seems to be the drive of choice for a good majority of members here. I think if we ask for the world it is more likely to be snubbed by Lenovo. So, start sending those PM's and subscribe to this thread for status. Thank-you.

sarbin · #2 Post by **sarbin** » Sat Jul 19, 2008 2:19 pm

thanks for starting this!
ygpm.

#3 Post by **BillMorrow** » Sat Jul 19, 2008 2:27 pm

i added a poll question just to see how many are signing this petition..

ajkula66 · #4 Post by **ajkula66** » Sat Jul 19, 2008 3:33 pm

I'm in.

PM's there.

Thanks Harry for thinking of us poor T43/p owners...

basketb · #5 Post by **basketb** » Sat Jul 19, 2008 3:47 pm

Would the petition include the R52 as well?

ajkula66 · #6 Post by **ajkula66** » Sat Jul 19, 2008 3:57 pm

Any drive that works in T43/p will work in R52...so the firmware updates will be the same.

Kargoman · #7 Post by **Kargoman** » Sun Jul 20, 2008 3:41 pm

Sent my Name/Emailaddress as well.

Thanks Harryc for supporting the petition.
Gr Kargoman

#8 Post by **Harryc** » Sun Jul 20, 2008 4:04 pm

If anyone here is an active Usenet user, please post the link to this thread on the major Thinkpad groups. Similarly, please post it at any laptop related forum that you belong to. Thanks!

SteveS · #9 Post by **SteveS** » Mon Jul 21, 2008 5:32 pm

Not to rain on your parade, but I doubt that the petition will have the desired action. There are a number of reasons why Lenovo will probably not add more drives to the supported list:

First – all of the drive on this list are qualified by Lenovo for use in the target PC. The qualification process assures a minimum level of reliability – important for maintaining the image of the Lenovo / IBM brand. It also requires quite a bit of time and resources – probably at least an engineer/week, a few computers that will be essential ruined in the testing, and time in the environmental chamber. As long as they have suitable replacement models which are qualified that handle the full performance of the highest model available for the original computer, there is no payback to do more work here.

Second – the objective of sustaining support is to maintaining the full original capability of the computer over its service life. Maintenance on drivers and machine specific software is generally performed to fix bugs, and assure compatibility with changes in software platform – Windows service packs, etc. IMO, Lenovo does a pretty good job on this, but that is why you pay more for the machine up front. But, this maintenance is NOT intended to ADD functionality after the sale. Basically, when you buy a computer, you evaluate the performance and specifications of the configuration at the time, to assure it meets your needs for its service live. You should not assume that new features which come out in future models will be retrofitted to an old design. This is the basic business model of all computer vendors.

Third – Lenovo would never add unqualified drive models to the list of supported drives to satisfy DIY upgrades. They highly discourage this. The target market for ThinkPads is business – not personal owners, and the brand is associated with models which are heavy duty and can take the abuse of “road warriors”. Machines which have been DIY modified by users can get into the used market, and prove less reliable than those made to the qualified design. The brand image is damaged when future owners have issues with DIY modified machines.

Fourth- 2.5” PATA drives are going away. I suspect that within a few months, we will be down to only one vendor who makes them solely for the replacement market. Note that the HD Software Update Utility is a shell that calls the specific upgrade program for the drive it detects in the computer (which must be on the supported drive list). These individual software upgrade programs are written by the drive vendor, not Lenovo. So the drive vendor would also need a compelling reason to invest engineering resources to write this software – for a drive that is probably obsolete and certainly has no chance of being designed into a production laptop.
Key point here – adding more drive models to the scope of the HD Software Update Utility requires more than just adding a line of code in the “Supported Drive List”. A corresponding update routine needs to be added as well.

Please note that I am not against what HarryC and followers are after. I enjoy this forum and have learned quite a bit from it. But as a pragmatist, I don’t see any win for Lenovo to act on this.

#10 Post by **Harryc** » Mon Jul 21, 2008 6:38 pm

I don't disagree with your assessment of the current situation, however sheer numbers of paying customers have been known to bring on miracles (move mountains) in the manufacturing sector. Let's push on

.

sarbin · #11 Post by **sarbin** » Mon Jul 21, 2008 6:41 pm

and we stand to lose nothing, and gain something if not everything, by trying.

rssb · #12 Post by **rssb** » Mon Jul 21, 2008 7:10 pm

Steve S seems to have missed an important point here.

The HTS5416****AT00 models are still being manufactured by Hitachi, some of them are brand new models, with 3 year warranties on them.

So is Western Digital with 250GB PATA.

Again, seriously so far there has not been any day and night difference between PATA and SATA drives esp in laptops in terms of performance.

If intel decides to pump out a new line of processors every 3 months out of portland, or microsoft decides to promote vista over xp, just because they have to mint money without any real benefit for the end user, and people follow with it, they will keep pushing more and more out with no real benefit to the end user.

Now coming to the Thinkpads being business line is true, but I have seen them out perform in terms of life ,reliability and performance when compared to other brands esp in end user / home environment.

Lenovo is hugely successful brand in entire Asia, and one of the key parameters for such a sucess has been thier moto of consumer support and listening to what consumers in those markets needed. Whether it is the price or features or quality.

PS: Memory , Hard drives and Cd Drives are CRU ( Customer Replaceable Units ! ) , they dont void warranty due to DIY

GORE · #13 Post by **GORE** » Thu Jul 24, 2008 2:14 am

Thanks for starting it,Keep it up

sarbin · #14 Post by **sarbin** » Mon Jul 28, 2008 9:52 pm

only 16 votes?

#15 Post by **Harryc** » Mon Jul 28, 2008 10:12 pm

Well, only 15 including mine. There are 2 no votes.

sarbin · #16 Post by **sarbin** » Tue Jul 29, 2008 5:18 am

i'm kinda surprised by the "no's".

andyP · #17 Post by **andyP** » Tue Jul 29, 2008 9:13 am

@Harryc,

you just got another vote and pm.

SkiBunny · #18 Post by **SkiBunny** » Wed Jul 30, 2008 9:18 pm

... and another one (from a T43 owner)

magart · #19 Post by **magart** » Sun Aug 03, 2008 3:16 pm

@Harryc,
I send my email&name by e-mail to Harryc

loicp · #20 Post by **loicp** » Tue Aug 05, 2008 2:46 pm

Name & mail sent. Thanks for the petition.

#21 Post by **Harryc** » Thu Aug 14, 2008 8:20 am

We're up to (19) signatures.. We need many, many, more. Please consider signing the petition if you are a Thinkpad enthusiast and are reading this thread.

faw · #22 Post by **faw** » Thu Aug 28, 2008 2:37 am

OK, make that 20 signatures!

I came here looking for info on hard drive replacements and found this petition. Bravo! Count me in!

Cheers,

milokat · #23 Post by **milokat** » Thu Sep 11, 2008 10:04 pm

Count me in, name & email sent.
(T43 Owner)

#24 Post by **Harryc** » Wed Sep 17, 2008 8:15 am

Now up to 30 signatures. We need at least 100 sigs. folks. Please encourage anyone you know that might be interested in this effort to sign the petition.

SteveAikens · #25 Post by **SteveAikens** » Sat Sep 20, 2008 10:13 am

Sent.

keku · #26 Post by **keku** » Thu Oct 02, 2008 4:20 pm

count me in Name and email address sent.

BeeJayEmm · #27 Post by **BeeJayEmm** » Fri Oct 03, 2008 2:59 pm

With two R52s, I'm in too, Harry. PM coming.

CeeBee · #28 Post by **CeeBee** » Sat Oct 04, 2008 2:43 am

I ticked the YES box too, but in case it didn't make it, I'm on board!

#29 Post by **Harryc** » Sat Oct 11, 2008 9:58 pm

Now up to 38 signatures. 62 more to go ...

citizenNB · #30 Post by **citizenNB** » Wed Nov 05, 2008 5:59 am

Hi Harryc,

You've got a PM.

citizenNB

Important Sign the T43 HD Firmware Petition

Important Sign the T43 HD Firmware Petition

firmware for all models of Hitachi drives

Re: Important Sign the T43 HD Firmware Petition

Who is online

**Important** Sign the T43 HD Firmware Petition

**Important** Sign the T43 HD Firmware Petition

firmware for all models of Hitachi drives

Re: **Important** Sign the T43 HD Firmware Petition

Who is online

Important Sign the T43 HD Firmware Petition

Important Sign the T43 HD Firmware Petition

Re: Important Sign the T43 HD Firmware Petition