I just bought a Microsoft Store T400s.

[roberts5]

With the 40% off coupons they had (http://www.thinkpads.com/2010/01/17/let ... -x301-959/) the T400s at $929 was a steal. It comes with an odd configuration: WXGA+, 2.4GHz, 4GB, 120GB/5400RPM, 5100 WiFi. Not perfect, but nothing an SSD can't fix. Whats really odd is the installed software - it comes with Windows 7 Home installed in 64 bit configuration. Not exactly sure why, but kind of a pita.

Doesn't matter much to me though - Windows XP goin in the SSD when it gets here.

[Harryc]

The price must have gone up..now $1079 in the cart at the MS store.

[roberts5]

You need to use the code "MSStore-PC-40%". Awkwardly, you can only enter it AFTER you put in your address and credit card info.

[Harryc]

Ok thanks

[zhenya]

What's so odd about 64 bit Windows home? This version of Windows they are finally making a push to honestly support 64bit, as well they should. The 3.25GB of RAM addressable by a 32 bit operating system is already a hindrance for many people; 3+ years from now when most machines sold today will still be in service it will be a major limitation. We are currently in the process of moving our entire company to 64bit Windows 7, and there have been surprisingly few incompatibilities.

If you haven't tried Windows 7 yet, I would. After being on XP since day 1, Windows 7 is finally a major improvement with no significant downsides compared to XP. And with a SSD, if you want to keep that high performance up over time, Windows 7 is a must.

[roberts5]

I would think that a (normally) $1600 business oriented unit would come with Windows Professional or Ultimate - not home. I guess MS wants to leave me with the option of upgraded? The bit I played with Windows 7, I was surprised how much I liked it - fast and user friendly. However, at work I use applications which are not officially compatible with Windows 7. Even if they "work" there is a safety and liability risk if I don't run it on an approved OS. This is moot anyway, as I'm told that a some of the software won't work with Windows 7 at all - even in XP mode.

Also, isn't it true that you cannot run any 16 bit application in a 64 bit environment? I guess I'm in the minority that I still need that.

Anyway - what types of applications would someone be using that require more than 3GB of memory but can still run smoothly with integrated graphics? I guess I just never thought of this machine as a full on performance workhorse.

[zhenya]

I'd be awfully surprised if the applications won't run, even in XP mode. XP mode IS Windows XP, just virtualized. We are running it for some older programs that are not yet Vista or 7 compatible, even needing low level stuff like serial port access and it works fine. With Application mode the apps open just like any other app in Windows 7.

It's not necessarily that a single app or two requires that much RAM, but all programs have been growing in their RAM footprints, such that an average user who multi-tasks heavily may use up all 3GB ram they have available to them. Also, many people today use laptops as their only workstation, docked when at home or the office with a regular keyboard/mouse and a couple of full sized monitors. I for one would be able to use my laptop much more fully if I had more RAM and more cpu cores, as I would be able to more fully build my virtual test environment with multiple VM's working on one machine, each of which require at least 512MB RAM and 1 cpu core.

I am psyched about the T400s and waiting for the T410s to become available again because it is pretty much a full-power mid-sized laptop, such as I have now with my z61t, in a super sleek form-factor with even better than average for Lenovo build quality, and it gives up virtually nothing to do it (with a SSD, anyhow).

[Guz]

Also, isn't it true that you cannot run any 16 bit application in a 64 bit environment?

Incorrect.

You CAN run 16 bit applications in a 64 bit environment with out any issues. i.e. 16 bit Word, runs fine in W7-64

You CAN NOT use 16 bit drivers in a 64 bit environment. This is where most people get confused and 'burned' if a manufacturer hasn't written 64 bit drivers. Was a big issue when Vista came out and people had a hard time getting some hardware to work on Vista-64. But most vendors have caught up, although there are still some old products that vendors have abandoned support for 64 bit. You need to do a bit of research if you have old hardware (printers, scanners, for example).

[dr_st]

You CAN run 16 bit applications in a 64 bit environment with out any issues. i.e. 16 bit Word, runs fine in W7-64

I believe you are mistaken.

64bit Windows can run 32bit applications, thanks to WoW, but the original implementation that allowed to run 16bit applications in 32bit is not there, so 16 bit applications will not run.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Windows_on_Windows

64-bit versions of Windows do not include the WoW Win16-support subsystem and therefore cannot run Win16 applications, nor is the NTVDM DOS PC emulator provided. DOS applications therefore cannot be run on a 64-bit edition of Windows unless a third party emulator software is installed.

[skriefal]

Correct. 32-bit applications will work. But 16-bit applications will require some sort of 3rd-party O/S emulation layer -- e.g. Virtualbox, VMWare, DOSBox, etc.

[InitialCondition]

Congratulations on your purchase.

However, check the warranty on your new machine. They will email you a shipping notification with T400s serial number. I hope your machine has a full year warranty, but I am pretty sure that your new T400s may have warranty expiring in 9 to 10 months. Based on my experience, Lenovo will not adjust your warranty to a full year based on your purchase date. I tried, but either Microsoft or Lenovo wouldn't listen.

Anyway, it is a wonderful machine. Enjoy~.

[dr_st]

In the past I made such adjustments to machine warranties twice. The process is: sending Lenovo (in my case, IBM Israel) a copy of the invoice, with the date of the purchase, and they update the end date of the warranty in the system. However, the seller must be an official Lenovo retailer. Maybe Microsoft is not considered such?

[Guz]

I believe you are mistaken.

64bit Windows can run 32bit applications, thanks to WoW, but the original implementation that allowed to run 16bit applications in 32bit is not there, so 16 bit applications will not run.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Windows_on_Windows

Doh!! Yep, I had a brain cramp. 16, 32, 64 - multiples. I was thinking of 32 bit vs 64 bit programs, my bad. That's what I get when posting when I am a bit tired.

My apologies to everyone.

[Schwaby]

Sort of off topic - but do people have thoughts on whether or not the t400s would be able to play Civ IV and the upcoming Starcraft 2 decently? Or would I have to get a T410s for that?

Not a big gamer, but would be nice to play those two games.

Thanks

[roberts5]

Just got xp installed on my new (to me) g2 qwigb samsung ssd. Wooeee! Fast! Idk which is better 30 sec boots or 15 sec shutdowns. Big improvement over my old T42.

Only complaint is the confusions over SSD use with xp. Definitely not straight forward. Anyone looking for good info (hidden in TONS of data) check out the ocz forums.

Also - had reservations about lenovo quality vs older ibms. Not a issue - top notch machine.