Ordering T510:Questions: Sound,Disk encryption,Wifi adaptor

[nikhilkodilkar]

Buying a new laptop after 3 years and can't believe there is no other laptop that comes close to the price/value & quality of a thinkpad.
Am I glad or what !

The T510 I'm ordering has however got me thinking -

1.) What is the "250GB with 7200 rmp with Disk Encryption". Question being about "Disk Encryption".
a.) Is this the same thing as FDE.
b.) And when will a password be prompted ? At the boot time/login time ?
c.) If someone removes the hard drive and puts it in a desktop as a secondary, will they be able to view it ?
d.) If the above disk is bought, is the "BitLocker" with Windows 7 ultimate useless ?

2.) Which wireless adapter to buy and does it really matter ?
I did read that there were 2 antennas & 3 antennas etc. But has anyone really used it and seen a significant difference ?
Here are the 4 options -
a.) ThinkPad bgn Wireless
b.) Intel Centrino Wireless-N 1000 [$0.00]
c.) Intel Centrino Advanced-N 6200 (2x2 AGN) [add $20.00]
d.) Intel Centrino Ultimate-N 6300 (3x3 AGN) [add $40.00]
e.) Intel Centrino Advanced-N + WiMAX 6250 [add $55.00]


3.) Expresscard -
Has anyone used an expresscard ? I know T510 has a slot for it. I'm trying to understand, where/how people actually use it.

4.) I have read mixed reviews about T510 (4313) about Sound quality.
I currently use a T61 and the sound is a lot better than T60p I had. Can anyone with a T510 please let me know how the sounds quality is ?
The sound quality in T60p is horrendous.



Thanks for reading through.
Advice me my friends !

[Mutnat]

2.) Which wireless adapter to buy and does it really matter ?
I did read that there were 2 antennas & 3 antennas etc. But has anyone really used it and seen a significant difference ?
Here are the 4 options -
a.) ThinkPad bgn Wireless
b.) Intel Centrino Wireless-N 1000 [$0.00]
c.) Intel Centrino Advanced-N 6200 (2x2 AGN) [add $20.00]
d.) Intel Centrino Ultimate-N 6300 (3x3 AGN) [add $40.00]
e.) Intel Centrino Advanced-N + WiMAX 6250 [add $55.00]

Real-life difference is probably small to none in most cases. If you're using a newer high-end Wireless-N router which allows 3 simultaneous streams, you will find faster performance from the 6300 with it's 3 antennas. Or if you think you might upgrade to one of these routers during the time you have your laptop, it's probably worth the extra $ over the 6200. The 6250 is a 6200 but with WiMAX wide-area networking built in. If you live in an area with WiMAX Coverage (from say Sprint, or some other WiMAX provider) and want to pay a monthly fee for WiMAX, then the 6250 is a no-brainer.

Honestly I wouldn't bother with the ThinkPad bgn or the Intel 1000 personally, considering it's only $20 to get to the 6200. I'd get the 6200 at a minimum, the 6250 if you want WiMAX, or the 6300 if you want maximum throughput with a future router. Some say there may be cases where you can get a more stable connection when located physically far away from the router when you've got 3 antennas, regardless of the # of streams on the router, but I'm not personally convinced of that.

Here's some more info on the number of antennas and multi-streaming, courtesy of Wikipedia: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Wireless_N ... f_antennas

3.) Expresscard -
Has anyone used an expresscard ? I know T510 has a slot for it. I'm trying to understand, where/how people actually use it.

I've never personally used an Expresscard slot, after several years of laptop usage. However, what they can offer you is support for new I/O standards such as USB 3.0 or other future connectivity. Bear in mind though that the ExpressCard slot is slower than the maximum USB 3.0 speed, so you may not get the max USB 3.0 performance by using an ExpressCard USB 3.0 adapter. On the other hand, it should still be much faster than USB 2.0!

4.) I have read mixed reviews about T510 (4313) about Sound quality.
I currently use a T61 and the sound is a lot better than T60p I had. Can anyone with a T510 please let me know how the sounds quality is ?

The built-in speakers leave a lot to be desired (read: they are pretty lousy). I haven't used the headphone port much so can't really comment on that, but I'd expect the output from that port to be decent if not pretty good, since it's not limited by the cheap speakers.

I didn't say anything about the Disk Encryption options since I'm not too familiar with how those work to be honest. I *think* that you have to enter a password at boot time (before the OS can boot) and that the disk would be unreadable on another computer, and that bitlocker would essentially be redundant, but I don't know for sure.

[nikhilkodilkar]

Thanks Mutnat !! That was a great reply !!
Helped me a lot !!

Hopefully someone can throw some light on the encryption.

[zekeblue]

I've got a T510 with a Seagate 500GB encrypted disk. I believe it is the same line as what Lenovo offers, but bigger than their max size available. It is the same as FDE (full disk encryption). It is hardware encryption rather than software like bitlocker. It therefore creates less drag on drive speed, at least theoretically. You obviously would not need/use bitlocker with an encrypted disk.

The drive operates unencrypted when you first get it. You enter a HD password in your BIOS and the drive will then be encrypted. You enter the password as soon as the computer starts, before windows loads. You only have to enter it with a full start, not a restart. If someone removed it from your computer, they would not be able to read the data.

[AMATX]

...

The drive operates unencrypted when you first get it. You enter a HD password in your BIOS and the drive will then be encrypted. You enter the password as soon as the computer starts, before windows loads. You only have to enter it with a full start, not a restart. If someone removed it from your computer, they would not be able to read the data.

Is this a potential show-stopper problem if you set up the bios/drive to be password protected and your laptop craps out? Moving the HD to another laptop, it'd be unusable, and with your usual Tpad dead, would you be totally locked out from using the HD anywhere??

[zekeblue]

Is this a potential show-stopper problem if you set up the bios/drive to be password protected and your laptop craps out? Moving the HD to another laptop, it'd be unusable, and with your usual Tpad dead, would you be totally locked out from using the HD anywhere??

Good question. I am assuming you can move the drive between computers with drive compatible BIOS' but have asked the question on the Seagate forum to verify:

http://forums.seagate.com/t5/ATA-and-Se ... td-p/51481

[Navck]

The 6300 in theory can also have "superior range" over the 6200:
Multiple antenna sensitivity to signal and the theoretical capability to have a faster wireless connection while being at the same range or equal connection speed while at further range. (Discuss with your radio controlled vehicle crowd or RF hobbist crowds (HAM, etc).)

[nikhilkodilkar]

Thanks Zeke, AMATX & Navck.

Zeke - Where did you order the seagate 500gb encrypted ? Would like to get one for my other computer in that case.
Please do update us what you find from the seagate forum.

Does anyone know if Bitlocker can be bought separately ? I'm going with Windows 7 pro. 64 bit. I would like to encrypt all backup drives with it.
If not I'll go with truecrypt or something similar.

[zekeblue]

Thanks Zeke, AMATX & Navck.

Zeke - Where did you order the seagate 500gb encrypted ? Would like to get one for my other computer in that case.
Please do update us what you find from the seagate forum.

Does anyone know if Bitlocker can be bought separately ? I'm going with Windows 7 pro. 64 bit. I would like to encrypt all backup drives with it.
If not I'll go with truecrypt or something similar.

I bought it from newegg.com for $130.

I don't know if you can buy bitlocker, but there are free alternatives that perform the same function, www.truecrypt.org for example is widely used and respected.

.

[Mutnat]

Does anyone know if Bitlocker can be bought separately ? I'm going with Windows 7 pro. 64 bit. I would like to encrypt all backup drives with it.

Sadly, no. You have to have either Ultimate or Enterprise edition o Win 7 to get Bitlocker. You can upgrade your Pro to Ultimate online by paying MS a fee. This is a new feature in Windows 7 called "Windows Anytime Upgrade". However, if memory serves me correctly, the upgrade from Pro to Ultimate is pretty pricey. If you think you need Bitlocker (vs something like truecrypt, or a hardware-encrypte hard drive), then I'd suggest you just bite the bullet and pay for an Ultimate license when you order you new laptop. It should be cheaper in the long run than buying the laptop with Pro and using Anytime Upgrade to move to Ultimate.

[zekeblue]

Is this a potential show-stopper problem if you set up the bios/drive to be password protected and your laptop craps out? Moving the HD to another laptop, it'd be unusable, and with your usual Tpad dead, would you be totally locked out from using the HD anywhere??

Good question. I am assuming you can move the drive between computers with drive compatible BIOS' but have asked the question on the Seagate forum to verify:

http://forums.seagate.com/t5/ATA-and-Se ... td-p/51481

UPDATE: Seagate tech indicates that the drive is mated to the computer on which it is installed. Data cannot be accessed outside of the computer in any way:

FDE drives are tricky. I don't fully understand how they work either, so I asked one of our lead techs. He told me that the drive encryption interfaces with the motherboard of the original system into which the drive is installed, and so the unlock with password OR erase option you get in the original system would not even appear if the drive were installed in a different computer. You'd simply be stuck with a useless drive (when installed in that second computer) unless you use a secure erase on it, then start over.

SeaTools for DOS can do that kind of erase, once it's installed in the 2nd system, just FYI.

However, I get the feeling that's not what you're after. Sorry about that - it's part of the way that FDE drives can be so secure. They only work on one computer at a time, and only with the password.

Given all that, it is absolutely essential that the data be backed up, preferably in more than one place (to protect against backup failure). Ie, three copies of your data. But no less than two, ever.

Does that answer your question? Sorry it took a while and that it wasn't the best or most convenient news...

So, aside from a data backup, it would be prudent to do images every week or so to avoid having to do software reinstall/reconfigure if the computer failed and the drive was to be moved to another system.

I hope to test this maybe this weekend simply moving my drive to my wife's laptop and see if I can enter my password and access the drive or not.
.

[AMATX]

WHOA! Definitely a show stopper, if an encrypted drive is 'wedded' to a specific computer.

Been in the 'puter biz wayyy long enough to know that any single point of failure is a disaster in the making.

Off the top of my head, I'd guess that if one wants encryption, then they oughta have the drive backed up in at least two current restoration images(Acronis, etc.). Think that's too much? Well, what if your one-and-only backup craps before you can finish restoring from it? That little tidbit goes back to 3420 tape drives(for any old farts on the board).

For personal systems, probably doesn't hurt to store some ready-to-go backups in a safe in the house. As $$$ permit, I plan to implement some sort of drive duplicator, shove the copy in a safe type of backup, using cheap drives.

Storage is cheap; lost data and downtime aren't.

[zekeblue]

New information, this time directly from Lenovo.........

Well, it looks like you can change computers with one of these drivers according to Lenovo's FAQ, which I believe is really Seagate's as they use Seagate FDE drives:

Can I move an encrypted drive to another ThinkPad and still access the data?
Yes. The encryption key is not system specific. Since the key is maintained by the drive, it is possible to move the drive to another system still access the data.

Here is the link to the full FAQ:
http://www-307.ibm.com/pc/support/site. ... 69621.html

I still haven't had a chance to test this by trying to access my drive in another computer.

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