Starting from scratch again with T60

[ark]

I have a widescreen T60 (running Windows XP SP3) that consistently hangs when I try to install a particular USB driver. I've been hunting around in other fora for a way to solve that problem, but so far there isn't much luck.

I'm thinking, therefore, that this might be a good occasion to try reinstalling everything from scratch on a brand new disk and getting myself some more space into the bargain. To that end I've ordered a 500GB 7200RPM disk.

My strategy is to install the disk and boot the "restore factory configuration" CD I made shortly after I got the machine. Then install all the Windows XP updates that have accumulated since then. Then install all the latest versions of the system drivers, etc. Finally, reinstall all my applications.

I figure this will take me about a week of babysitting, but at the end I'll have a machine that will have much less grunk and accumulated broken bits than if I tried to migrate my current disk. Because all the data on this laptop is copied from my desktop machine anyway, there is no risk of losing anything important aside from my time.

Is this a sensible strategy? Or is there a much easier way to do it? I'm thinking there's not much to gain from going to Windows 7 because of the 3GB memory limitation, and a new laptop will be that much cheaper if I can get another couple of years out of this one.

[Harryc]

This sounds like a reasonable/conventional approach to me. To save time, after you install all MS updates, also install the optional .net framework. Then download, install, and run Thinkvantage system update. It will pull down and install the most recent Lenovo drivers for you. The ones on the recovered factory image will be old.
http://www-307.ibm.com/pc/support/site. ... pdate.html

[ark]

Last time I looked at Lenovo System Update, it had auto-installed the wrong version of something and put the machine into a state from which it was hard to recover. So I'm more inclined to go through the device driver file matrix and do things by hand one at a time.

[Harryc]

Last time I looked at Lenovo System Update, it had auto-installed the wrong version of something

First, System Update does not 'auto-install' anything. You have to manually check off what you want (or don't want) it to install and then click an install button. Secondly, if it installed an incorrect driver for you that was definately a one off. I've used it hundreds of times on as many machines and have never seen it recommend a wrong driver. Now, there's been many cases where Lenovo has released a buggy driver, so perhaps that's what you experienced.

[ark]

Hmmm... It's been long enough since I've used it that maybe I'm misremembering.

When the new disk arrives, I'll give it a try.

[RealBlackStuff]

And if SU suggests a BIOS update, do NOT do that inside a running Windows.
Rather, download the .iso BIOS file and make a bootable CD, from which you then install the new BIOS.

[ark]

And if SU suggests a BIOS update, do NOT do that inside a running Windows.
Rather, download the .iso BIOS file and make a bootable CD, from which you then install the new BIOS.

I have the latest BIOS.