Lenovo ThinkVantage System Update vs. Windows Update

[Norman Litell]

I have just acquired a new T410 and want to make sure my system updates are as clean as possible. As with my earlier T43p, I see that Windows Update includes recommended new drivers for things like my NVIDIA graphics card, but these are not included in the ThinkVantage Update package.

I recall that it was generally not safe to use Windows Update for IBM/Lenovo ThinkPad hardware, as IBM/Lenovo had customized some of the hardware and/or drivers for the ThinkPad/ThinkVantage environment. Is this still true.??

I also recall that ThinkVantage Update did not always give me the latest driver and software download options/recommendations for my T43p compared with what the IBM/Lenovo Support website said was the latest and made available for download.

What is the safest approach for my new T410.?? My instinct says use Windows Update only for Microsoft software and rely on Lenovo for ThinkPad-specific items. Even there, though, should I rely totally on ThinkVantage Update, or go to the Lenovo Support site and compare what they have there vs. what I have installed on my system -- a much more complicated system inventory/maintenance chore.??

[EOMtp]

My instinct says use Windows Update only for Microsoft software and rely on Lenovo for ThinkPad-specific items.

You have excellent instincts! (Well, at least one excellent instinct ...)

[nikki605]

You have excellent instincts! (Well, at least one excellent instinct ...)

I would agree. I have never used Windows Update to update TP specific items on my T410. I let System Update take care of those. Haven't had a problem yet.

[blackomegax]

I use windows update for audio. + intel.com for intGPU and wifi, and nvidia.com for dedGPU.
Otherwise i use lenovo.com drivers

[Colonel O'Neill]

My instinct says use Windows Update only for Microsoft software and rely on Lenovo for ThinkPad-specific items.

This. Certain drivers you can find newer than Lenovo offers like the NVidia drivers, wired LAN drivers, but it's generally unnecessary.

[pjk]

What's weird is that I will often see Windows Update show a newer driver for something like a Lenovo LCD panel or Trackpoint, but no Lenovo updates available for that item.

I don't 100% understand how much vendor involvement there is in the Windows Update hardware update category. I get the impression that at least part of the time (all the time? most of the time?) those updates are actually submitted to Microsoft by the hardware vendors, including Lenovo.

[loyukfai]

It seems sometimes the driver database at Lenovo, especially for older models, are not updated when a newer version is made available.

Cheers.

[HLG600]

I'm somewhat annoyed with the current driver portal on Lenovo's website. PITA to use and you have to download their app to download drivers. Windows Update automatically downloaded and updated a handful of drivers, which was nice, but missed some of the important ones. Following my last clean install a few weeks ago, I used both sequentially, with the Windows Update first and the Lenovo System Update afterwards, which caught all the updates that Windows missed. Computer has been running quickly (knock on wood).