Slow Win 7 ThinkVantage Power Manager on T4x/T60?

[lukee]

Hello, if you feel that Power Manager from Lenovo is slow on your system, especially on the older ThinkPads (T4x/T60), check my blog where you can find what was helpful for me - yes I get rid of the ThinkVantage Power Manager: http://www.kryske.cz/2011/07/is-your-th ... -slow.html. I will also extend the blog with the ThinkPad hints and tips soon.

Admin edit: Adjusted Subject to reflect content

[dr_st]

It is known that the Power Manager is optional software, not mandatory, and if one doesn't like it, he/she can uninstall.

Personally I keep it precisely for the features you mentioned as missing from the Windows interface - battery information and battery management (charge threshold settings). The Power Manager also picks up the battery correctly if you change it on the fly without rebooting - my experience with the Windows power utility was that it often gets confused, and therefore will not display correct time remaining.

If you don't find these useful, of course no reason to keep the Power Manager.

Another tip I can give, since you mentioned older Thinkpads - I too don't like the new Power Manager interface on them, so I just use the old pre-1.51 version on all my T4x/T60 machines.

Good luck with expanding your blog, please continue sharing.

[lukee]

Is the old pre-1.51 version compatible with Windows 7 and bug free when using it with the T4x machines?

[dr_st]

I do not know what you mean by "bug free", because I certainly have not encountered any bugs in the recent Power Manager. On the other hand, the old one does appear to have some issue of not always remembering charge thresholds correctly (which I am willing to live with, cause most of the time it's OK, and I prefer to deal with this one flaw than with the heavy graphic interface).

[lukee]

I was mean if there were some major fixes released between the pre-1.51 version and the newest version. Do you have link, where I can download the pre-1.51 version of Power Manager?

[dr_st]

I haven't found any reliable place to download old versions of Lenovo utilities. I have the installer for 1.48. If you want, I can email it to you. The file name is 7vu725ww.exe if you want to look for it yourself. This is the XP installer (not sure if there were ever a Vista/7-specific installer for the old versions.

[ozzymud]

version 1.48 is at:

http://download.lenovo.com/ibmdl/pub/pc ... u725ww.exe

with its README at:

http://download.lenovo.com/ibmdl/pub/pc ... u725ww.txt

You can read about all the changes/fixes at:

http://download.lenovo.com/ibmdl/pub/pc ... u706ww.txt (this is the 1.999 txt info, lists changes all the way back to v1.00)

just scroll to the bottom.

All the txt files show what hardware is supported. 7vu725ww extracts find to c:\drivers, and the setup.exe there installs then runs under Windows 7 without error (not tested on an actual thinkpad, so no clue if if works, but it doesn't complain on a non-thinkpad

Definately a lot to read between 1.48 and 1.99g... Lots of new model support added, some bugs fixed, lots of "features" added... Just read through and see if any of the bugs are important to you or even affect you

For other versions, google for "lenovo power manager version x.xx" (i.e. 1.43)... this should lead you to a filename somewhere... 1.43 == 7vu720ww

then just put that in http://download.lenovo.com/ibmdl/pub/pc/pccbbs/mobiles/ and add .txt or .exe

[dr_st]

then just put that in http://download.lenovo.com/ibmdl/pub/pc/pccbbs/mobiles/ and add .txt or .exe

That's a great thing to know! Thanks.

It's good that they keep the old versions available even though they no longer link to them directly.

[ozzymud]

Yea, but I WISH they would give folder level access or even better FTP access to the files... Guess they are too cheap or ?paranoid? to allow access or use the bandwidth


but there is always: http://download.lenovo.com/ibmdl/pub/pc ... 0index.txt

Problem is it ain't been updated in YEARS

[dr_st]

Yea, but I WISH they would give folder level access or even better FTP access to the files

Yes, I was quite disappointed when in the overhaul to the new PSREF locations (Tabook, etc.) they took away the option to grab all the files simultaneoulsly via FTP.

[slaterlp]

Hi all,

Hope nobody minds me opening this old thread again. .

T60 1952A97, currently running XPpro sp3. 2GB ram 220gb HDD.

Because XP is now officially coming to an end, -- sadly-- , I thought I'd invesitgate Windows 7. So I recently tried an install of W7 Pro, service Pack 1.

The first problem I had was with the windows built in power manager. I prefer to control the battery charge level. So I downloaded a late-ish version of Thinkpad Power manager from Lenovo, and installed it. But it wouldn't run properly. I couldn't set my own schemes or access all of the features. But I could set the battery charge level.

Then I used the Lenovo update manager to choose the updates I needed, and it installed the latest version of power manager. That does run, but I don't like it.. It's slow, and I don't like the "new look".

So now I'm back to XP pro, until I get all the information I need to install W7 as I want it to behave.

Question1. On my XPpro I'm running thinkpad power manager version 1.12. I've found it to be completely reliable. Will this run on W7?

Question 2. can windows7 power manager be disabled?

[RealBlackStuff]

No answers to your questions, but to run W7 properly, you should increase RAM to 2GB+1GB.
T60 cannot use more than 3GB anyway.

[dr_st]

The new (post-1.51 something) slow and bloated Power Manager UI is something that's been annoying to quite a few people.

Unfortunately, power management is one of the most tricky, fault-prone aspects of the operating system. Therefore, even if the old version will run, you are likely to experience various issues small and big due to the fact that it was never designed to run on or tested with new operating systems.

[slaterlp]

Hi.

Ok thanks for that. I'll check out ebay for an extra 1GB ram.

I've also downloaded Power manager 1.48, from the link in a previous post in this thread. So when I feel inclined to have another go installing W7. I'll try it out.

Meanwhile. My XP pro installation is so stable and reliable, that I really wish I didn't have to replace it. What's the likely outcome of ignoring the end of XP support, and just plodding on with what I have?

[dr_st]

Meanwhile. My XP pro installation is so stable and reliable, that I really wish I didn't have to replace it.

You don't.

What's the likely outcome of ignoring the end of XP support, and just plodding on with what I have?

Nothing.

[slaterlp]

Really? I hope so. I've been reading all kinds of dire warnings about hacking and security etc, and no more support for IE8. -- I guess I can use FF or chrome.

If nothing bad will happen, what's all the hype about? Are we(me) being conned?

[dr_st]

It is certainly possible that you contract some malware that compromises your PC in some way. But is that the likely outcome? I don't think so.

The warnings tend to exaggerate the risks. Hype tends to feed on itself. As far as Microsoft is concerned, they would prefer that you upgrade (because it means potentially a bit more $$$ for them), although I don't think they care so much about it. I believe it's more that they want to be as loud as possible about it so that no one can blame them later for not supporting XP / patching flaws and for not being very clear about the end of support.

[slaterlp]

OK. Thanks for that. That means I don't have to drop everything soon and install W7. I'll wait to see what happens to me. lol. I already get daft calls from India telling me my computer has been hacked. I just ignore them, and so far the house hasn't burned down, I haven't had any money stolen from my card or bank account, and i haven't lost any data.

Probably speaking too soon now. .

[RealBlackStuff]

I already get daft calls from India telling me my computer has been hacked. I just ignore them, and so far the house hasn't burned down, I haven't had any money stolen from my card or bank account, and i haven't lost any data. Probably speaking too soon now. .

The problem with your country is: not enough chiefs and too many Indians!
If you have a phone with Caller ID, you might check where you are called from...

[slaterlp]

I do ask, prompted by the Delhi or Bombay accent. They seem quite happy to tell me it's one of the Inidan security offices of Microsoft. My usual reply begins and ends with with F. LOL.

[crashnburn]

Lol!

[exTPfan]

Those daft calls from India have been going on for years --- they have nothing to do with April 8. The only problem with using XP after April 8 is that Microsoft hacks your computer and pops up warning messages, but these are fairly easy to get rid off. Delete a couple of obvious items from StartUp to get rid of the warnings at start up, and use an earlier version of Security Essentials to stop its warning messages.