10 Smart Tips For Traveling With Your Laptop

I decided to create a list of my top tips for making traveling with a laptop easier and safer. Whether you use a laptop for business or personal use, most likely you take it with you as you travel. This can be short day to day trips such as office to home, or longer business trips. Whichever way your laptop tags along, you can use some or all of these tips to make your life easier.

The available options and accessories for laptops are endless. My selections incorporate not only some of the most needed accessories, but I also wanted to include security steps you should take to ensure your laptop remains protected.

1. BIOS Password
This is a must. Do not overlook securing your laptop in case it gets lost or stolen. It is simple enough to enter the BIOS on boot-up and enter a power-on password and also a hard drive password. The power-on password should be supervisor level which cannot be reset by clearing the CMOS. Also a hard drive password prevents someone from installing your drive in another machine to access your data.

2. Good Carry Case
This is a given and the selection of carry cases is such that you will be able to find the one that is best for you. I wanted to mention the backpack type carry bag. These are popular because they offer a lot of space for accessories in addition to your laptop. Backpacks also distribute the weight evenly and centered across your back which is much more comfortable than a shoulder bag that digs in after a few minutes. Again, the selection is wide for backpacks and you should find one appropriate to you.

3. Spare Battery/ AC adapter
I combined spare battery and AC adapter because I think both can be equally necessary. It makes sense to have a backup battery if you're in a situation that you cannot connect an AC adapter. A nice AC adapter option for Thinkpads is the Lenovo 90W AC/DC Slim Combo Adapter, it is compact and made for portability.

4. USB Options
I've included various USB options for your laptop in this category. One such option is a USB flash/pen drive. You can store needed files to it for backup purposes or sensitive files you want to keep off the laptop. Another option is a full USB hard drive that lets you do complete backups of your system on the fly. Both USB devices come in various sizes to meet your file needs.

5. Software Firewall/ Antivirus Protection
This goes back to security. It's always a good idea to install and run antivirus software on your machine for virus protection. Just as important is a software firewall, especially if you connect to wireless networks in your travels.

6. Wireless Mouse/ Ethernet Cable/ Cable Lock
Any additional accessory you deem necessary can be included but a few handy ones to have are a wireless mouse, ethernet cable and cable lock. These are pretty self explanatory as you never know when you might need them and the cable lock is another way to keep your laptop from walking off.

7. Screen Protector/ Privacy Filter
This is more for situations such as airplane travel where you find yourself sitting close to other people. A privacy filter goes over the LCD screen and blocks side viewing, but lets the person directly in front of the screen to see clearly.

8. Laptop Stand/ Lap Holder
Setting your laptop directly on your lap can get quite warm so a lap holder is just the answer. It simply goes in between and protects your lap from the heat of the laptop.

9. Backup Often Before Your Trip
A good policy to follow is backup often. A portable computer is more likely to have hard drive failures simply because of all the movement. So why not reduce the risk of losing your data by backing up at home or the office before you even start your trip? An easy backup software tool is built right into the Windows operating system. Backup to CD, DVD, or another drive.

10. LoJack For Laptops
This one I have not used but I think is very cool and worth considering. The description below is from the company who makes the product:

Computrace LoJack for Laptops by Absolute Software, Inc., is a computer tracking and loss control software service. It can help authorities to determine the location of a lost or stolen when the system is reconnected to the Internet. When the software is properly installed and working on your computer, the Absolute Software Monitoring Center acts as a sentinel, keeping track of Computrace-equipped PCs. Absolute Software's Web-based reports give you unlimited access to your PC asset data, 24 hours a day.

So that's it. These are my top 10 tips for making any trip easier, more secure and hopefully a complete success.
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Thinkpad Top 4 Hardware Issues

I have gathered the top hardware issues I’ve seen with Thinkpads. These seem to be the most common problems not only with Thinkpads but all laptops. . In this post I try to provide problem determination steps to help users resolve these issues themselves before having to call Lenovo support.

These are the top issues discussed:

Battery Charging/Battery Life
Hard Drive Crash
LCD/Video Panel
Power On Issues

Battery Issues:
We’ll start with the battery not charging at all. Obviously check your AC adapter connections to the Thinkpad and to the wall outlet. It happens where we assume the adapter is still plugged into the wall outlet but isn’t and when we trace it down feel silly. If this isn’t the problem then remove the battery from the laptop. Does the AC adapter power the Thinkpad by itself? It should, and we know it is functioning properly. Reinstall the battery and look for the charging light to come on located on the lower part of the LCD panel. If you get no sign of life then it appears your battery has failed and should be replaced.

How about a battery that doesn’t last very long? Battery life normally decreases with age and usage. You can employ power management schemes through the BIOS or Windows to use less power. If you have an older battery that is labeled NiMH you can completely drain the battery then charge it fully to condition it and extend it’s life. Do not do this with the newer Lithium Ion(Li-Ion) batteries, it will cause damage. If you’re still not happy with the battery life after taking these steps you might need to replace it.

Some older Thinkpad batteries have been recalled by Lenovo. They will replace them free of charge if the battery meets the requirements. This link has the recall information.


Hard Drive Issues:
I cover hard drive testing in a previous post. See it for diagnostic tools and steps to take to try and recover data.


LCD Panel issues:
Common problems with LCD panels are seeing no video or very dim video. First make sure the Thinkpad is powered on and not in suspend or hibernate mode. Check the presentation mode by pressing Fn and F7 at the same time. This enables the switching of video output between the LCD and an external display. You want to make sure the video is directed to the laptop’s LCD screen. Also disconnect anything external to the Thinkpad including a dock or port replicator. Next see if you can increase the dimness setting by pressing Fn and Home key. This increases the brightness of the screen and might help if the image you see is very dim. Lastly, reboot the Thinkpad to see if any video shows up during boot up and POST.

Power On Issues:
Some power problems might be related to the battery but here I’ll talk about not being able to power on the machine at all. The first check is to plug the AC adapter into the Thinkpad and look for the power status indicator to come on. You should see a light on the lower part of the LCD panel. This just indicates that the laptop is receiving power which is what we want to see. If you still are unable to power on the laptop then unplug everything and remove the battery. Reseat the hard drive and other devices installed. You can take this opportunity to reseat the memory modules if you wish. I have links to access memory on T6x models and T4x models. Now, plug in the AC adapter but leave the battery removed and try to power on the laptop. If it still will not power up you may have a motherboard issue. Call Lenovo support for replacement.

Lenovo W500 Further Review and OS Install

This is a continuation of my previous look at the Lenovo W500 Thinkpad. Please read my first posting which lists the specifications and my initial impressions. In this review I cover installing Windows Vista, device drivers and software applications, including ThinkVantage System Update. Then I’ll wrap up with my final thoughts.

In the previous post I said the Thinkpad W500 model number is 4061-AC4 with the following specs:

*Processor is an Intel Core 2 Duo P9400(2.53.GHZ)
*ATI Mobility FireGL V5700 graphics
*Switchable Graphics(see below)
*15.4 inch WUXGA(1920 X 1200) LCD widescreen display
*160GB 7200rpm SATA hard disk drive
*4GB PC3-8500 DDR3 memory
*Mini PCIe 802.11 wireless – Intel 5300
*Intel 82567 1GB ethernet
*CDRW/DVDRW drive

It had Windows XP installed and was working great, all the components were recognized and was a stable system. I decided however to install Windows Vista because of the ability to switch between the graphics chipsets on the fly from within Vista. Windows XP does not have this application or ability; you have to do it through the BIOS. I wanted to check it out and see if switching the graphics through the software was really as slick as I was hoping.. Also wanted to see the overall perceived performance of Vista on this hardware. Other than that I am not a big fan of Vista and am waiting for the official release of Windows 7. Small-Laptops.com has an article on Windows 7 and the different versions that will be available.

OK, now for the install. I booted off the Vista Ultimate CD and installed it using the whole drive and chose a user name, etc; you know the routine. I logged in after the install was finished and looked in the device manager. I was surprised to find so many components not installed with device drivers. A few of them were the network adapters, security devices and the video driver had issues. I wanted to test out how well the ThinkVantage System Update worked installing these device drivers as well as what software applications I could install through the application.

I downloaded the LAN Ethernet adapter driver which was the Intel 82567LM Gigabit Network driver on another machine that could get to the Lenovo website. Then I transferred the file to the W500 using a USB thumb drive. Once the Ethernet driver was installed I could install everything else I needed from the W500 itself.

My next step was to download and install the ThinkVantage System Update application version 3.14 from Lenovo. On it’s initial run it reported it had to connect to Lenovo to update itself which failed. After repeated attempts the update finally was successful and it pulled down all the latest drivers I needed, available ThinkVantage applications I could install and critical updates. I chose applications such as onscreen display, power manager, productivity center, Access Connections and Active Protection system. After all was said and done the laptop rebooted and after logging in I checked the device manager once again. All the devices were now installed properly, the software apps I wanted were installed and I was set to go. I then went to Windows Update and applied all the Security and Hotfixes that were recommended.

I did have to download the Thinkpad Switchable Graphics driver myself though, I’m not sure why system update did not do this for me. The switchable graphics driver installs without much information and I didn’t know how to launch the application. It turns out all you have to do is right click on the power meter and you’re presented with an option to switch between Energy Saving mode and High Performance mode. Energy Saving option uses the Mobile Intel graphics chip and High Performance utilizes the ATI FireGL chip. Interestingly enough, choosing the energy saving option gave me a brighter screen than I had in high performance mode. In any case, the application worked as expected which was great but I guess I was expecting some more fanfare or something exciting to happen as the graphics switched chipsets. Oh well, it’s a nice feature to save energy and extend battery life.

Conclusion:
In the end I like the Lenovo W500 Thinkpad very much. The LCD panel is bright, clear and offers good resolutions. The machine is well built and offers features suitable for most users. Performance is plenty fast for a laptop and includes energy savings settings to improve battery life. With a 15.4 inch widescreen display the machine is somewhat large and I wouldn’t want to lug it around airports or for travel very often. I could however, use it as an everyday machine and not sacrifice speed or performance.

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Automatically Update Your Thinkpad With ThinkVantage System Update

Want to install updates to your Lenovo machine but don’t know exactly what you need or where to find the files you need?

ThinkVantage System Update 3.14 can automatically install and apply updates to software, drivers, firmware and BIOS all from one application. It can be configured to run fully automated where it downloads and installs updates on a scheduled basis or manual mode, where you control how and when it runs.

System Update installs under Windows 2000, XP and Vista and requires Microsoft .NET Framework version 2.0 or better to work correctly. The newest release of System Update, version 3.14, seems to be more stable and work much better. I had the previous release installed and frequently received an error message while gathering information and the application would stop. This new release has run flawlessly for the several times I have run it. I usually like to download and install updates myself and am cautious about applying updates to drivers from Windows Update, but so far this application has been pretty nice to use.

Download and install ThinkVantage System Update to make keeping your Thinkpad up-to-date easier than ever. See the full installation instructions from Lenovo here.

Recycle Your Lenovo and Get Paid

People today are concerned with protecting the environment more than ever before. We look for ways to be energy efficient and are encouraged to recycle, reduce and reuse. Companies are no different and many are getting involved in their own recycling programs.

Lenovo has partnered with ECO International to offer an easy solution to recycle used electronics. ECO either reuses equipment or dismantles and recycles it, there is a zero landfill policy. There is free shipping on all Lenovo products and on select IBM products. Plus, you can also recycle other manufacturer’s electronics and receive a reward for any device that can be reused.

Just follow a three-step process to enter information about your electronics. ECO will estimate a dollar reward based on the information entered and if they can reuse it. Once they receive the equipment they send you the money. Shipping is free for all Lenovo products and all products that qualify for a reward. What a great way to be Green.. and get a reward for it.

Use the Lenovo recycle program for your electronics: http://lenovo.ecotakeback.com/

Lenovo W500 Thinkpad Specifications

I finally got hold of a Lenovo W500 Thinkpad. On the outside it looks very similar to a T61 but under the hood are some new and improved upon features. It’s price certainly distinguishes it from the Thinkpad pack by starting at around $1200.00 and adding available options will drive the price higher. Thinkpads are known for their quality, innovation and reliability, so any model you choose you know you're getting your money’s worth. The full features and specifications are listed on Lenovo's website.

The W500 I’m working with is a 4061-AC4 and the specs are as follows:

*Processor is an Intel Core 2 Duo P9400(2.53.GHZ)
*ATI Mobility FireGL V5700 graphics
*Switchable Graphics(see below)
*15.4 inch WUXGA(1920 X 1200) LCD widescreen display
*160GB 7200rpm SATA hard disk drive
*4GB PC3-8500 DDR3 memory
*Mini PCIe 802.11 wireless – Intel 5300
*Intel 82567 1GB ethernet
*CDRW/DVDRW drive

*Switchable Graphics has both an integrated Intel graphics chip and an ATI discrete graphics chip in the system. This enables you to save power and battery life by switching to integrated graphics for day to day use, or use the discrete graphics chip for more intensive applications that need higher performance graphics when needed.

The Thinkpad W500 weighs in at just about 6lbs. which is slightly more than T61 models I have seen. The Switchable Graphics feature is available from inside Windows Vista which is very convenient and means no reboot is required. The model I have is loaded with Windows XP and I can still switch the graphics but have to do so by entering the BIOS; still pretty cool. The performance is very fast as expected as is the wireless connectivity. One option for the W500 I want to briefly explain is a mini PCIe Turbo Memory card. This caches frequently used data for faster performance on Windows Vista installed machines.

Thinkpads have an Energy Star 4.0 rating and the W500 has a Silver rating from EPEAT which means these laptops consume less energy, are more efficient, and make use of recyclable materials. Be sure to check out Lenovo’s Thinkpad Energy Calculator to compare and see your energy savings.

I haven’t used the Thinkpad W500 long enough to have reached a final conclusion, but so far I am very impressed with the machine in terms of both quality and performance. The features packed into the W500 should be plenty for most users for quite some time.

UPDATE: I've added part 2 reviewing the installation of Vista and the graphics options. Find it here.

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T60p Expansion ROM Not Initialized - Intel NIC boot issue

A Thinkpad T60p with an Intel integrated NIC boot error recently came across my desk. The T60p on boot-up would pause with the following message:

Initializing Intel(R) Boot Agent GE v1.2.31

PXE-E05: The LAN adapter's configuation is corrupted or has not been initialized. The Boot Agent cannot continue.

Then after a couple of seconds would beep and display another message:

ERROR
Expansion ROM not initialized - PCI on Motherboard
Bus:00, Device:00, Function:00

Press [ESC] to continue

So after hitting the [ESC] key I entered the BIOS to look around at the settings. Everything was set properly but I changed the ‘Internal Network Option ROM’ setting to disabled just to see what effect it would have.
On reboot I still saw the same error message so I decided to upgrade the BIOS, but to no avail. The error was still there..


Decided it was time to search this issue on the web and see what other people were experiencing. Seems this is a fairly common problem and for some unknown reason the Ethernet NIC got into a screwed up configuration that prevents it from working properly.

The solution was found in a bootable cdrom that reconfigures or resets the ethernet EEPROM. All you have to do is download the .iso file, burn it to cd and boot from it. Then select to run the PROBOOT tool to reset the NIC.

You could also search the Intel site for the PROBoot.exe file, download it and make a bootable floppy, but someone has made it easier by putting the files in a bootable cdrom. Here’s a link to the file -- CDProBOOT-0.2.iso.

--This utility worked for me but I assume no responsibility in others using the utility on their systems. There is potential risk involved whenever you re-program or flash a component on your computer. Use at you own risk.

--UPDATE--
Seems the link above no longer works. Follow these instructions for a manual fix.

Thinkpad and Lenovo 90W Slim AC/DC Combo Adapter

If you travel frequently with your Thinkpad you know well the aggravation and discomfort of lugging around a computer bag full of weighty items. Even if you own an ultraportable notebook the accessories that accompany it can be bulky and not easily packed.

Lenovo now offers a multi-purpose AC/DC power adapter to make life a little easier. The Thinkpad and Lenovo 90W Slim AC/DC Combo Adaptersupplies power to your Thinkpad and charges the battery at the same time. The adapter plugs into a standard AC wall outlet, an automobile power plug or an airplane in-flight power connector.

The thin slim-line adapter is easy to carry and weighs just under a pound. Included interchangeable connector tips provide 20v or 16v output and an option is available to power your notebook as well as another device such as a cell phone simultaneously.

The price for the adapter is $119.95 and includes a carry pouch, AC and DC cables and the voltage tips to power different notebooks.

The specs from Lenovo.com

P/N ----------------- 41N8460
Depth Metric ------- 143.5 mm
Height Metric ------ 15.5 mm
Height US ----------- 0.610 in
Weight Metric[2] --- 0.430 Kg
Weight US[2] ------- 0.95 lbs
Width Metric ------- 78.0 mm
Width US ----------- 3.071 in

Keyboard removal for the IBM/Lenovo T60, T60p

These procedures describe the steps required to remove and re-install the keyboard and palm rest for T60 series Thinkpads.

- Turn off the computer and disconnect the AC adapter.

- Close the display and turn the laptop over.

- Remove the battery.

- Remove four screws that have a drawing of a keyboard securing the palm rest and one screw securing the keyboard.

- Turn the machine over and open the display cover.

- Carefully push on the palm rest and lift it away from the computer.

- Detach the connector from the palm rest to the motherboard.
-Lift the keyboard out of the laptop paying attention to the connector cable attached to the motherboard and detach this cable.

-Reverse these steps to re-install the components.

Lenovo Thinkpad USB Portable Secure Hard Drive

Data security is an important issue in today's world and Lenovo's latest offering provides both security and portability. The Lenovo USB portable secure hard drive is a small, lightweight and easy to use data protection device.

It is available with either 160GB or 320GB hard drives, USB 2.0 and full disk 128bit encryption. It has standby, admin and user modes which are accessed through the numeric keypad on the case. The device's default mode is standby when plugged into a USB port and is also locked which means the computer does not recognize it yet. Simply enter either the admin password or one of 10 programmable user passwords to unlock the device and make it ready for use.

If the drive does get stolen and someone attempts to reset the device, all the data becomes inaccessible and is erased. Both are on the pricey side;the 160GB is $179 and the 320GB is $219; but just might be worth it for the security they provide.

ThinkPad USB Secure Hard Drive - 160GB -- P/N 43R2018
ThinkPad USB Secure Hard Drive - 320GB -- P/N 43R2019


Features and Benefits as listed from Lenovo.com:
* High-speed USB 2.0 Interface
* Compact size
* No requirement for an ac power adapter
* Driverless operation under Microsoft Windows XP and Vista
* All stored data is fully encrypted using the high level AES 128-bit security encryption
* Shock-mounted 320GB 5400 rpm hard drive
* Built-in USB cable with an integral storage slot
* Integrated high quality metal dome switch keypad for entering a 6 to 24 digit password for up to 10 user and 1 administrator ID
* USB extension cable for more flexible distance configurations
* Supplemental USB power cable to ensure adequate USB power
* Attractive protective carrying case
* Non-skid anti-vibration pads
* High quality ThinkPad soft touch paint
* Multi-colored LED device status indicator

Thinkpad Movies

A nice collection of Thinkpad movies covering everything from general descriptions to detailed views of components. They serve as a nice visual guide to the location of the components and as general reference.

T40/40p, T41/41p, T42/42p, T43/43p:
Locations overview movie
Hard disk drive movie
Battery removal movie
Keyboard removal movie
Memory removal under keyboard movie
Palm rest removal movie

T60/60p, T61
Locations overview movie
Hard drive removal movie
Battery removal movie
Keyboard removal movie
Memory removal movie
Palm rest removal

IBM/Lenovo T40/40p, T41/41p, T42/42p fan assembly removal

Is your fan noisy or just fails to start anymore? These instructions guide you through the fan removal process for T4x series Thinkpads.

Remove these parts in order to remove the fan assembly.
-Remove the battery
-Remove the hard drive
-Remove the keyboard
-Remove the palm rest

With the keyboard out of the way you can see the fan assembly on the left side. It is attached with three screws holding the heat sink to the motherboard. The heat sink covers the CPU so be careful in the following steps.

-Remove the three screws holding the assembly
-Either carefully pry or gently wiggle the fan assembly until you can lift it out. It will come out at an angle since it is under the side lip of the machine. You will also need to disconnect it’s connector from the motherboard.

To reinstall the fan assembly you need to apply a small amount of thermal grease to the pad under the assembly.

Palm Rest Removal - IBM/Lenovo T40/40p, T41/41p, T42/42p

Simple instructions for removing and replacing the palm rest for T4x Thinkpads.

Remove these parts in order to remove the palm rest.
-Remove the battery
-Remove the hard drive
-Remove the keyboard

Turn the Thinkpad over. There are five screws on the lip of the machine covered by black plastic tabs. You will need to remove these tabs, I use a razor blade and then save the tabs to re-apply them. After the tabs have been removed take out the screws and take note of their size and placement. The screw on the right side is a little longer and will need to be put back in the same place. There are also several other screws to remove a little farther up on the machine. They will have a small drawing of a memory chip next to them. These screws are different sizes as well so make note of their placement.

-Turn the Thinkpad over and open the display
-Remove the touchpad connector from the motherboard
-Pull the palm rest toward you slightly and lift it up and out.

Reverse the steps to install the palm rest.