I bought a used ThinkPad X200 for $126 with no OS in it. I was looking to use it to create or show presentations primarily and code Visual Basic .NET as another function. It's supposed to run Windows Vista based from a bit of Googling but surprisingly fails in running Windows 7 smoothly (it chokes during updating time). I currently have Windows 8.1 on it but the OS just drains the battery a bit too quickly and the lack of hardware acceleration from the iGP makes it difficult with certain programs. I'm considering Linux but I might not be able to run Visual Studio 2010 and Office 2013 through Wine properly (I wasn't even able to install either programs completely on a test run in a VM lol)
That rig will run Win 7x64 without issues as long as there is RAM for it: 7x32 if under 2GB RAM. Install and run Lenovo ThinkVantage System Updater before running Windows Update; Let WU run overnight and surely there will be hundreds of updates waiting: Less if one installs the latest ISO with SP1.... What OS is on the COA (prolly under battery)?
I couldn't get a clear picture of it as most of the text was already gone but I have a good feeling it was Vista or Windows 7 Starter based from the color of the sticker. EDIT: It was Windows XP after looking at it a little harder and looking at the fragments of the text (it was 2005)
X200 works flawlessly with any windows from XP to win 10, and practically with any linux distro. Very little effort is needed to run Macos as well. It's just one of the best machine ever. If you can upgrade the ram and put and swap the HDD for an SSD and it will better than many actual notebooks.
Also: bought and using a 2. hand Laptop, means that the battery is already 'old', and a old battery will not work as long and steady as a new one! In such case (if the battery is already 'old') any OS and the installed software will not work as with a new battery! It's all times recommended to use the Laptop connected to the main power source and on battery only if used on the move (not at home/office)! A Laptop battery will mainly work for the first ~6 month on full power!
Lenovo batteries are usually high quality ones and will last very long, also the intelligent and customizzabile charging system helps a lot. BTW you can see the design and actual power inside the lenovo power manager, so no need to guess about the battery status. Often lenovo releases also updates for the battery firmware
Yeah I definitely agree that this is one of the smartest buys I've ever made. It actually surprised me to have this machine smoke my sister's relatively newer VAIO in performance under Windows 7. I've installed all the updates with the System Update program and am now on the way to installing Windows Updates. Looks to work fine so far, I even managed to update the BIOS
Lenovo machines sold in Asia not the same as sold in Europe or the US etc! They're not the same quality! Just the 'normal' chinese way of doing business!
Yeah I love these machines... Got three of them (X230 i5, T430s i7 and x301 Core 2 Duo) and the are more reliable and durable than most (if not all) machines I have come in contact with. Think you got a great deal and the tip on upgrading RAM and swapping the hard drive with an SSD will frighten you. LOL Have fun with your machine and brag about it when you can. BTW: What OS are you running?
I'm currently on a clean slate with Windows 7. If it works out, I'll stick with that and if not, I'll use Vista
Forget Vista, bro: It will kill your new found joy in no time. lol Glad you got it worked out. Give it a little time to settle in and you will be satisfied with your setup.
Nope, no luck with Windows 7. It succeeds to install 216 out of 225 but ends up locking up then after a reboot Windows Update refuses to search for updates or install any of them (HDD Indicator shows no activity after 2 hours of standby with it not set to sleep). I think I'll just dual-boot Windows XP and Elementar OS then put Office 2010 and Visual Studio (which are the only Windows programs that I need) over to the XP and everything else in Elementary.
As I said W7 has absolutely no problem on X200. Be sure to install all the needed drivers and apps using the thinkvantage system updater.
I did exactly that. I even updated the BIOS, all the drivers were up and running but Windows Update just refuses to cooperate. Might be my ISO we'll see.
It's possible that WU has problems, but that has nothing to do with the X200 itself. Surely would be pointless to install XP which is out of the official support because W7 has problem updating.
The point of having XP is just to have a version of windows that won't need maintaining but at the same time being able to run the specific programs that I need since Wine won't be able to handle neither Office 2010 nor VS 2010 properly