Since this was a software problem, it was not covered under the warranty. However, for $59, they would fix the problem. The fix was guaranteed for 72 hours.
I have had two sessions with Lenovo tech support. The only thing they have done is to run system cleanup utilities and delete items from the startup list. The first session lasted for over an hour and the second for nearly two hours. One of the utilities they ran "recovered" several GB from the HDD. It evidently deleted all readmes and text files throughout the disk. The setup and printer files for my checkwriter were also deleted. I could not recover to a point where everything was in tact because that utility also deleted all old restore points.
When the problem recurred after the second "fix," I requested my money back and that I would seek an answer elsewhere. It was difficult contacting tech support this time -- it would ring with no answer or the call would drop or hang. When I did get through, they had to verify that the problem was still there so they connected again to my computer. I showed them the ThinkVantage log file containing another modeswitch failure. I was told that my money would be refunded and was given a confirmation number. When the tech disconnected from my computer, it went crazy and I had to reboot (surely, this was not intentional?).
My guess is that the modeswitch is a glitch in the code (probably sloppy or untested coding). There is some question as to whether the power dial function does anything other than change the color of the light on the computer. If someone has something definitive on this, please let me know. Thanks.
