R61: recently installed xp professional, need help with drivers!

[allen227]

I recently wiped my hard drive and installed xp pro. This is the second time in a few years I have done this. However this time I have found it very difficult to find the right drivers. I remember having only one problem last time which was with the audio driver. I ended up saving that file on a zip drive and have already re installed it, the sound seems fine so I guess that driver is fine. The machine is not here so I can't tell you exactly what driver it is but I can tell you it is a Legacy audio driver. Tonight was the first night I had it connected to the internet and had to do it through a cable as I can't seem to get the wireless working. I used the auto detect feature on Lenovo website and it came up with all kinds of drivers for just about everything. I'm not sure what drivers I actually need. The audio drivers it lists are completely different from the one I have installed and working, however if the ones listed will do better than I wouldn't mind switching. I really need to get the wifi working first as it is a real pain to connect it with the cable due to where it has to sit. Over the past month before I could get on the net I tried installing several different drivers from Lenovo via a mem stick. None of them worked. Now I tried one that the wizard listed also with no luck. I think it listed 4 different wireless LAN drivers for my operating system, how do I know which one to use? Have I created a problem by installing to many different wireless LAN drivers, not sure if they just over write or if I need to manually uninstall Evert time one doesn't work. I could have more than one installed but I am not sure how to check . If it auto detects what's on my machine why does it give me 4 options? Here is my machines numbers TYPE 7733-A98 Please excuse me as I tried to explain this the best I could. I can find my way around a computer okay, I guess you could say I know just enough to be dangerous. So please excuse my ignorance. Thanks in advance

[zoltanthegypsy]

I usually take the easy way and just install ThinkVantage System Update.  Run it and it will pull down and install all the appropriate drivers and apps for your machine.  You did say you could access the internet with a wired connection?

System Update 3.15

Installation instructions for System Update 3.15

Z.

[allen227]

UPDATE I tried all the tried all the wireless LAN drivers listed from the auto detect feature with absolutely no joy! As I was looking at the rest of the downloads listed there I came across the ThinkVantage Technology section and downloaded ThinkVantage Productivity Center Pack for Vista, XP, 2000- Thinkpad. Also listed under the ThinkVantage Technology section I found ThinkVantage System Update. There ere two of them but version 3.15 supports XP, where as the newer version 4.03 is for window's 7. This tool is a life saver. After I installed it, (Note, at the request of the system update tool I had to ilocate, download and install net framework which was not present on my machine first) it showed up under maintenance in me ThinkVantage Productivity Center as Update my system. I ran it and a list of drivers and fixes showed up. Unlike Lenovo site, there was only one wireless LAN driver. I allowed the program to install it and presto! I now have wifi! Now this was easy! I have since had it install all the drivers it suggested and all is good, after the chip set drivers installed it found graphic drivers, then HD audio drivers even the modem driver. lso a bunch of system tools. If you are having trouble, I highly recommend you download and install in this order, ThinkVantage Productivity Center Pack, then ThinkVantage System Update ( make sure you get the right version for your operating system as there are two versions, 3.15 and 4.03). I am no techie but if I were this tool would be on the top of my list of suggestions for issues with finding and installing the proper drivers, especially for newly installed operating systems like mine. I just wanted to post this hoping it could help some one looking for similar answers.

[allen227]

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zoltanthegypsy wrote:

I usually take the easy way and just install ThinkVantage System Update.  Run it and it will pull down and install all the appropriate drivers and apps for your machine.  You did say you could access the internet with a wired connection?

System Update 3.15

Installation instructions for System Update 3.15

Z.

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LOL.... As I was posting my long update you posted that very suggestion. Too funny. In all my searching this forum I never saw a word till now about the system update. I appreciate the reply, Thanks. And, yes I was able to connect via wired connection.

[zoltanthegypsy]

Ah, great minds think alike

Glad you got it working.

Now, how about hitting the appropriate "ACCEPT AS SOLUTION" button?

Z.