Is a Fresh Win7 install on a W520 is a Death Wish?

[eladbari]

Hey, guys.

Got a Brand New W520 and it seems like everything is running a bit slow.

I figured it might be due to Lenovo's unnecessary bloatware which I dont really use. [After a fresh restart I already have 1.7GB of RAM taken... :$  ]

I was thinking of reinstalling a clean Win7 copy, +Plus installing only the Minimum neccesary Lenovo's drivers.
Problem is-Since there is no clear guide\tutorial on how to achieve that [what exact drivers to install+in what order?], and since Lenovo's tech support dont sound like they know Anything about it all- I'm afraid I will be holding a brick instead of a Laptop in my hands after the reinstall attempt.  :\
Look how many stuff is installed there! Anyone knows which are the Must have ones?
http://tinyurl.com/3welyk4

http://tinyurl.com/3bflfty 

Question is: 
1. Does anyone know what are the Minimum Lenovo's drivers that youd need to install in order to have a functioning W520, minus the bloatware?

[for example- you need the Ultranav drivers so the red-dotted mouse will work...].

2. Also, I dont trust the official Lenovo website to get all of the new drivers. it seems like a dated source and even a bad one! So, which sources should you update these drivers from?

Any help would be amazing! Thank you! :]

[ColonelONeill]

The preload was/is fine for me...

Anything that doesn't look like a driver can be uninstalled such as:
Intel Identity Protection (unless you're in a corporate environment)
Intel Control Center
Intel Management Engine Components (you get a warning in Device Manager, just disable the device)
Lenovo Registration
Lenovo User Guide (I'm assuming you know how to use the computer XD)
Message Center Plus

AutoLock

VIPAccess

If you have a use for any of the above, keep them. (LOL at the new Rapidboot icon.)

Windows needs a week or so for it to settle down.
You should defragment the drive after any serious disk activitiy if you have a platter drive.

Windows will try to fill RAM for a good reason; it caches commonly used files so it doesn't have to retrieve it from the slower drive.

That said, installing a clean Windows 7 is super easy. It'll run out of the box; Windows will download a few drivers and you should be up and running. Windows' driverdatabase tends to be way out of date for certification reasons or something

Drivers go on in pretty much any order, and can be done using System Update.

Note that some have reported lower battery life with a clean install.

[pagroundhog]

Hello,

Personally, I would copy all Lenovo's Win 7 driver's onto a CD or DVD and use them initially after the install. In my situation, I installed the ethernet and wlan drivers first (internet access) then I installed the remaining drivers (in no particular order). 

Regarding Windows 7 performance, I don't think you are going to realize a major increase in performance via a fresh install of Windows 7 (at least I did not with my cheap B575!).

Good luck!

[ColonelONeill]

Or just use System Update and save yourself the hassle.

[eladbari]

Thank you very much for your help, guys.

Heres why im afraid of installing a fresh Win7 copy on this W520:

1.I dont trust Lenovo's database of appropriate drivers that they supply.

The files seem out of date, and even just wrong for the laptop. For example:
I've decided to upgrade my Nvidia 2000m graphics card drivers. Went to Lenovo's driver section > Downloaded their X64 appropriate driver [200mb] > Uninstalled my old one and reinstalled this and I only got that Nvidia HD Audio installed but not the actuall visual drivers. =Weird!!!
Downloaded from Nvidia-and now it works. Hence=Lenovo's Drivers database might give u the wrong\outdated files

2. Still dont know WHAT to install.

I need a list and I need it to be specific!
For example..Ive heard about drivers you need to install for the BIOS. **bleep**!?! I never remember such a thing :\
I thought BIOS is a firmware and not anything that needs software..so thats where i dont know whats mandatory as a driver and whats not :\

[PeterTWJ]

Hi eladbari

To add on:

1. Click Start on the taskbar, type msconfig on the search bar. Enter
Go to Startup tab 
Disable / Uncheck most, except:
Your antivirus software / Security Suites
ThinkPad Power Manager (If you installed it)
ThinkVantage AutoLock (You can uncheck if you do not need auto-locking security, etc.)
ThinkVantage Active Protection System

Microsoft Windows Operating System (if available)

Intel(R) Common User Interface (You may need if you uses Intel Anti-Theft Technology with subscription with Computrace or other)

Doing this would reduce the amount of application tray, loader, etc. It would reduce the memory usage and allows you to startup your computer faster.

2. Disable Services that you probably won;t need
http://www.blackviper.com/Windows_7/registry.htm
Download the Safe script for your version of Windows 7 and double-click, add to registry
If there's any problem or if you want to reverse the process, you could just download the Default script and add to registry, it would go back to default.

This link shows what services is modified or remain the same, etc.
http://www.blackviper.com/2010/12/17/black-vipers-windows-7-service-pack-1-service-configurations/ 

Disable unnecessary services reduce the amount of memory use for the system and at the same time improve system performance and security.

Best Regards 

Peter

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Mark it as solved if the solution works for you, so it could be reference for others in the future 

Refunded Set: W510, 4876-A11

Current Set: W520, 4284-A99

Dolby Home Theater v4!:

http://forums.lenovo.com/t5/W-Series-ThinkPad-Laptops/W520-Sound-Enhancement-Thread/m-p/451401#M1551... 

[harrisb]

What is your RAM and CPU configuration? I respectfully suggest that creating a "fresh" Windows 7 load will not accomplish much in the way of performance and may, in fact, cause problems because of omitted hotfixes, Lenovo specific Windows 7 patches, etc that might make things unstable.

My working set in RAM is 3.19GB with everything loaded (application bases, IE9, etc). Other than initial load time, the Thinkvantage modules are basically idle until actually dispatched.

The Driver Matrix Section for W520 support is not always current, but additional drivers are to be found in the "latest Drivers" section. The ThinkVantage System update tends to lag these support sections, but it does automate the updates instead of have to select items individually.

I just posted a notice for the latest updates. You might try these and see how your system performs before you embark on rebuilding the OS.

YMMV

[eladbari]

So, youre basically suggesting to NEVER re-format your laptop!? Ever?
Impossible.

After a couple of years -every sain person would go through a fresh install of windows. You cant carry all that clutter of files that youve collected with the years, so We cannot just count on Lenovo's "Uber-customization" to Win7. :\ 

[harrisb]

I didn't state "NEVER". You asked about doing a clean install to improve your system's performance. Given that you just received the unit, I suggested that you look at some of the updates that have recently been released (BIOS 1.32 is one), that could make a difference. Regarding file buildup, Microsoft is always releasing updates and those will accumulate up over time, so a "clean" install of Windows might yield less disk space being consumed by the uninstall files. An mSata drive will improve your startup and application launch times (while preserving your original HDD for data) and additional RAM will reduce/eliminate the need for paging. Replacing your HDD with an SSD like an Intel 510 250gb drive will also yield significant performance improvements.

[ColonelONeill]

You can always re-image with the factory image or recovery disks if things go awry in the future.