Question
I am running Windows XP on my system and wish to upgrade it to run Windows 7 Ultimate X64.
How can I determine whether or not I can easily upgrade?
Answer
Lenovo provides full Windows 7 support for ThinkPads T400/500, X200, W500/700, SL300/400/500 and newer systems. Windows 7 drivers were made available for the '61 series and equivalent generation Think systems and many Idea systems.
Many earlier model systems can also support Windows 7 based on the Microsoft Windows 7 system requirements. While there may not be unique Windows 7 drivers available for these older systems on the Lenovo website, Microsoft Windows 7 ships with many device drivers for hardware so they work "out of the box".
Drivers not included with the Operating System can be downloaded via Microsoft Update (just like how it works under Windows XP). Also, the ThinkVantage System Update software can be installed on your system; run it so it will look for missing ThinkPad-specific drivers and software to be downloaded into your machine. But, TVSU will only find drivers that were cataloged for the models that officially supported Windows 7 as noted above.
For older models, Windows 7 may install and generally function properly, but some system unique features may not be supported..
Based on user experience, it is actually recommended that you upgrade your system to Win 7 32 bit as opposed to 64 as a lot of the Windows XP systems ran on the former version rather than the 64 bit, and hence, it is easier for one to locate drivers compatible with the 32 bit.
