Lol, I didn't know that there are so many ppl out there who did clean install straight after they got their laptop.....
I somehow agree with several ppl in this thread, we can't put all the blame on lenovo..... But, I'm still quite disappointed by lenovo over T400's factory configuration, which I think could be better (especially the partitioning of the HDD). Anyway, I will share my first few experiences with my T400.
I also just got my T400 2768-AA6 2 wks ago, and after a numerous number of clean installs (8 to be precise), I finally got my T400 to do its job just great..... While most of the reformat attempts are actually my own fault (I was messing wif some new programs which apparently not vista-compatible; this is my first vista system), I pretty much solved most of the driver problems straight away, even before my 3rd reformat, mainly because I did what most ppl in this thread didn't do (I assume), which is INSPECTION.... I checked all the installed device, their driver version, installed apps (i.e. thinkvantage n such), and the contents of the drive. The SWTOOLS folder definitely caught my attention n I copied it over to an external HDD. I also checked the driver download page in the lenovo site, which at that time only had 4 entries for T400. Of course, I suspect they haven't fully uploaded all the drivers for T400, considering it's a brand new series.... The only driver I couldn't find was the 64-bit fingerprint reader driver (most of the drivers in the SWTOOLS folder is for 32-bit only). However, with a bit of help from google, I got it from lenovo japan website.... So, I think we cannot really put all the blame on lenovo because we are a bit careless and blindly reformat our hdd. Of course, lenovo is partly at fault too for not uploading all the drivers on the site by the time they release the T400, but it is also our own responsibility to be more cautious of our own actions. Lenovo would not really expect everyone to reformat their laptop as soon as they get their hands on it, right?
But still, I have some criticism for lenovo too. From what I've experienced, I feel that T400 was released prematurely, especially on the software side. What kind of sane person will partition their 320gb hdd in this weird combination: 6-278-14 gb? Also, why the heck is the 14gb partition is filled with some kind of lenovo showroom tools? The recovery partition, which is commonly hidden in other laptop brands, is also visible.... Why? Lastly, when I did a disk-to-disk recovery using the emergency mode from rescue and recovery, the system became messed up and I am forced to do recovery using the emergency dvd, which returns the system back to the original, weird hdd configuration. I don't know whether this weird config is only for T400 released in Singapore or not. Is there any1 who's having the same problem in other countries?
T400 is a powerful machine, but too bad it comes with poor support n apps... I hope lenovo will take this matter seriously and (I hope even more strongly) release a better recovery dvd.
PS: did any1 who did clean install managed to enable turbo memory? I read somewhere that if u install the latest intel driver, turbomemory won't work..... I used the latest driver from intel site.....