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Chapter 9. Preventing problems<br />
An important part of owning a ThinkPad notebook is maintenance. With proper care, you can avoid<br />
common problems. The following sections provide information that can help you to keep your computer<br />
running smoothly.<br />
• “General tips for preventing problems” on page 201<br />
• “Making sure device drivers are current” on page 202<br />
• “Taking care of your computer” on page 203<br />
General tips for preventing problems<br />
1. Check the capacity of your hard disk drive from time to time. If the hard disk drive gets too full, Windows<br />
will slow down and might produce errors.<br />
Note: In Windows 7 and Windows Vista, click Start ➙ Computer. In Windows XP, click Start ➙<br />
My Computer.<br />
2. Empty your recycle bin on a regular basis.<br />
3. Use disk defragment tool regularly on your hard disk drive to improve data seek and read times.<br />
4. To free up disk space, uninstall unused application programs.<br />
Note: You might also want to look for application program duplication or overlapping versions.<br />
5. Clean out your Inbox, Sent, and Trash folders from your e-mail client program.<br />
6. At least once a week, make a point to back up your data. If critical data is present, it is a good idea<br />
to perform a daily backup. <strong>Lenovo</strong> has many backup options available for your computer. Rewritable<br />
optical drives are available for most machines and are easily installed.<br />
7. Use or schedule System Restore to take a system snapshot periodically. For more information about<br />
System Restore see Chapter 5 “Recovery overview” on page 107.<br />
8. Update device drivers and UEFI BIOS when needed.<br />
9. Profile your machine at http://www.lenovo.com/think/support to keep up to date with current drivers<br />
and revisions.<br />
10. Keep up to date for device drivers on other non-<strong>Lenovo</strong> hardware. You might want to read the device<br />
driver information release notes prior to updating for compatibility or known issues.<br />
11. Keep a log book. Entries might include major hardware or software changes, driver updates, minor<br />
issues you have experienced and how you resolved them.<br />
12. If you ever need to run a recovery on your computer to return the preload onto the machine, the<br />
following tips might help along the way:<br />
• Remove all external devices such as the printer, keyboard, etc.<br />
• Make sure that your battery is charged and that you have the ac power connected.<br />
• Boot into the ThinkPad Setup and load the default settings.<br />
• Restart the machine and start the recovery.<br />
• If your machine uses discs as the recovery media, DO NOT remove the disc from the drive until<br />
prompted to do so.<br />
13. For suspected hard disk drive issues, refer to “Diagnosing problems” on page 207 and run <strong>Lenovo</strong><br />
ThinkVantage Toolbox for a diagnostic test of the drive prior to calling the Customer Support Center.<br />
If your computer does not start up, download the files to create a bootable self-test media from the<br />
following Web site: http://www.lenovo.com/hddtest. Run the test and record any messages or error<br />
codes. If the test returns any failing error codes or messages, call the Customer Support Center with the<br />
codes or messages and the computer in front of you. A technician will assist you further.<br />
© Copyright <strong>Lenovo</strong> 2011 201
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