Lenovo: Questions About Order of Updating OS and 'Stuff' From Lenovo V

Lenovo: Questions About Order of Updating OS and 'Stuff' From Lenovo Vantage

4 year old ThinkPad P51 20HHCTO1WW3 year old ThinkPad E480 20KNCTO1WWBoth notebooks are years behind in OS updates and Lenovo critical and recommended updates.I have downloaded the media tool and the put the spring 2021 21H1 update on a USB drive.I plan on doing a clean install.My question is should I first run Lenovo Vantage and update all the critical stuff including the network card, graphics and other drivers including the BIOS or should I first do the clean install of 21H1 and then see what Lenovo Vantage has to offer. TIA.

dalchina said:

a. Update the BIOS/UEFI if update available.
b. Clean install
c. Then see if there's anything you really need from Lenovo. Esp. any unique drivers or utiltities e.g. for specialised hotkeys or backlights (if any).

I'm using a Lenovo now. Vantage offered things, made no practical difference.

>c. Then see if there's anything you really need from Lenovo. Esp. any unique drivers or utiltities e.g. for specialised hotkeys or backlights (if any).

Copy that.

>Vantage offered things, made no practical difference

I misspoke when I said I wanted to use Vantage to update the bios and drivers although I believe it will do that too. It's been so long since I have updated anything I forgot that I used to log into Lenovo and let Lenovo detect my product and then it would show me a bunch of critical and recommended updates to pick and choose from.

I do use Lenovo Vantage though but the only thing that I use it for is to set the battery threshold for charging.

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spunk said:

A Clean Install means that you will Format the drive and install Windows 10. So, other then a Bios Update, any software loaded from Lenovo Vantage will be deleted.
Lenovo Vantage loads a lot of Bloatware you don't need. So, as stated, Update the Bios, do a Clean Install, then after doing all of the Windows Updates, go to the Device Manager and see if there are any devices with yellow flags. If so, then go to the Lenovo Download Drivers site, type in your make and model # and download only the drivers you need in the Device Manager. Unless a device is not working correctly, then download that driver.

>So, other then a Bios Update, any software loaded from Lenovo Vantage will be deleted.

Right. I was aware that after I did anything that Vantage would be formatted with the rest of the drive. I just was not sure whether I should update say the bios and things like the network card before doing the clean install.

>Lenovo Vantage loads a lot of Bloatware you don't need.

I'm not aware of LV loading up any bloatware anymore. It's an app that's downloaded from Google Play now I believe. The only thing I use Lenovo Vantage for is to set the battery threshold for charging.

>If so, then go to the Lenovo Download Drivers site, type in your make and model # and download only the drivers you need in the Device Manager

Thanks. It's been so long since I have updated anything I forgot that I never used LV to update anything but rather I used to log into Lenovo and let Lenovo detect my product and then it would show me a bunch of critical and recommended updates to pick and choose from

Bree said:

Apart from updating the bios, a clean install would wipe out all the updates. It will also wipe out your Lenovo Vantage, all the rest of the OEM utilities, and all your installed software.


If you want to keep all the OEM utilities and any updates you install then do an in-place upgrade with your 21H1 USB rather than a clean install.

As for the order, it probably would be better to be fully up to date before upgrading, both for the Lenovo updates and the OS. You don't say if you deliberately refrained from updating the OS, or whether Windows Update isn't working for you. If WU isn't working, then at least get the Lenovo updates.

As often recommended, it would be a sensible precaution to make a system image with something like Macrium Reflect Free before you do a clean install or update/upgrade anything.

>Apart from updating the bios, a clean install would wipe out all the updates...

Copy that. I was aware that I would be starting out with a clean slate.

>If you want to keep all the OEM utilities and any updates you install then do an in-place upgrade with your 21H1 USB rather than a clean install.

If I had been doing regular updates all along then I would do an in place upgrade as you suggested but (and I know nothing) I feel that the OS is so old that I would not want to keep any remnants of it and rather just nuke the whole thing.

>As for the order, it probably would be better to be fully up to date before upgrading, both for the Lenovo updates and the OS.

Sorry not sure what you mean by that. Are you saying I should do the bios update and say the network card before doing nuking the system and doing a clean install with 21H1 or are you suggesting doing the clean install first before updating the bios and the network card.

>You don't say if you deliberately refrained from updating the OS

Yup, for better or for worse it has been deliberate.

>As often recommended, it would be a sensible precaution to make a system image

While I have been delinquent in maintaining updates I regularly make full image backups : )

You don't have to use Lenovo Vantage any more. They have a tool called Lenovo System Update. I've been using it for a year or two now.

TrustMe said:

You don't have to use Lenovo Vantage any more. They have a tool called Lenovo System Update. I've been using it for a year or two now.

Oh, that's cool. I think after I do a clean install of 21H1 I'll head on over there and see what they come up with. Thanks.