FIX for on screen display OSD

EDIT: There shouldn't be an issue with nVidia users. There seems to be an issue with integrated graphics. The integrated graphics driver has an issue with on-screen brightness. Call Lenovo TECH support to complain. They will say that it is the first they have heard of such an issue, but if enough people call hopefully they will take it seriously.

It seems like somebody asks about on-screen display issues with volume and brightness almost everyday. Hopefully this will help some people.

Screen Brightness is adjusted by HOLDING DOWN THE "Fn" key and tapping the Home or End Key.
ALSO, Fn+F5 should work for turning OFF & ON Bluetooth/WiFi/WUSB after installing these drivers.

The drivers necessary for OSD are:

Hotkey Driver: http://www-307.ibm.com/pc/support/site.wss/document.do?lndocid=MIGR-68000

AND

System Interface Driver: http://www-307.ibm.com/pc/support/site.wss/document.do?lndocid=MIGR-67228

NOTE: Both drivers (Hotkey and System Interface) are needed for Vista users. Only the Hotkey driver is needed for XP users.

Make sure you are installing the drivers properly. I think some people might be downloading the file and just double clicking the file. If that is all you are doing the driver has not been installed. It has only been extracted. Make sure you read the install instructions.

If you install these drivers and it still doesn't work. Try uninstalling both drivers -> do a re-boot -> then re-install the drivers -> reboot again.

If things are still not working out, you must be someone with integrated graphics and the only thing you can do is call Lenovo TECH support and complain for a new graphics driver.

Please post your results AFTER you attempt to install these drivers.
Include information such as:
Vista vs. XP
Integrated graphics vs. nVidia graphics
factory install vs. clean install.


Thanks... I hope this helps somebody


.

 

xp doesn't need a system interface driver.

 

Do you have OSD working fine without it? If so, then nobody (Vista or XP users) should be having any issues with OSD... Hooray!!!

(Original post edited to reflect that only the hotkey driver is needed for XP users; both drivers are needed for Vista users)

 

Finally got it working....however, it is still intermittent

vista 32 bit
integrated graphics
clean install

 

The only other thing that might be causing a conflict is video drivers. I don't think there is an issue with factory/Lenovo nVidia drivers. I have heard that there is a conflict with the current integrated graphics driver. Supposedly there was not issue with the previous driver, but the current driver introduced an occasional problem with OSD. Hopefully a future graphics driver will correct any future issues.

That is why I asked in the original post to include some information such as integrated vs. nVidia graphics. Information helps to isolate the problem.

 

I went ahead and edited my previous post

 

My sound OSD works but the display brighness OSD does not.

Jeff

 

Are you holding down the Fn key while you are tapping the Home and End buttons?
Did you uninstall->Reboot-> then re-install the drivers?
Can you answer some of the questions? XP or Vista? integrated or nVidia?

 

Vista Home Premium 32bit, Integrated X3100 GMA965

 

Stallen, i'm sorry to say this but i've installed, uninstalled, and reintalled the Lenovo System Interface Utility and Hotkeys driver many times. The problem is due to a compatibility issue with the hotkey and igfx driver for those who have integrated graphics. I've uninstalled the igfx driver before just to test my theory and the screen brightness OSD works fine when the igfx driver is uinstalled. After reinstalling the igfx driver, the brightness OSD disappears again.

It seems as though people with discrete graphics shouldnt be having this problem at all.

 

Thanks. I'll add that to the original post. At least people will know the cause of the problem. If it upsets enough people maybe they will complain to Lenovo until they release a new driver to fix the issue.

 

No prob. When i originally spoke to Lenovo tech support about the issue, they stated there will not be a fix unless more people called in to complain about the problem. So for those who are bothered by this "problem," take the time to give Lenovo a call.

 

for those of us who are having this problem with integrated graphics....did the osd for display disappear after a clean install or did it not even work beforehand? I didn't really check before doing a clean install since the first thing I did when I got my comp was to do a clean install. Thanks

 

You can quote me on this: "My brightness OSD NEVER worked!"

 

I found something interesting. After hibernation, the brightness OSD works!. After I reboot the system it breaks again though.

Why would it work only after hibernation?

Jeff

 

Out of the box, mine didn't/never worked either.

Haven't gotten around to a clean install yet.

Must call up Tech Support to whine about this some, as others have, otherwise Lenovo may never bother implementing a fix.

 

That's wierd I wonder if it has something to do with when the drivers are loaded. Maybe the hotkey and/or system interface driver is usually loaded before the graphics driver (or vice versa). Then after waking up from hibernation the driver is reloaded so it works. I wonder if someone (with more knowhow than I have) could change the order that the hotkey and/or system interface driver is loaded to fix the problem. I think the hotkey (and system interface for Vista) drivers need to be loaded after the video driver... or before. Whatever is the opposite of how they are now. It's worth a try anyway.

Yeah, at least it is nothing major. It's just an annoyance, but tech support should fix it none the less.

 

I also noticed my OSD only works sometimes. It seems like its pretty random when it works and when it doesn't

 

My X61s brightness OSD has never worked.

 

That's integrated graphics, right? I think all of the X61s are integrated... not sure???

Anyway, sound like it definitely an integrated graphics issue.

Are there any nVidia graphics laptops out there with OSD trouble? Who have the correct drivers properly installed?

 

Correct, all X61 models come with X3100 graphics.

My screen brightness OSD has never worked on my X61 either. But as with so many other users on this board, my Volume, Caps Lock and ThinkLight OSD works fine.

 

In other words, all X61 owners do not have a brightness OSD. Lenovo needs to issue a fix.

 

so my osd for brightness was working perfectly well...i did a simple restore from a full pc back up via vista..and it is gone...i uninstalled and reinstalled interface and hotkey drivers to no avail as well...this is just weird...

 

My volume OSD malfunctioned after I installed the Unreal Tournament 3 demo. My audio also stopped working completely.

Pressing the volume buttons is reflected in the OSD but does not affect audio.

Later I discovered that SPDIF was somehow set as the default output device and all volumes were muted. So I set speakers as the default output device and unmuted the volume. Then the OSD showed volume at max and the buttons appeared to have no effect per OSD (locked at max and unmuted) but were in reality changing the volume and muting/unmuting.

Reboot didn't work.

Finally a complete shutdown worked. Now it's back to normal.

This was on a T61 with Vista and Quadro NVS 140. Never had such an issue with T40/T42/T60.

 

I have a T61 with integrated graphics and have this OSD problem. I usually can't change the screen brightness with the FN keys after the laptop wakes from sleep or after minimizing media that uses a video codec (ffdshow).

Restarting the comp fixes this problem. Manually changing the brightness in the power options also fixes this problem (at least when I was using Classic View and not Windows Aero).

 

yep...after resuming from sleep sometimes, fn keys dont work to change brighness...it does..but very slow...there's some sort of lag

 

The OSD for screen brightness on my X61s never worked out of the box.

I then installed a new hard drive, a clean version of Vista, and all drivers. Still didn't work.

But after it resumed from sleep, the brightness OSD instantly came up... Haven't restarted the machine yet, so I don't know if it will still work after that, but all I do is sleep, resume, sleep, resume, so this is fine. Much better than before...

 

Just as an update... I'm seeing the same thing as others here.. The screen-brightness OSD does not work after a restart. It only begins to work after resuming from suspend.

 

After a bit of scrutinizing, it seems that the reason why Brightness OSD now works on my X61, is due to upgrading to the latest BIOS version 1.08.

It doesn't work straight after booting into Vista however. I need to shut off the screen once by closing the lid (lid is not set to sleep when closed) and when you turn on the screen again, it works flawlessly.

 

Thanks for the update - I now have the brightness OSD on my X61s Strange that it doesn't work until you close the lid though...also, the BIOS info doesn't list anything about an OSD fix...

 

Thanks JabbaJabba. I can also confirm that it works after the screen turns off and back on again. No need to suspend and resume.

 

Glad to be of assistance. Hopefully in the future, Lenovo will have cleared the Vista bugs completely (or whatever they are), so it won't be necessary to turn the screen off and on.

 

Interesting. I guess i'll have to give the BIOS update a try.

This is off-topic, but i noticed Lenovo has released a new version of the Power Manager utility, v2.08. I wonder if they have fixed the problems associated with the previous release, the transparent battery icon and disappearing battery icon upon restart just to name a few.

EDIT: Brightness OSD appears after BIOS update.
Just finished updating the T61 BIOS to v1.26. Upon reboot, the OSD did not appear. I followed JabbaJabba's advice, switched my "Choose what closing the lid does" settings in the Power Options to "do nothing," closed my lid, reopened it, and BAM, the mysterious brightness OSD appeared! Thanks for the tip JabbaJabba.

@JabbaJabba. Does the brightness OSD remain after you have restarted your computer (resume from Sleep Mode)? Or do you have to power off the display each time after a reboot in order to "force" the brightness OSD to display again?

2nd Edit: Well, just rebooted the system to see if the brightness OSD would automatically enable after a restart and i can confirm that it does NOT. It's nice to finally see the brightness OSD on a system with the X3100 igfx, but it's rather inconvenient having to power down the display just to see it. At least they're getting closer...

3rd Edit: I can confirm the brightness OSD does in fact display after resuming from sleep mode, but only after you have powered down the display prior to putting the system to sleep.

 

You're welcome Hypertrophy. It's good to see that I am not the only who is now finally experiencing the Brightness OSD.

I am using Power Manager 2.08 and I can confirm that the "transparent battery gauge" is still an issue. Luckily I am using a black wallpaper, so it is not an issue for me.

 

I am using X61,I try to fix the problem.
1.switched my "Choose what closing the lid does" settings in the Power Options to "do nothing," closed my lid, reopened it, and BAM, the mysterious brightness OSD appeared! But we can`t use AERO theme(kncok Winkey+Tab,no 3D).
2.change graphics driver to XP(intel_965_143104859fin_xp,download: http://count.mydrivers.com/download...ers.com/display/intel_965_143104859fin_xp.exe) by force,it can appear the OSD,but can`t use AERO theme either.
I think that the hotkey features drive is not compatible to the graphics drive,hope Lenove can make new hotkey featrues drive to fix this problem.

 

I am not quite sure why you are experiencing this. My Aero functionality has always worked, Glass and Windows Flip 3D. No driver change has ever affected this

In any event, since you are using Vista, installing XP graphics drivers is not a good idea.

 

upon restarting the osd doesn't work...however if i just shut and open the lid as jabba suggested, it works! now that we have narrowed down the bug, hoepfully it will be fixed

 

I only seem to get this behavior when I have a maximized application running. Seems to be an issue with transparency of the border of the app overlaying the task bar. Is this what you are seeing as well?

I only run apps maximized generally on my X61t as it only has a 1024x768 screen. Since the battery gauge was taking up a significant amout of task bar space, I turned it off and am just using Vista's charge indicator and a sidebar app that shows battery status.

 

I only get the transparent battery gauge issue when the application windows are minimized - not maximized. This makes sense to me since Aero Glass is enabled only when app windows are minimized. So I don't quite know how to explain your issue which apparently is the exact opposite.

As for hidding the Power Manager battery gauge - I wouldn't recommend doing that even though it saves some valuable space on a small XGA display. The Power Manager battery gauge actually communicates directly with hardware in the ThinkPad batteries to get as accurate estimates of remaining power. You are also able to read a lot of interesting battery specific information through the hardware implant in the battery, if using Power Manager and choosing the Battery Information tab.

Needless to say, the standard Windows battery function is not as sophisticated and hence not as accurate.

 

I do pull up the power management program from time to time, I just unchecked the box to show it in the tray... I do watch cycles, design/max charge capacity, etc on all of my batteries so I can tell when they are getting long in the tooth -- or defective. I've found that Windows is usually within 1% of what the ThinkVantage tool tells me.

On my T61p and my T60p I always leave the battery in the bar.

 

Today,Lenove give me the driver to fix the "osd" problem,download http://cskb.lenovo.com:81/data/2007-12-03/29474/7AD527WW.ZIP and install it ,haha,the problem is fixed.
thanks !!!

 

The video driver you provided above is not for the GM965 chipset. I typed in 7ad527ww into the search bar at the lenovo website and this driver page came up.

 

Hypertrophy, I trust the brightness OSD is still working for you?

 

any fix for this yet for the OSD brightness?

 

I have had similar issues with my T61 and the Nvidia Graphics card, works intermittently

 

yea...any fix yet? it's been a long while now

 

I believe it was a BIOS update a while back fixed the problem. All I know is that my X61s displays the brightness and volume OSD just fine.

 

The latest BIOS and integrated graphics driver finally resolved the problem.

Edit: By latest video driver i mean the latest driver available on the T61 driver matrix page.

 

wow...can anybody else confirm?

 

I don't know what i did, but after my first hibernation with a clean vista install...my OSD for brightness works....

No idea it just started working without any bugs...