Getting rid of ThinkVantage

Update: I've since been directed to Stallen's brilliant Clean Install guide, which appears to answer most of the questions I ask in the following post. (Stallen doesn't take credit for much of the content, but his clear explanations are appreciated just the same.)

I love my R61, and it's mostly behaving well. I stripped down Vista as much as I dared in the beginning and I guess it helped a bit (looks like XP now, but still uses 10 times the resources!) I do get the odd freezeup in Internet Explorer, but that's no big deal.

What I just can't ignore any longer is the fact that, even at idle, the processor constantly shows at least 50% activity, and the RAM, 40% or more. This always concerned me, but I've let it go until now.

Well, tonight for some reason the processor got pegged at 100% a few times, so I brought up Task Manager and saw that the 'ThinkVantage Scheduler' (AKA 'tvtsched.exe') was causing nearly all the activity. So I bit the bullet and activated an 'End Program' on it, just to see what would happen...

Well, everything seemed just fine without it running. In fact, with 'tvtsched.exe' gone, the processor went down to a comfortable 8-10% activity (first time EVER I've seen that in Vista), and RAM usage went down considerably as well. Heck, this is the way it SHOULD be, surely??

So far this bootup, the 'ThinkVantage Scheduler' () hasn't reappeared, and frankly, I wish the whole 'ThinkVantage' pile of crap would go away permanently(!)

I'm pretty sure I don't need much if anything of what ThinkVantage offers, and if I did, I'd prefer to ASK for it, not have it constipating my computer when I'm trying to work. (I'd lay odds most people don't know half of what tha damn thing's doing at any given time, or even need whatever it is done.)

Anyway, sorry for the long rave, but there it is, I've bared my soul.

So is there a way to disable or uninstall the 'ThinkVantage' features completely? To know definitively which can be done away with? I've uninstalled several that looked obviously irrelevant, but 'tvtsched.exe' remains. [I'm not sure if I could get away with uninstalling it even if it appeared in Uninstall Programs.]

I dread going through a new XP install on this machine, but I will if I have to, in order to get a basic functional computer without the *crap*.

BTW, I guess I'm also asking whether any of the ThinkVantage features are actually essential to basic operation. I know some are duplicated by equivalent Windows functions.

Thanks for any help
Dave

 

When I did a clean install I did not put Thinkvantage back on, not one bit. Probably for the same reasons your looking to take it off and its been perfectly fine.

Just subscribe to the RSS Thinkpad updates for your model and then you wont miss the latest drivers etc

 

Thanks for the reply.

I should know this but when you say do a 'Clean Install', do you mean you can choose just the basic OS from options in the Restore discs (which I've already burned from the HD hidden partition) and NOT install the crap-ware?

Not having delved into the R&R discs, I wouldn't know this yet. I have a new HD, so it might be worth a look if that's the case..

Thanks again
Dave

 

http://forum.notebookreview.com/showthread.php?t=144783

This should answer all your question on clean installing and if its for you.

Just be sure to make your recovery discs first.

 

Thanks KU! (Thanks Stallen!) Stallen's guide is an idiot-proof gem! (perfect for me). Everything is answered there. (I had no idea the much-talked-about Clean Install was merely code for 'Getting rid of ThinkVantage'!)

It's a project for a rainy day (coming soon), but armed with the guide, I'm looking forward to it. 8>)

Mostly I'm looking forward to seeing the end of 'tvtsched.exe' - whatever it's doing(?), it's responsible for a continuous 50 to 100% processor activity! (WTF, Lenovo?)

Cheers
Dave

 

yeah it was tvtsched.exe that annoyed me. Your system will feel nicer after a clean install.

 

Was 'tvtsched.exe' hogging 50% (or more) of your processor power?
That seemed improbable to me when I saw it, but how else can you interpret Task Manager's '% cpu activity' reading? Just curious. What the hell IS it, anyway? Right now I'm turning it OFF, to no bad effect (that I can determine, anyhow!) And the processor activity is no more than 8-10%, even with two programs running. Go figure.

Am definitely gonna do a Clean Install as soon as I have time, with my new 7k200 Hitachi HD to boot (pun intended.)

Dave

 

If I recall I think its something to do with Thinkvantage making a backup of your system to the hidden parition, a bit like a restore point - but dont quote me on this.

Good choice of drive, will be getting the 7k200 200GB myself soon.