Lenovo Eliminates Automatic Update Feature in ThinkPads: Users Disappointed

If you're a ThinkPad user, you may have noticed for some time now that the ThinkVantage System Update (TVSU) feature is no longer available for your laptop. TVSU is a tool that automatically checks for, downloads, and installs the latest updates for your computer. Up until now, updating drivers and software on the ThinkPad has been a breeze: just a click of a button and the update tool took care of the rest.

However, as of late March this year, ThinkPad users have been unable to run TVSU on their ThinkPads. With the TVSU feature gone, users are now forced to look for new updates themselves and install them on their machines manually. For advanced users like me, this isn't such a big deal. But if you're a novice user, obtaining some of these new updates isn't always as straightforward as simply downloading them to your ThinkPad. Often some additional steps are required for you to successfully install these updates on your laptop; steps that might include "unpacking" the file after you download it, followed by running the "executable" to complete the installation process. For busy nonprofit staff, who may not be advanced users, these steps can prevent necessary updates altogether.

The beauty of TVSU was that it easily handled all of these steps automatically for you. For me, this actually made the process of updating my W500 ThinkPad enjoyable. But without TVSU, keeping a ThinkPad up to date has now become a chore. Users must now take the time to visit a Lenovo Downloads and Drivers page in order to manually keep track of and install the latest updates available for their ThinkPads.

Like many ThinkPad owners, I've expressed my disappointment in Lenovo for removing the much-beloved TVSU from the ThinkPad and for not letting us know about this significant change well in advance. In fact, there's even a petition you can sign asking Lenovo to reinstate TVSU.

I deeply miss the convenience and ease of use of TVSU. Almost 2 months have passed, and to date, all that Lenovo has announced is this message:

Lenovo is pursuing alternative solutions for system updates and future offerings will be communicated through the new Lenovo Message Center Plus.

I truly hope an alternative satisfactory solution is implemented. And very soon! In the meantime, there's a simple way to stay notified about new drivers and downloads available for your ThinkPad: You can subscribe to Lenovo's RSS feeds to receive updates.

Photo: bodzasfanta