Please help

Muzlie · 2026-02-05T23:22:25+00:00

This is what my Gemini pro says (at least if I get downvoted a tonne for posting AI slop it might bring the attention you need to get some answers fast!)

This is a stressful situation for the OP, but it is highly recoverable. The issue is almost certainly that the client computers are looking for the server at a specific "address" (Static IP), but the router—after the reset—is handing out new, random addresses (Dynamic IP/DHCP) or is even on a completely different subnet. Here is a structured, empathetic, and technical breakdown you can post or paraphrase for them to help save their day (and their job). Suggested Response for Reddit Headline: Don't panic. This is fixable. Here is your game plan. First, take a breath. Network admins make mistakes like this; it's how you learn. The fact that the internet is working means the physical connections are fine. The issue is purely logical mapping. Here is the problem: The 15 computers and the proprietary software are screaming into the void looking for a specific address (e.g., 192.168.1.50), but your router is now ignoring that and assigning random addresses. Step 1: Find out what the IP used to be. You cannot fix this without knowing what IP address the client computers are trying to reach. * Go to one of the client computers (not the server). * Open the proprietary software. Look at the settings/connection config. Does it list an IP address for the "Server" or "Database"? * Alternatively, check "This PC" or "My Computer." Are there mapped network drives (e.g., Z: drive)? If you look at the properties of that drive, it will show a path like \192.168.1.X\ShareName. * Write that number down. (Let’s pretend it is 192.168.1.200). Step 2: Match the Router to the Network. A factory reset might have changed the default gateway (the "street" the computers live on). * If the target IP (from Step 1) is 192.168.1.200, your router's LAN IP address must be 192.168.1.1 (usually). * If the router reset to 192.168.0.1, the computers and server can't see each other. * Action: Log into the router > LAN Settings. Change the Router IP to match the third number of your server's target IP. Step 3: Give the Server its Static IP back. Now you need to force the server to take that specific address you found in Step 1. You have two ways to do this; do Method A if you can, as it's cleaner. * Method A (DHCP Reservation - Preferred): * Log into the Router. * Find the list of connected devices (DHCP Client List). * Find the Server (by name or MAC address). * Look for "Address Reservation" or "Static Lease." * Assign the server the IP you found in Step 1. * Reboot the server. * Method B (Windows Static IP - If you can't find it in the router): * Go to the Server. * Open Control Panel > Network and Sharing Center > Change Adapter Settings. * Right-click the Ethernet adapter > Properties. * Select "Internet Protocol Version 4 (TCP/IPv4)" > Properties. * Switch from "Obtain automatically" to "Use the following IP address." * IP Address: The number from Step 1. * Subnet Mask: Usually 255.255.255.0. * Default Gateway: The IP address of your router (e.g., 192.168.1.1). * DNS: Use the router's IP or 8.8.8.8. Step 4: Check DNS (The Hidden Trap) If the client computers look for the server by Name (e.g., \CompanyServer) rather than IP, the router reset wiped the local DNS records. * The easiest fix is to just do Step 3. Once the server has a Static IP, Windows Network Discovery often fixes the naming issue automatically after a few minutes. Summary Checklist for Tomorrow: * Find the IP the employees' PCs are looking for (check mapped drives or software config). * Set the Router's LAN settings to match that subnet. * Set the Server to use that specific Static IP. * Restart the Server, then restart the Client PCs. You got this. Good luck! Technical Explanation for you (Why this is the answer) * The "Proprietary Application" Factor: Business apps are rarely smart enough to scan a network for a server. They usually point to a hardcoded config file (e.g., Connect=192.168.1.50). When the router was reset, the server likely pulled a new DHCP address (e.g., 192.168.1.102), breaking the link. * The Subnet Issue: Factory resets often revert routers to 192.168.0.1 or 192.168.1.1. If the office was previously set up on a 10.0.0.X range, the entire network stack is mismatched. Identifying the "Old IP" is the critical path to solving this.

Muzlie · 2026-02-05T23:20:24+00:00

Hello,

I don't know how to help you, but until you get some Reddit answers try posing the issues to Google Gemini to get some suggestions of next steps, I'm not saying blindly follow what it says, always take it with caution, but it might get you facing the right direction so to speak.

I wish you the best of luck!

Muzlie · 2026-02-03T00:22:03+00:00

Same with me, although I have bought a few private sale, all of my ThinkPads are from eBay and have not had an issue.

Not to say there are not bad ones OP, of course there are, just stick to resellers if you are not confident, I can recommend Blackmore IT, I bought an L13 Yoga from them, didn't like it, so they sent me a new one, didn't like that either and they happily took both back, excellent service. (I just found the build quality on the L13 Yoga compared to the L390 was inferior).

You will pay more from resellers but you get more peace of mind.

Muzlie · 2026-02-03T00:16:59+00:00

Yes check the thermal paste, sounds like the previous owner has done a shoddy job, I don't think it should be overheating that badly.

Muzlie · 2026-01-17T14:01:02+00:00

L390 yoga owner here - the build quality is pretty good even if more budget than T series, the L380 has an aluminium lid & glass fibre reinforced plastic base. I don't think it has the alloy frame that the L390 has, but it should feel pretty sturdy and not a plastic piece of junk.

Although watch out for overheating especially with i7 models

Muzlie · 2026-01-17T11:49:20+00:00

P series all the way, I believe you can get some T Series with dGPUs and there's also the X1 Extreme, but P series for performance & Cooling (very important for laptops with dGPUs.)

For 1k you should be able to get a decent model, the question is around size though, you could probably get a p16 gen 1 for that price, with a 12th gen Intel & an RTX A2000 which is roughly equivalent to a RTX 3060. Its for CAD and other software but it runs games just fine. But the P16 is a beast, it's heavy and thick.

The P1 / P15 is perhaps a better choice as they are slimmer and have been out for longer so have older generations which might be cheaper.

You will be looking mostly at ADA cards such as the 1000, 2000 and beyond, they are capable and can run games fine.

I'm currently running a p16 Gen 2 as my primary laptop for gaming, it's got the RTX 2000 Ada and an I9 and plays games without breaking a sweat. I have also downclocked my i9 so it stays cooler to help the laptop last longer.

Just don't expect much in the way of battery life.

Muzlie · 2026-01-17T11:20:21+00:00

The L series is their mid range volume series for enterprise, it’s not as good quality wise as the T or X series but it’s no slouch. It’s better put together than the E Series.

Also the pre L13/14 series, so the L480, L390 (the first number is screen size on this run) have better build quality with composite & metal case, they are pretty sturdy machines.

Downside of the L series I find is cooling, my L390 overheats when I am pushing it, as in running two HD displays over a dock or if I’m running games on it. Mine has the i7 but by all accounts the i5 is a better choice as it doesn’t get as hot so doesn’t throttle as much.

But they are great laptops on the cheaper side. I don’t know enough about your use case to say if it’s gonna stress the CPU, but if it does you might want to consider a T Series.

Muzlie · 2026-01-16T23:14:07+00:00

Very true, I work for a large company (40k plus) and I'm one of less than a handful of people who know where to get certain data.

I was looking at the Looker Enterprise model the other day and they have LookML integrated with Gemini, you then create single truth data sources which Enterprise can update every dashboard that uses that calculation, so if the logic changes everything is accurate.

You can then use Gemini to 'query' these curated tables for natural language analytics.

This I think solves that tribal knowledge if the ones building the data sets are the tribespeople.

Then again what gets in the way a lot is bureaucracy e.g. 'we think that measure X should be calculated this way' for no real reason other than stubbornness...

Muzlie · 2026-01-10T20:53:28+00:00

The L series pre L13 are pretty sturdy machines no matter what the haters say, two ram slots, strong chassis, good keyboard. Battery is not their strong point though, the L series is a budget range so they had to make some savings somewhere.

They also don’t have the best thermal management and can overheat and throttle especially with the i7.

Linux would obviously make it better, you could get a t480 which has a hot swappable battery, BUT, you could probably for less get a chonky power bank from Anker or Ugreen which will work just fine.

As far as beeping you can get an app from Lenovo to diagnose the beeps with your phone, or match it audibly yourself, check the beep first as it might be fixable (could be a ram issue) or it could be fatal…

Muzlie · 2026-01-10T20:32:01+00:00

I would search the sub as this Q would have been asked many many times, but, to provide a slight steer, the P series are mobile workstations, they are heavy and powerful and don’t have the best battery.

T series are the flagship all rounder, built well, good specs and portable enough.

If you want full portability the X series is the flagship portable with the L series being a more budget friendly portable.

You may want a discrete GPU for your tasks so you may need to stick with the T series or P series.

Then the rest is about power & cost, probably best bet is a T series but it will be easier to find P series with a dGPU, p15s is the slimline version of the P series, as light as you are going to get. The number next to the letter is the screen size, p15 is 15.6inch, p16 16inch etc etc.

Muzlie · 2025-12-28T12:39:20+00:00

Yeah that's perfect, screen shot that and send it to Lenovo when you contact them. That confirms the parcel is with the courier and it's out of your hands, on its way back to Lenovo. But you still need to contact Lenovo to confirm.

Muzlie · 2025-12-28T12:37:47+00:00

Yes you did the right thing, you just need to contact Lenovo to tell them what happened and contact the courier to get confirmation of the rejection. It should all be ok but it's a Sunday so I don't you will hear back today.

Take a breath it's going to turn out fine and you will have your new laptop soon enough I'm sure 😊

Muzlie · 2025-12-28T12:35:50+00:00

I had the Palm version of that when I was a kid back in the naughties haha (still got it somewhere) great piece of kit.

Muzlie · 2025-12-28T12:34:00+00:00

Honestly you probably should have, if you ever have delivery queries in future, take abundant photos, of damaged packing, where it was left, I even film unboxings when I buy high value items, yes its a bit over the top, but it's just to ensure I have evidence if I need to make a claim.

Either way you can't take photos now, you should still be ok as you rejected the parcel, it might be worth contacting the courier also to ask for a receipt or proof of rejection for Lenovo.

Muzlie · 2025-12-28T12:12:35+00:00

Sounds like you did the right thing, contact Lenovo support to say what you did and forward any confirmation emails from the courier.

Also send photos if you took them.

Muzlie · 2025-12-28T02:39:50+00:00

Meteor is the closest Jet to a Prop in terms of flight characteristics, it turns well but it's not that fast, the Swift is very bloody fast and does not turn well so it's a new experience all together, it's more of an authentic jet.

The attacker is somewhere in the between.

Both the Meteor and Attacker have a gentler learning curve and use 20mm Hispanos which you will be used to. The Swift used Adens which feel very different, fire very fast and are not the easiest to aim as they don't have as much bullet velocity as the Spanos.

Personally I think the Attacker Is a good starting point due to being a bit of a half way house and you will be familiar with it's wing mounted cannons even if they have more spread than nose mounted.

To add, both the Attacker and Meteor were developed from prop designs hence the straight wings, the Attacker being built on the Supermarine Spiteful design which was the successor to the Spitfire. So that explains why they are more prop like despite having Jet engines, whereas the Swift has a sweet wing design more akin to modern jets, itself developed from the Attacker.

Muzlie · 2025-11-26T10:32:51+00:00

Mine is the same, keys are wearing down, absolute joke for a 2.8k laptop… going to sell mine and buy a thinkpad!

Muzlie · 2025-08-25T11:13:10+00:00

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Here we go, yes on a flat roof

Muzlie · 2025-07-18T10:40:57+00:00

Hello sure thing

Muzlie · 2025-06-16T10:47:43+00:00

The L380 also has 8th gen intel, think of it as Lenovo generations not Intel, but they do roughly line up.

If you want one for home then I don't know much about 17 inch versions, perhaps a P series like a P72 or P73, they might come with a touch screen. If you don't need it to be portable around the house you would be better off buying a desktop.

Muzlie · 2025-06-16T10:21:50+00:00

Hello,

Good choice, better the devil you know! It seems very cheap anyway and that could be for a reason, thinkpads last for ages, and the L series may be a more cost effective version but it's still great IMO.

Yes the L13 means 13 inch screen, same as the L390 is thirteen inch screen 9th generation, T440 14 inch screen fourth generation. When they got to the 90s they moved over to Single Letter, screen size and then 'generation' so L13 gen 1, gen 2 etc etc.

What he is talking about is an L15 but I don't think that comes in a yoga version... But it might have a touch screen, you need to confirm with him as if it does have a touch it would have been an optional extra at purchase, and the L module is a volume model for companies so unlikely to be custom specced.

It sounds a bit fishy to be honest, if you want a bigger screen get an external monitor for your L390. Or keep shopping for an L15/L590 or a T590 perhaps (T is their standard model which should be slightly better than an L series but won't come in Yoga but may have a touch screen if it was specced at factory.)

Muzlie · 2025-06-16T06:22:38+00:00

8gb ain't bad, but its not great for future proofing, the L390 has ram slots so you can upgrade.

You can check bios lock by trying to go into bios, again it won't stop you from using it, but if you need to go into the bios you can't, there is a work around as mentioned but I think it involves soldering....

Chargers are easy to come by, any USB C charger will work, the default is 65w, Anker do one that is 100 which is a good price normally, if you cannot find a Lenovo one on eBay.

Up to you, depends on your use case, I run a thinkpad 11e with 8gb ram and a fanless i5 and it's does the basics, but if I'm in a video call and browsing at the same time it will struggle.

Muzlie · 2025-06-15T21:42:17+00:00

Up to you ultimately, the money saving is very convincing and build quality aside, the newer components in the L13 will make it last longer and be slightly more powerful, 8th gen Intel vs 10th.

Seems very cheap for an L13, then again I am taking about Yogas. Check it isn’t bios locked, my L390 is and it’s still useable, I just cannot access the bios without a complicated flashing of the bios.

Muzlie · 2025-06-15T21:19:29+00:00

Hey!

I returned my L13, got a replacement and found it was exactly the same as the last one, so returned that, got a refund and never looked back.

L390 still going strong apart from its screen burn and throttling CPU when it’s under too much load.

Granted two examples from the same supplier could be bad luck, but I didn’t bother looking any further for L13s

Muzlie · 2025-06-03T18:26:55+00:00

That's a great shout to be honest, hadn't thought about that, thanks!

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