Originally Posted by ferrari_fan
Thank God for that
Thinkpads are great for Linux and they wanted to give the customers a good feel hardware wise as well. Some linux nerds dont like the windows key since they boot Linux only.
However if having a Windows key is important to you, Thinkpad does give you the option to configure any of the special keys as your Windows Key.
->Start->All Programs -> ThinkVantage -> Keyboard Cutomizer Utility
-> Click on the Tab "For Use with ThinkPad Keyboard" and Mark "Enable Key Assignments"
-> Function Windows(R) key -> Choose any of the 6 special keys available here. Most people go with the Right Alt Key since its seldom used.
-> Click Apply and Close.
All set. Locking your workstation ( Windows Key + L ) also becomes easy since the right alt key is right near the L key as well.
I understand that Linux might be the reason they left the key out...but they simply could just offer two keyboard options during customization. One with WIN key, one without.
The Customizer is a band-aid, not a real solution to the problem. Plus it's not as good as a native WIN key. I tried it before but it sucks up a lot of resources.