Symptom

Describes the Software Update error which may appear on the Preparing Your Device screen when the ThinkSmart system starts for the first time.

During the first startup, the ThinkSmart Manager Service software is designed to connect to the Lenovo servers to download, and install the latest version of the ThinkSmart Manager Service. This error occurs when the process has failed. This requires a manual process to update the ThinkSmart Manager Service.

For more information on ThinkSmart Manager portal, ThinkSmart Manager mobile app, and the ThinkSmart Manager Service (TSMS), visit: ThinkSmart Manager platform.

Applicable Systems

• ThinkSmart One
• ThinkSmart Core
• ThinkSmart Hub
• ThinkSmart Hub 500
• ThinkSmart Edition Tiny M920q (10T1)

System Is Configured With

ThinkSmart Manager Service

Operating Systems

• Windows 10 IoT
• Windows 11 IoT

Solution

To manually update the ThinkSmart Manager Service software, follow these steps:

1. Click Skip for now or Skip in the lower-left corner.
2. Enter, and confirm a new Windows Administrator password as prompted. Remember this password, it will be needed later.
3. You will be prompted to configure the Microsoft Teams Room or Zoom Rooms, for now, click Exit.
4. On the ThinkSmart device, sign into Windows as Administrator, using the password from Step 2.
5. Open Device Manager by opening Start menu, and type Device Manager.
6. From Device Manager, expand the System devices category, scroll down, to find Lenovo ThinkSmart Management Service.
   
7. Right-click Lenovo ThinkSmart Management Service, and choose the option to Uninstall Device.
8. On the Uninstall Device screen, if you see a checkbox about Delete the driver software for this device, confirm it is checked, and then click Uninstall. Note: If you see the checkbox, make sure it is checked.
   
9. Next, while in System devices, find Universal Device Client Device.
   
10. Right-click Universal Device Client Device, and choose the option to Uninstall Device.
11. On the Uninstall Device screen, if you see a checkbox about Delete the driver software for this device, make sure it is checked, and then click on Uninstall. Note: If you see the checkbox, make sure it is checked.
    
12. After uninstalling both Lenovo ThinkSmart Management Service and Universal Device Client, take one more look at Device Manager to make sure that they have been uninstalled successfully. Sometimes, there may be a second instance of Lenovo ThinkSmart Management Service or Universal Device Client Device which must be uninstalled also.
13. Note: After uninstalling these devices from Device Manager, reboot the device. This is a required step, and if you skip it, then the next steps may not work properly.
14. After the ThinkSmart device restarts, log in as Administrator.
15. On the ThinkSmart device, download, and install the latest version (lenovo_thinksmart_setup.exe) from ThinkSmart Management Service.
16. Follow the on-screen instructions to install the software.
17. After installation finished, restart the ThinkSmart device.
18. At this point, the device can be added to the ThinkSmart portal. Log in to your portal, click Claim (or Add) device button.
19. Follow the steps to add the device, and enter the Windows Administrator Password that you set previously, and then click Submit.
20. To confirm the status of the claiming process in the Device(s) in Claiming screen, which is displayed at the top of the portal. After the claim is successful, click the Refresh button to confirm that the device has been added to your device list.