POS laptop

[Homeslice]

If I use a docking station, everything's fine. But if I just plug the LAN line directly into the laptop, or go on wireless, the CPU shoots up to a constant 80-90% and everything becomes slow as molasses. :skep:

My "IT guy" says the OS must have gotten corrupt over time (3 years), but after finding out how much faster it is with a docking station, I'm thinking it must be a hardware issue.

[Rangerscott]

Thats usually a trojan.

[Homeslice]

Thats usually a trojan.

OK maybe, but why would it matter whether the internet is fed thru a phone cord or by the docking strip on the bottom?

BTW it's no longer able to charge the battery (no matter how it's hooked up).

[Bluestreak]

I'll bet Motherboard!

We had the opposite issue here. User had a docking station and the notebook would spike in processor all the time. When he would use it sans docking station, it behaved just fine. Turns out there was an issue with his mother board and the docking station port. Replace MB and everything worked as it should.

It's possible you could have the same problem with opposite symptoms.

[Papa_Complex]

Check for bent or damaged pins in the RJ-45 network jack on the notebook. If the notebook plugs into the dock through a connection on the bottom, rather than being one of the USB pieces of shit, then the only real difference is the physical connection.

[Homeslice]

If by RJ45 you mean the phone/LAN jack? No damage there.

Docking connection is one of those 6-inch long ports on the bottom.

Motherboard maybe.

Now, I do notice there were some Java-based trojans intercepted by Symantec at around the same time the laptop started slowing down. But it claims they were deleted.

[Papa_Complex]

Ignore those claims. Download Malwarebytes. Reboot to Safe Mode with Networking. Install and run Malwarebytes, doing a full scan. See what happens then.

[Lamnidae]

3 years? Personally I'd look at just reloading the OS. Not "sold" on it being hardware given the fact that it works to begin with.


Maybe some weird driver problem?????

[tallywacker]

Motherboard issue. Your shit is worn out. I've had to do the for a couple dells. Docking and undocking causes wear and tear with the connection.

But of course I already assume you did basic trouble shooting like reloading the OS and have proper anti-virus and malware protection.

Replacing hardware is always the last step.

[Lamnidae]

Motherboard issue. Your shit is worn out. I've had to do the for a couple dells. Docking and undocking causes wear and tear with the connection.

But of course I already assume you did basic trouble shooting like reloading the OS and have proper anti-virus and malware protection.

Replacing hardware is always the last step.

^^ said OS was three years old. hence why I went with the OS issue.

but yeah, your logic is correct, if the shit don't work after you reload, think hardware.

[Papa_Complex]

Motherboard issue. Your shit is worn out. I've had to do the for a couple dells. Docking and undocking causes wear and tear with the connection.

But of course I already assume you did basic trouble shooting like reloading the OS and have proper anti-virus and malware protection.

Replacing hardware is always the last step.

Except that it works when docked, but not when undocked. Usually it's the docked connection that starts to fail (or battery charging, or external keyboard and mouse, or....)

[Homeslice]

Could be damage to the motherboard caused by fluctuating AC current? One of the cords I had been using was old and it would stop sending current if was moved a certain way.

Either that or the trojans. But I don't see why trojans would hurt performance when it's undocked but not when it's docked.

[Papa_Complex]

The battery tends to help buffer against that sort of thing, almost like a UPS.

[Rangerscott]

I know the power port usually has 3 or 4 thick metal wires soldered to the motherboard. They can break from cramming the power cable in too hard.

[Papa_Complex]

I know the power port usually has 3 or 4 thick metal wires soldered to the motherboard. They can break from cramming the power cable in too hard.

Can, and frequently do.

[tallywacker]

Can, and frequently do.

Yep, sure do. I've fixed acouple and you can make a good profit of it because the powerjack is an inexpensive fix, but your labor for having to tear shit all the way apart is good.

[Papa_Complex]

Yep, sure do. I've fixed acouple and you can make a good profit of it because the powerjack is an inexpensive fix, but your labor for having to tear shit all the way apart is good.

Back in the early '90s about 80% of the cost of my BMW K75RT came from repairing the keyboard connector area on motherboard, using a technique I developed for repairing the surface mount components by hand.