HELP! My laptop is barely useable...some kind of Vista problem maybe?

[TommyHolly]

Hey guys,
Usually I don't ask questions about this kind of stuff because I'm the one who fixes all my family and friend's computers. My laptop is experiencing some sort of strange lag problem only with the keyboard and mousepad??

Problem:
There is almost some kind of delay with the mousepad and keyboard? When moving around the mouse it also sometimes highlights things on the screen. The keyboard is slow too and sometimes you have to press the same button a few times just to get it to work? This problem is present even in the startup screens like when you have to choose a safe boot or a normal boot!! It even shows up when you have to enter in your password to log in??

When it started happening:
I saw this start to happen shortly after I downloaded Windows Vista Service Pack 2 but I am not 100% sure that was the problem

What I have tried to do to fix it:
1. I tried running MSCONFIG and making sure NOTHING is booting up so I unchecked everything.
2. I tried running both Avast! Antivirus and Spybot to make sure no spyware or Virus was the problem
3. I tried a full system restore 24 hours back was as far as I could go to the point where I installed Windows Vista Service Pack 2
4. I tried Control-Alt-Del to monitor the page file usage and services to see if anything was taking up my system recources. (Nothing was taking up much power adn the page file was a Vista small 1.1Gb out of 8Gb)
5. Next thing to do is completely wipe the system clean and start witha fresh install of Vista but I'd rather not do that until all other options are available.

For the first time in my life, I brought my Laptop to a PC repair center to have them take a look at it because I am deploying on Tuesday night and need my laptop working by then. Anyone have any ideas I could try??

Thanks!

 

[Rider200]

When you scanned your computer did you do it from the 'Safe Mode'? Some of the newer viruses can detect a virus scan.

Because you already have done the restore you may not beable to roll back the SP 2.

Other than an active virus or the SP 2 install can't think of anything else you can do short of reinstalling the OS.

Someone else may have some ideas...

 

[TommyHolly]

I should be getting this thing back from the computer shop... should be interesting to see what people that fix these things for a living have to say cause right now it is barely useable.

 

[TommyHolly]

OK I got the laptop back...

The "official" prognosis is nothing better then what I could have done by myself. The tech service center checked for viruses and bugs and all that stuff... Then called Dell support!!

According to the Computer Repair guys and Dell, their best guess is the motherboard is fried! The thing is, my performance on the computer is absolutely perfect save for the extremely annoying mouse and keyboard delay/jitter. Its just as fast as it always was.

I might take this with me on my deployment to hopefully re-install windows but that is gonna suck doing that on the road. Dell said that even though I called about this problem when I still had a warranty, the warranty is now up and I am SOL!!! RRRRRGHH

I wonder how much it would cost for Dell service center to repair the motherboard? Otherwise I might be forced to get a new laptop and toss this away. Its only 18 months old though.

 

[chevro1et]

Thats weak that a 'professional' tech couldnt provide any better prognosis than an 'enthusiast' could figure out on his own. Just out of curiosity, have you tried a usb mouse to see if it responds any better than the mouspad? Doesn't really help in regards to keyboard lag, but just curious.

 

[kkpudge7]

Just to go along with chevro1et, maybe try reinstalling the drivers for your touchpad. It doesn't seem like this would cause problems with the keyboard but you can at least eliminate it from the equation.

 

[TommyHolly]

Thats weak that a 'professional' tech couldnt provide any better prognosis than an 'enthusiast' could figure out on his own. Just out of curiosity, have you tried a usb mouse to see if it responds any better than the mouspad? Doesn't really help in regards to keyboard lag, but just curious.

I have not had the opportunity yet. Good idea though. I had to bring it to a computer reapir shop because I had to leave for a USAF deployment and had no time except to pack. (Now I'm travelling using a reeeeeally slow old laptop in a place that has even slower internet. haha (Either that or I time travelled back to 1998?)

Just to go along with chevro1et, maybe try reinstalling the drivers for your touchpad. It doesn't seem like this would cause problems with the keyboard but you can at least eliminate it from the equation.

Yeah I agree!! That is a great idea that I will try as soon as I can get access to my bags where my laptop is. I didn't think of that. I wonder though, if the drivers are bad, would that still effect the laptop even in the BIOS menu?

 

[Roisen]

If you called them about this problem before your warranty expired, and the problem still isn't resolved, then I believe that they still have to take care of this. The warrent covers hardware and manufacturing defects until the posted date, and (according to dell) you have experienced a hardware problem within that time frame.

Of course, I could be confusing what they SHOULD do and what their actual policies are.