What's up with my laptop?

Question

This is kind of complicated, but here goes.
I have a Dell Inspiron 1520, and I recently bought a new battery for it, as my laptop was telling me I needed to get a new one. At this point I should say that I didn't buy a Dell battery, I got a battery that is still compatible with my laptop.
I finally got round to putting my new battery in my laptop [even though my old one was still working] last week, and this is when my problems started. To be honest, I don't think the new battery was the cause of the problem, but just hear the rest of this.
I would log on, and my desktop would come up, but then a few minutes later, the whole screen would freeze up, and now, I can only use my laptop on Safe Mode.
I've done a virus scan, a system restore, and left it off for a couple of days, but nothing seems to have worked. Also, I'd like to point out that McAfee that I use has not been working properly since the day before I put in my new battery. When I go to "fix" it, it says that it can't do it due to one or more errors.
My laptop also gets quite hot after a few minutes - this has done it for a fair long time actually - so I'm wondering whether I need a new fan, although I don't think that's the root of the problem.

Anyway, I think it's a virus, but nothing's come up on the virus scan.
Sorry that was a bit long-winded, but any help would be appreciated.

Oh, and I've had my laptop for about 18 months, and nothing like this has happened before.

Answer 1

Follow the above advice and then I have a feeling you could have a hard disc problem.



Click on Start



Click on run



Type cmd and press enter



Type chkdsk /r and press enter



The computer should check and fix your hard drive. If it does find errors and can't fix them, then it's duff.



Happened with a mates computer.

Answer 2

Yikes! This may be a stupid question, but have you tried putting the old battery back in? If these problems all go away when you have the old battery in, it's safe to say that your new battery is the culprit.



A virus wouldn't cause the laptop to get super hot - but if you're saying that this has been going on for a while, it could be time for a new fan (or a cooling pad).



If the battery that was furnished by a reseller is providing the incorrect power level, it could be causing some of the on-board gear to spin at lower/higher rev. rates. Seeing as all of your troubles have started right after you installed this new battery, I'd get in touch with whomever you purchased it from and get a replacement.



Good luck!

Answer 3

First I'll address the virus. Yes, it sounds like you've got a virus. Mcafee and Norton antivirus programs have a bad reputation for being unreliable. I recommend using AVG (http://free.avg.com/) or Spybot (http://spybot-search-destroy.en.softonic.com/). If those don't work, or you can't get your computer to run them, you'll want to take it in to a professional. The heating issue is most commonly because the vents on your computer are either blocked, by putting the computer on your bed or your lap, or dirty. Try blowing out the vents with an air compressor or a can of compressed air (usually carried anywhere they sell computers). If you use the computer on a soft surface, like your bed (I do the same thing), use a book or some other object to keep the air vents propped up so that they get plenty of air flow. Just feel underneath the computer with your hand and you should find it ( I have a DELL and an Acer, both vents are in the top left corner). Good Luck!

Answer 4

Think you need a good computer shop for this one. I have been told that a new battery costs nearly as much as a laptop these days. I have a Fujitsu Siemens just 2 years old and battery only lasts half an hour before needing plugging into mains supply. I did not know about this til I had bought it. How did the price of the new battery compare to a new laptop at say £299.00?

Answer 5

Start at the easiest point - clean the fan and the vents - these get clogged up quite quickly.



When you have done that - run a virus scan and a spyware scan in SAFE MODE...see if that picks anything up.



McAfee - get rid of it - it is junk - install a free anti virus like Avast (www.avast.com).



McAfee & Norton - both cause problems with using way more system resources than they should.



See if that helps.



You could also download Malwarebytes - it's free and will search out little nasties hiding in your PC.....





Also - go here - www.ccleaner.com - download the free C Cleaner software and run that as well

Answer 6

I think its getting overheated...might be because of different battery current or fan as u pointed out.

Answer 7

Regarding Mcafee, uninstall and re-install. I had that problem with mine and called Mcafee who gave me step by step instructions. I hope you get the help you need for your other issues as well.



Step 1 - Uninstall your McAfee consumer products using Add/Remove Programs in the Windows Control Panel

Windows 2000/XP

Click Start, Settings, Control Panel.

Double-click Add or Remove Programs.

Select the McAfee SecurityCenter product.

Click Remove and follow the steps provided.

Windows Vista

Click Start, Search, type Programs and Features, and click Go.

Double-click Programs and Features.

Select the McAfee SecurityCenter product.

Click Uninstall and follow the steps provided.

Step 2 - Download and run MCPR.exe

Download the removal tool from:



http://download.mcafee.com/products/licensed/cust_support_patches/MCPR.exe





Click Save and save the file to a folder on your computer.

Navigate to the folder where the file was saved.

Make sure all McAfee windows are closed.

Double-click MCPR.exe to run the removal tool.



Note: Windows Vista users must right-click MCPR.exe and select Run as Administrator.





Restart your computer after receiving the message CleanUp Successful.



Your McAfee product will not be fully removed until the system is restarted.

If the message Cleanup Unsuccessful is displayed, follow the steps below to view and save your MCPR log files for analysis by Technical Support.



Saving troubleshooting logs

On the Cleanup Unsuccessful notification dialog, click View Logs.

Your troubleshooting logs will open in a Notepad window. Click File, Save As, and save the file to your Desktop. Name the file MCPR_date.txt (for example: MCPR_Jan10_08.txt).

Contact McAfee Technical Support and provide the log file to your technician for troubleshooting.

When all McAfee products are removed from your computer, continue to Step 3.



Step 3 - Reinstall your McAfee Products

Note: Please refer to the instructions from the partner you purchased your McAfee consumer product from, or reinstall using the partner links below.



If you purchased your software directly from McAfee, go to https://home.mcafee.com/Secure/Protected/Login.aspx to log in and download your software.



AT&T users should go to https://uversecentral1.att.com/uvp/myhome/mam/ISS/



Comcast users should go to http://security.comcast.net/



Cox users should go to http://www.cox.net



DELL users should go to https://us.mcafee.com/root/login.asp?affid=105



Gateway users should go to https://us.mcafee.com/root/login.asp?affid=370



eMachines users should go to https://us.mcafee.com/root/login.asp?affid=365



MSN users should go to http://membercenter.msn.com



AOL users should search on keyword: Safety (http://daol.aol.com/safetycenter). On the AOL Safety & Security page, click Download Now.