Battery is (sometimes) causing my CPU to run at 100%

[jacquilp]

I am hoping someone can PLEASE help me. I have a Dell Inspiron 1420 and have recently been having loads of trobule with my CPU...it seems that out of nowhere it jumps to 100% and I am unable to really do anything. I have tried a number of things, checking in task manager what is using up the most but the tasks run at 1 or 2% nothing susbtantial...the numbers do not come close to adding up to 100. Then I thought it may be a virus so I had someone look at the computer ( I have malware and AVG and they work just fine). The problem continues spontaneously. I finally just today discovered that when it is running at 100% if I unplug the charger it suddenly works. I am not particularly computer savy so have no idea why this would happen sometimes and not others. The computer is currently unplugged but the moment I plug it in it jumps right back to 100% and nothing will work. Please help! (oh and sometimes when I plug the battery it in says the AC adapter is not determined, and other times it works just fine). I use Windows Vista. Many many thanks!

Jacqueline

 

[Route44]

Jacqueline, is this system still under warrenty? Try this: While system is shut down, unplug from AC Adapter, remove battery, replug to AC adapter and boot-up. Whatare the results?

My niece has an Inspirion and it has caused her a number of headaches.

 

[jacquilp]

Hey! I really doubt that it is still under warranty as I have had it for about 3 or 4 years. I shut it down for all of last night and rebooted just now, it appeared to load up fine but before I even logged myself in something popped up about "RUDULL" - I am not entirely sure what it said. I will try removing my battery before rebooting after my Malware finishes running ( I am concerned about the RUDULL pop up) and see what happens. The thing that I find so odd is that the problem is very sporadic and sometimes I have no problems whatsoever--- my fan used to reheat to the point that the computer would unexpectedly shut down but I simply blew into the vent and this has never again been an issue. Quite a finicky computer, I must say. Thank you for you help, I'll post the results asap.

 

[Route44]

Have you opened up the case to see if you have dust build up?