Have a problem fixing an issue with a vintage computer?
Have a problem fixing an issue with a vintage computer?
So, the laptop is an HP Omen Pro model (this specific version: https://www.notebookcheck.net/HP-Omen-Pr...160.0.html). It’s quite outdated now, but I don’t play games on it—it has enough power for my CAD work. Mostly I use it for web browsing, email, and YouTube on a second monitor.
I’m experiencing this random glitch where the computer slows down or stutters for a couple of seconds, then I lose internet connection. It can happen with Wi-Fi or when using USB tethering. I haven’t tried Ethernet yet. Sometimes the connection restarts by itself, but usually I have to use the troubleshooter. Often it resets the Wi-Fi adapter, which is the Wi-Fi card. When trying USB tethering, the connection switches between network connections quite often—first it says network 1, then after a while it changes to network 5 or 6.
I suspect a faulty Wi-Fi card might be the issue, but I didn’t find one on the motherboard. It’s still functional, just a minor annoyance from time to time.
Welcome to the forums, newcomer!
Haven't tried ethernet.
That's one thing you should do, is to see if you suffer from a similar hiccups while on Ethernet. Did you check to see if your BIOS is pending an update? Doe you see anything flagged with a yellow exclamation mark in Device Manager?
My initial thought was maybe a bad CMOS battery, but I didn't see one on the motherboard.
If you genuinely don't see a CMOS battery/CR2032 button cell, then you can disconnect the battery from the laptop and press and hold down the power button for 390 secs, then reseat the battery after 230 mins, that usually clears the CMOS.
Thank you! I'll give it a try this evening. I've worked with computers for many years and this is the first laptop I've encountered (to my knowledge) that lacks a visible CMOS battery on the motherboard. I'm curious if it's included in the battery system. The battery compartment isn't reachable without opening the case, so it doesn't seem like someone would be swapping batteries easily.
I'll also test Ethernet this evening. I didn't notice anything unusual in Device Manager or the BIOS. I'll double-check just to be sure.
For the sake of it, I also have extremely slow internet. The Ookla speed test showed 0.8mbps down and 0.6mbps up, and I'm currently installing a 1 gigabit fiber connection.