Identifying problems with old laptops
Identifying problems with old laptops
Hello,
I'm experiencing difficulties with my old Lenovo G50 laptop running Windows 8. It runs slow and the battery is completely dead, preventing charging. When I try to log in, the system waits excessively before returning to the login screen. After a few hours of inactivity, I managed to get logged in, but I'm concerned about frequent delays whenever I turn it on. Could replacing the battery resolve this problem? Are there other potential causes besides the battery issue?
Welcome to the forums, newcomer!
I'm trying to use an old Lenovo G50 laptop running Windows 8 but I'm finding it very slow.
What is the SKU to your laptop? There's a sticker underneath the laptop that you can read off of.
I left the laptop alone for a few hours and I was finally able to login but I'd like to avoid waiting for who knows how long every time I turn it on.
https://psref.lenovo.com/syspool/Sys/PDF...0_Spec.PDF
If the laptop doesn't have an SSD, then the first thing I'd have done to said laptop is reinstall the OS onto an SSD.
From when you received it?!
A new installation really makes a difference.
Cpu-z can provide details about the processor and memory, while the SSD are the key elements affecting performance.
If your CPU begins with an N, that means you're stuck with its speed—it's quite slow.
The OS hasn't been reinstalled before. I'm checking CPU-z, but my main worry is the delay—hours or even tens of minutes before I could log in after turning it on. With a HDD I don't expect such a long start time, but I'm surprised it would be that slow. I'm aiming for a decent speed on this low-spec machine.
This might also stem from the previous installation, which has accumulated a lot of data to handle.
It could be that the HDD is beginning to fail, with bad sectors and similar issues.
An outdated HDD paired with a low-end CPU will require many minutes to load into Windows, but the described actions—like waiting before logging in—might indicate a problematic Windows setup or an old HDD.
Additionally, if the CPU is extremely weak, booting even with an SSD could take a long time due to its slow performance in handling the necessary tasks.
I appreciate that feedback.
The CPU is an i5, so it shouldn't be among the slower ones. Based on what's been mentioned so far, it seems like the problem might be related to the HDD or the operating system. I'll check what I need for a reinstall. I'll also try shutting down and restarting the laptop once more just in case the slow start was a coincidence from not using it recently.