System performance is reduced, CPU usage remains at zero.
System performance is reduced, CPU usage remains at zero.
While I powered on my laptop today, performance was quite poor. Login screens took about a minute to appear, though the overall boot time remained normal. The mouse functioned correctly, but the user interface felt sluggish. Restarting three times and using automatic repair didn’t improve things. Once in safe mode, the login process completed quickly—Task Manager showed minimal CPU usage (0-3%) with a peak of 30% during a short period. The processor clock speed was fixed at 2.2 GHz, which is lower than its typical range of 2.4-2.6 GHz. I attempted to reset BIOS settings by pressing F9, but no effect was observed. Running a CPU stress test in the diagnostic tool worked fine; the CPU heated up and the fan increased noise, indicating the issue only appeared after Windows loaded. My ThinkPad X1 Carbon (3448) has an Intel i5-3427U processor with 1.8 GHz base speed, up to 2.6 GHz, 8 GB RAM, and a 128 GB SSD. Someone might know what caused this problem? Thanks for your assistance. Edit: I also tried Intel XTU yesterday, adjusted turbo power max, reset it back to defaults, and removed an app—though I’m unsure if that resolved the issue.
If it doesn’t work then I’ll reinstall it. Previously, when I reinstalled Windows, I had to run the setup inside Windows. It wouldn’t let me reset using a USB drive, which made it difficult. My USB is damaged, and I don’t have another PC or laptop with an installation ISO.