Inspiron 1000 Processor Speed Issue

Question

I have a 2-1/2 year old Inspiron 1000 that started operating significantly slower a couple of months ago.  I have scanned for viruses and spyware, removed unnecessary software, changing the power settings to 'Always On' and most recently re-installed Windows XP SP2 (after a hard-drive reformat).  None of these has worked!   It seems to operate at normal speed at first then after 2-5 minutes slows down.  Based on a friend's recommendation, I checked the processor speed in the General Tab under the System Control Panel.  Initially it reads 2.19 GHz, but after it slows down becomes 262 MHz.    Can anyone help me diagnose this problem?  I would hate to just throw it away!   Inspiron 1000 Mobil Intel Celeron  CPU 2.20 GHz Windows XP SP2 448 MB RAM   Thanks!   - Peter

micaradu · Answer

Most likely the laptop is overheating.When it overheats it automatically reduces processor speed in order to cool down and prevent damage.You should clean up the dust on your heatsink and fan.You should be able to find out how to do that from your service manual or from the one on dell's website.If you're not confortable doing that, take it to arepair shop and have someone else do that for you. Keep us posted.

drygrass · Answer

That appears to have fixed the problem.  Amazing!  Everything appeared clean, and very little dust actually blew out when I used a compressed air canister, but now it is running like new again.  This should be part of the standard maintenance recommended by Dell.  At the least, it should be added to their troubleshooting steps when you search for 'slow' on the Dell help site.   Thank you!!

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