Weird problems with T43 - USB & Intermittent freezing

[jgiam]

Hi all,

I was facing some strange problems with my T43, and it was out of desperation that I registered here yesterday.

I spent the whole day trying to diagnose the problem, but still could not come to a conclusion.

I'm quite a techie, and have done PC repair work before, so I believe I have quite exhausted my tests.

There were two main problems:
1. USB would suddenly "disappear", and
2. The laptop would intermittently freeze for a few seconds every few seconds. (like this

I found it hard to diagnose because I could not trace back what exactly started these problems. There were a few possibilities:
a. Updating my VMWare version (5.5.1 to 5.5.2)
b. Dropping my laptop (while in a soft case)
c. Running System Update

For problem 1, I found that when USB "disappeared", the System process would show high CPU usage. I used Process Explorer to check, and found that it was caused by usbport.sys.

Suspecting that my Windows system files could be damaged, I did a repair installation. Now the USB would "disappear", but at least I would not get the high CPU usage by System process.

The next problem was the intermittent freezing. At some point, that did not happen any longer. Last night, because I was still having issues with the wireless driver and Access Connections, I installed the latest driver package through System Update. On next boot, the intermittent freezing came back. ARGH!

In addition, I notice that the freezing is more pronounced when I use the TrackPoint, as opposed to the touch pad or a USB mouse.

I know that it seems best to format and restore the original system. But it's in the midst of the semester, in fact, nearing the end, with project deadlines and exams, so I'm trying to at least make it last for the next one and a half months.

Right now, I believe that in addition to those software problem, there's probably something loose in the hardware too. When I plug in a USB mouse, just smacking the bottonm right corner (where the hard disk is) causes the optical light to flicker. Smacking it hard enough causes the light to disappear aka USB disappears.

* there were a lot of intermediate steps that I had performed leading to whatever conclusion, or lack of, that I did not mention for the sake of brevity. However, I do welcome any suggestions, of course.

[jgiam]

An update: I've confirmed it's a hardware fault, likely to be loose connection somewhere.

Re the intermittent freezing, I found that if I pressed down on the area around the touch pad, e.g. on the immediate left part, I no longer get the intermittent freezing, and everything works fine. Once I release, freezing again. I disabled the touchpad using Thinkpad Configuration, and so far it has helped quite a bit.

Re the USB disappearing, I tried pressing down on the right part of the touchpad area, and the mouse magically came to life.

I'll definitely have to send it down to the service center, but hopefully it can last till after my exams.