Unfortunately I threw out my old ram because it was shot.
Try only using one RAM module at a time and seeing if the problem is still there.
Unfortunately I threw out my old ram because it was shot.
Agreed with the others, if nothing else re-seat the RAM and see if that helps, and check for battery swelling when you do (I edited my last post, have a look).
WRT your usage, that's a fairly light usage model so you should be able to go a bit lighter on disk if you want. I also wouldn't worry so much about expandability in your case.
Try only using one RAM module at a time and seeing if the problem is still there.
Agreed with the others, if nothing else re-seat the RAM and see if that helps, and check for battery swelling when you do (I edited my last post, have a look).
WRT your usage, that's a fairly light usage model so you should be able to go a bit lighter on disk if you want. I also wouldn't worry so much about expandability in your case.
I pulled the battery last night when I was researching stuff. I noticed that when I push on one corner it does rock a bit.
I'll give that a try if I can find my screwdriver. All of my stuff is at my house and I'm at college right now.
Is it a case of just getting a new battery, or is it something more serious?
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Worst case, you could go to a store and get a screwdriver set for pretty cheap. Apple was nice, and made all the screws Phillips.
That's the DVD drive. Probably coincidental that it's hot because it's a big flat piece of metal. You can unplug that from the board easily.Pictured below is the part that's incredibly hot. It's not dusty at all. I pulled the ram and will reseat it. View attachment 515676
That's the DVD drive. Probably coincidental that it's hot because it's a big flat piece of metal. You can unplug that from the board easily.
Pictured below is the part that's incredibly hot. It's not dusty at all. I pulled the ram and will reseat it. View attachment 515676
That's what I thought. I'm just turning it back on. I'm thinking about it and even if I can fix this I'm wondering if I should get a new computer. I need something that's stable and not going to put me in a predicament if I need it before an exam or something. Such a hard decision!
I had it put together before you responded. I did blow out the insides. I feel like at the moment the trackpad is working like it should. The computer still is pretty laggy.
I had it put together before you responded. I did blow out the insides. I feel like at the moment the trackpad is working like it should. The computer still is pretty laggy.
Send out the CPU usage now.
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BTW, do you have TRIM enabled?
I have no idea what TRIM is. How do I check?
It seems to be intermittent with the trackpad. It seems 'sticky' now but was fine before. It seems to be correlated with that I'm doing on my computer, but that could totally be mental. I tried to duplicate normal usage and heres what the CPU activity log showed.
The battery being swollen is bad for a variety of reasons.
Yes, you should replace a swollen battery, there is a non-zero risk of it opening up, and that would be very bad indeed.
Here's a decent article on it: https://www.yahoo.com/tech/your-gadgets-battery-is-swelling-up-should-you-panic-75625500284.html
Bottom line, it will expand and move things around inside, especially the trackpad, and make things stop working.
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If you don't know what it is, then it's not on.
It's a way of keeping an SSD at peak performance. I don't think not having it on is related to your issue.
It seems to be intermittent with the trackpad. It seems 'sticky' now but was fine before. It seems to be correlated with that I'm doing on my computer, but that could totally be mental. I tried to duplicate normal usage and heres what the CPU activity log showed.
Easiest way to test is to shut down the computer, remove the battery, then re-start only using the cord.
Important note: don't expect stellar performance doing this, some Macs will detect the missing battery and purposefully reduce performance.
Also, if the cord comes loose, obviously you will have just shutdown in the most abrupt way possible.
That article is interesting. I have been using my computer with the battery out since before I took my computer apart. The problem is still intermittent with my trackpad.
That's disappointing, typically the problem goes away if the battery is removed, this brings up the specter of hardware damage - which is what I've suspected since I read your OP.
I have to go now, but my conclusion to this point is that you have a hardware problem which may be fixable but would take some time and effort to get to. The other people in this thread had good ideas, reseating the RAM for example.
The bad thing here is the extreme heat - things can warp and go in out of contact and it will be unpredictable. Kernel panics are typically another sign of bad hardware.
I've seen a few (not many!) Apple laptops just give up and be intermittent like this, it does happen.
Bottom line, if you depend on a computer to be there for you, I'd get a new one.
If you do want to continue troubleshooting, I'd remove the DVD drive as the next step - it shouldn't be hot. Either it's hot because it's failed, or something behind it is heating it up.