Slower performance when connected to A/C power?

When my m1530 is connected to A/C power it runs very slowly and choppy-programs become unresponsive and music cuts in and out. However after the power cord is disconnected and I'm running on battery it works flawlessly.

Any ideas as to why this is? Just wondering if it is normal--this is my first laptop--and if not how to fix it.

Thanks in advance.

 

Vista does a ton of indexing for search services when the OS is "fresh". This indexing requires a lot of hard disk thrashing, which is what is likely killing your performance when plugged in. If you don't use search much, I strongly recommend that you disable it.

Computer> Right-click HD> Properties> Uncheck Indexing option.

 

Ahh, unchecked the box and all the hard disk noise stopped. Beautiful. Performance is much better; thanks for the help and quick response.

 

No problem.

 

I don't get it.
Isn't it better to have a "steady" performance when it's plugged in?

 

Vista will not index the system if the computer is running on battery in order to conserve battery life. So it does most of its work while on AC.

 

I see, thank you, Bog.

How about if you have 4GB RAM, 7200rpm hdd & T8100?
Am I still be able to let Vista does its indexing while I am opening multiple apps at the same time? Will Vista still be slowing down the "performance" (when it's plugged in)?

Sorry for asking so many questions as I am still learning Vista.

 

Try it out and see for yourself. One thing you can do is enable Indexing and let the laptop idle for a while until Vista has completed its indexing. Once Vista completes indexing, the performance hit is minimal (especially on a system like yours).

When Vista is "fresh", it does two things:

1) It indexes all drives by default. It will also index any newly introduced drives.

2) Vista will learn your user habits in order to optimize its caching for SuperFetch. It will record what programs you frequently open, and subsequently store program data into its cache at startup to increase performance.

 

hmmm ... this is interesting. I will definitely try that.
Thank you & much appreciate for sharing your knowledge, Bog.

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PS: Vista works similar like my car which has an ECU (a little computer) that can learn the driver habits (driving fast or driving slow); ECU manages/learns everything to optimize the engine performance based on how the driver steps his/her foot on the gas pedal.

 

No problem. Glad I could help.

 

very interesting...i have a quick question...if i use my laptop at home when the majority of the time its plugged in, does it matter if i leave my battery in?

 

This thorough guide for battery care should answer your questions.