Bizarre issues with Dell Latitude D620 - keyboard, power adapter, etc.

[MrChad]

I rebuilt my mother-in-law's Dell Latitude D620 laptop and I'm seeing some strange behavior. This is a fresh XP SP3 install with all drivers updated and the latest BIOS (A10) applied.

When I plug in the power adapter (this happens with both the one she has and with one from my wife's Inspiron 600M), keys appear to get "stuck" intermittently (like the backspace key). This will sometimes cause system beeps when booting or shutting down. When in windows it will cause random behavior in applications (Internet Explorer keeps trying to go back to the previous page, for instance). The trackpad stops working occasionally as well when this happens.

If I unplug the power adapter, these issues go away. However, the battery drains very rapidly (full charge to warning me to shut down in under an hour).

It seems like a hardware issue, but I'm not sure where to begin. Do I replace the motherboard first? Anyone else out there experience something similar?

I should note that these issues existed before I reinstalled Windows as well

 

[dfuze]

When you put it back together, is it possible that the keyboard ribbon didn't get inserted completely? (not sure it would have those results though)

 

[MrChad]

Sorry, I should have been more clear. I didn't physically rebuild it, I merely re-imaged/re-installed it.

Also, the keyboard behavior was happening prior to reinstalling Windows. I thought it might have been due to malware, but it still happens after a fresh install.

 

[KillerBee]

It may be your trackpad

Googling "mouse drifting laptop dell" shows common problem
with some people cutting cable (not a good idea) to trackpad

I would try loading the Synaptics driver first and see if disabling it through the driver works

http://www.wizcrafts.net/blogs/2007/03/how_i_fixed_my_dell_latitudes_mouse_wand.html

 

[ViviTheMage]

I work with bad/flakey d620/630's all day, and my first attempt would be swap out keyboard - $10, then swap the board out. One of those will fix it.

I have seen some very funky issues with power ports before.

 

[MrChad]

I work with bad/flakey d620/630's all day, and my first attempt would be swap out keyboard - $10, then swap the board out. One of those will fix it.

I have seen some very funky issues with power ports before.

Thanks for the help. I already ordered a MB on eBay, but I can return it within 30 days if I don't need it. Perhaps I'll order a keyboard too to try that first and save me the hassle of completely disassembling the whole machine.

Is it possible that the keyboard could cause these issues only when the power adapter is plugged in?