Good evening,
I hope I am posting in the proper forum for this issue, if I'm not please just let me know and I'll be more than happy to move it myself (if it isn't already done by a moderator).
Overview:
I inherited a HP-dv2174cl laptop from a friend, and I've noticed non-stop CPU usage spikes (between 4-20%).
Known Issues:
The laptop's battery is fried, so it runs exclusively on AC power. I've heard of laptops with dead batteries having issues because of some sort of power management constantly checking if the battery is charging, and that this problem would be fixed by removing the battery altogether - tried this to no avail.
Bottom line:
I realize that it is a possibility that the computer is infected with some form of malware, but I'm not really proficient enough to be able to extrapolate any useful information from something like HijackThis on my own, or determine for sure if this is a hardware issue for that matter. Which is why I have come here, as I did once over a year ago in which I was helped tremendously by the community here.
I am ready/able to upload any sort of reports I'm directed to but I didn't want to do so in my first post, spamming a wall-of-text + HELP!
Once more, I apologize if I have posted incorrectly, but if I have not - thank you sincerely in advance for your help.
-josh