Win7 Graphics (?) Problem

[gusz]

I have Win7 64-bit on a Lenovo U510 laptop. This system has a combination of Intel HD 4000 and nVidia GT 625M graphics that I don't understand very well. Everything was fine for the year or so I've owned it until recently, when it started exhibiting a strange combination of symptoms .....

- Messages "Do you want to change the color scheme to improve performance?"
- Copy and paste isn't working. When I copy, either there is no paste option at the destination, and/or it pastes what seems to be a current screen shot.
-Slow graphics performance - when I try to move Windows around on the screen, there's delays, hesitation, jerky movement ...

I ran MalwareBytes and found and removed the PUP.Optional.Softonic malware. Other virus scans have been clean. I cannot see any high-CPU use processes in the performance monitor, or spot any other problems. I reinstalled both the Intel and nVidia graphics drivers, no joy. I've never encountered anything like this before, but I suppose my best guess is a virus or a hardware problem. Recommendations to diagnose and/or fix appreciated.

Gus

 

[Berton]

Part of the description of the Notebook includes
"Enhanced graphics
Enjoy incredible multimedia and gaming with discrete NVIDIA® GeForce® graphics"
and
"Intel® Wireless Display (WiDi)
Enjoy content from your U510 on a big screen wirelessly with Intel® Wireless Display (WiDi) technology".
IdeaPad U510 Laptop | Lenovo US

As a test I'd try disabling the Intel Wireless Display part and see what happens.

 

[gregrocker]

It may use Switchable graphics which is normally controlled by the Nvidia software. Browse through that to look at the settings. If disabling either in Device Manager resolves it then you'll know for sure that's what it is.

Read more about this in the Manual on your model's Support Downloads webpage, which is where any diskplay drivers you updated should have come from if Win7 didn't provide any.

In addition open Windows Updates, Check for Updates and install all Important and Optional, reboot and check again until there are no more. This is where you get the drivers Win7 prefers, patches needed to make hardware and software work or work better, critical security and performance updates.

Finally, be aware that the factory install of Win7 is the worst possible install one can have, which is why most tech enthusiasts prefer to Clean Reinstall Windows 7 which will show you how to get and keep a perfect install to enjoy native Win7 performance for the first time on that PC.