Update on Inspiron 8100 solution

Well that certainly did the trick in a somewhat dramatic way: I found that the keyboard and touchstick cables were plugged in correctly but that there was a flat panel hanging loose by the side which obviously connected the touchpad to the MoBo. When I plugged it in, immediately: 1 everything started working 2 the sluggishness problem completely disappeared as the keyboard stopped telling the OS that there was a touchpad and stick there which the OS installed in device manager but then flailed around desperately trying to find to use every time I pressed any command on the keyboard.

Obviously the person (I think I know who it was, principally because he always gets it so completely wrong, and his present idenbreasty is now on my block list again) who advised getting more memory and blaming Dell when the symptoms were so totally at variance with this did get it completely wrong as usual.

More baffling is Dell's technical support not identifying this problem immediately and having me reinstall drivers, reboot, and do various other 'put-more-air-in-the-tyres' solutions. What I was doing was to waste both my AND THEIR time with that call to India where the person seemed well trained, helpful, courteous and articulate. He just hadn't been properly primed on this obvious problem

Thanks again pen and fixer

Fellow pen