Dell Inspiron 14-5415 Troubleshooting

Computer does not power on or show signs of turning on  

Your device will not power on if it is out of battery power. Charge your device for 15-20 minutes from a wall outlet and try powering it on again. Unoriginal and counterfeit chargers will not supply the battery with enough voltage. Ensure you use the power supply provided with the device or a verified substitute.

If the power adapter is plugged in and the device turns on only when plugged in, the device battery might be faulty and need replacement. To do so use this guide.

If your device beeps or does not boot up, runs slowly during heavy operations, experiences declining performance, refuses to install new programs, this signifies that you do not have enough RAM or Need to install a new RAM.

Applications on the computer will not open

If the applications that are refusing to load where downloaded or can be found on the windows store, try updating them so that they work properly.

To update apps:

Step 1: Click the Windows key and the "s" key at the same time.

Step 2: Type store in the search bar that pops up.

Step 3: Tap the three dots beside your user icon in the top-right corner.

Step 4: Select Downloads and updates.

Step 5: Select Update all.

This will automatically update all out-of-date applications and they should be running fine once they are done downloading.

Depending on the number of files and data stored on your computer, the hard-drive storage will begin to slow down as large files clog the storage. Try deleting large, unused files to clear some storage space.

To delete a file, follow these steps:

Step 1: On your trackpad, move your cursor so that it is hovering over the desired file.

Step 2: Right click on your trackpad so that an "options" bar appears.

Step 3: Locate the "delete" option and right click.

Step 4: If prompted with a confirmation screen, select "yes".

After following these steps, the file will be successfully moved to the trash bin.

Computer hard drives may become outdated as new computers are manufactured. As such, application software may become incompatible with outdated hard drives. If files continue to crash, it may be time to replace the hard drive. To replace it use this guide.

When performing tasks, your computer randomly switches off 

If the performance of your device suddenly starts to decrease and your computer consistently freezes or has a solid blue screen, this might be sign that your fan is dying. If you cannot hear the spinning sound of the fan at the bottom of the device, then your fan is dead and you need to install a new fan.

If your computer feels hot and the fan runs louder than usual or is excessively noisy, this is a sign that there is a buildup of dirt in the vents and internal parts that need to be cleaned. This will require you to remove the back cover of your device.

To properly clean the vents:

• Step 1: Turn off your device and REMOVE the back cover.
• Step 2: With a microfiber cloth, gently wipe over the vent panels and fan.
• Step 3: Gently brush over the fan blades with a soft brush.
• Step 4: With a toothpick, carefully scrape any debris around the vents and fan.
• Step 5: Gently Wipe over the parts one last time.
• Step 6: Screw the back cover on.

Ensure you are using an original charger for the device. Faulty charges are a common cause of overheating as they are not compatible with the battery provided with your computer. If your device overheats whenever you cargo it, it is time to buy a new charger.

Certain keys are not responding or seem to be damaged

If the keys feel stiff, make sure to check for any dirt or debris around the key. This is a common issue for keyboard wear as small particles can go inside the keyboard. If this is the case, then you must take out the keys and clean the dirt.

One common issue is your keyboard driver being out of date.

To solve this issue, follow the steps prompted below:

• Step 1: Press Windows + X, Select Device Manager.
• Step 2: Under Device Manager, right click on your keyboard device/driver and select Update driver.
• Step 3: Select search automatically for drivers.

If the entire keyboard is unresponsive or the keys appear to be damaged, this will require the keyboard to be replaced. To replace the keyboard, use this guide from Dell.

Your device has been performing tasks slower than usual

A very common reason for a reduction in processing speed on this device is programs running in the background. These programs and not currently being used by you but are open. Try closing all applications that you are not using, and this should improve your device speed.

How to force quit:

• Step 1: Press Control + Alt + Delete
• Step 2: Choose Task Manager
• Step 3: Select the application that you want to force quit
• Step 4: Click end task

If you are consistently putting your device to sleep instead of switching it off, you might have overworked the CPU and RAM. This overload might be causing your computer to depreciate in processing speed. To solve this issue reboot your device.

The hard drive on your device runs better when there is free space to work with. There are temporary files and bloatware which cannot be easily detected on your device that significantly reduce processing speed.

To delete Temp files:

Step 1: Click the windows key and the "R" key at the same time.

Step 2: Type "%temp%" in the open bar and select "ok".

Step 3: Click CTRL key and "A" key at the same time when the "Temp" folder opens

Step 4: Click the DELETE key and select Yes when the user account control window appears to confirm your command.

Bloatware is trickier to get rid of. You will have to uninstall them one by one manually or use a bloatware removal tool.