Dell Inspiron 1545 Troubleshooting

Either the computer's power indicator is on for a few seconds then shuts off, or the computer does not boot up whatsoever.

Your computer could not be turning on because the battery is dead. Plug in the computer's power adapter, and plug the other end into an outlet to charge the battery. After this has been done, either retry starting up the computer or check that the computer's "charging" LED is turned on.

Your adapter may be broken, which would cause no power to reach the laptop or battery. You can check if power is being supplied by using a voltmeter on the laptop-side plug. You can also see if a similar power adapter from another computer works. If other adapters work, yours may need to be replaced.

If you are sure the battery has been charged but the computer will still not turn on, the battery may need to be replaced. To check if the battery needs to be replaced, remove the battery then plug in only the computer's power adapter. Retry starting up the computer. If it works, you have a bad battery. Replacement batteries can be purchased on multiple websites (Amazon, eBay, etc.). Please refer to our battery replacement guide.

It may appear that your computer is not turning on because the display is bad. If the screen remains black upon startup but the computer's LED's are on and you can hear it making noises, then the display may need to be replaced. Please refer to our replacement guide or see the section heading "Screen Is Working Improperly."

The display is completely black, flickers, or is discolored and difficult to read.

If you can only see very faint images on your screen, your backlight may not be turned on or could be broken and in need of replacement. Check to see if the backlight is turned on by going to Power Options in the Control Panel.

Your screen may be broken and in need of replacement. Try plugging in an external monitor to your computer, then pressing F1 to toggle screens. If your computer display works for the external monitor, its own display needs to be replaced. Please see our display replacement guide.

If your screen is prone to flickering or has single or entire lines of unresponsive pixels any of the following problems could exist:

• Your display has gone bad and needs to be replaced.
• The cable connecting the motherboard and the display has a crack or is loose. If moving the display back and forth helps, this is the likely reason.
• The graphics chipset (on motherboard) has issues.

The keyboard does not respond or does not work properly.

Although this problem is rare if the keyboard does not work at all it is likely that the keyboard cable came loose or disconnected. If this is the case, follow the keyboard replacement guide and simply ensure the cable is completely disconnected and then reconnect it. Follow the guide steps in reverse to reinstall the keyboard. If this does not solve it, the keyboard sub-assembly may be bad and need to be replaced.

If the keyboard works partially or only certain keys work properly, the problem could be caused by water damage or excessive moisture. Allow a few days for the laptop to dry thoroughly without use and reboot it. If the problem still persists, remove the keyboard following the keyboard replacement guide and ensure there is no corrosion on the keyboard connector or elsewhere on the keys. If after replacing the keyboard connector and reinstalling the keyboard, it does not work, the assembly may need to be replaced.

The touchpad does not work or respond to my touch properly.

If the laptop is dirty on or around the touchpad, an accumulation of dirt could be causing the touchpad to not work properly. Follow the guide to replace the palm rest and clean the touchpad with ammonia-based cleaner or a screen cleaner. Replace the palm rest and reboot the system to see if the problem has been resolved.

The touchpad may have been inadvertently disabled. On the laptop, go to “Device Manager” and find “Mice and other pointing devices.” Under this tab should be “Dell touchpad.” Select this and ensure the touchpad is enabled. If “Dell touchpad” is not there install the driver by going to: Dell Drivers

The USB port(s) do not respond when inserted.

Restart your computer because the problem may be caused by a software issue.

The USB ports(s) may be contaminated with dirt or dust and may require you to clean them out with an air duster. If the USB port(s) are bent or misshapen, they will need to be replaced. Please refer to our USB port replacement guide.

The Optical drive does not read or respond when an optical disc is inserted.

Restart your computer because the problem may be a software issue.

One of the most common problems with optical drives not working is a damaged optical disk such as a CD or DVD. Scratches and damage on the surface of the disk may cause the disc to be unreadable by the optical drive. If this is the case the disk needs to be cleaned. If you have rebooted your computer and cleaned the optical discs you have tried to use and the optical drive is still not working, then the optical drive needs to be replaced. Please refer to our replacement guide.

Your laptop constantly overheats and may shut down because of overheating.

Often when people use their laptop they forget that there fans are on the bottom. Using your laptop on a bed or similar surface will often cause laptops to overheat. To solve this simply move to a more appropriate surface or purchase a laptop cooling pad.

In this situation it is most likely that your laptop is overheating due to a buildup of dust or other particles in your fan, causing it to work at an impaired rate. To fix this reference our fan replacement guide.

It is possible that your laptop has a broken fan, whether it be a faulty part or caused by some trauma to the laptop. In this case it is best just to replace the entire fan. Please refer to our fan replacement guide.

Your computer has issues detecting or connecting to WiFi networks.

It is possible that there is absolutely nothing wrong with your physical WiFi card so it is best to make sure that you have the most recent and up-to-date drivers which can be found on the device page or on Dell's website.

If you are connecting to WiFi at home, first ensure that there is no issues with your router/modem. Try power cycling (Turning off and back on) all of your devices and then attempt to reconnect to the internet.

It is possible some laptop setting is preventing you from seeing open connections. First review all of the settings that could have conflicts with your WiFi card. Internet connections are usually displayed in the bottom right of your taskbar.

After you have checked the above steps and nothing has worked, it is possible that your WiFi card is physically malfunctioning, in that case it will need to be replaced.

There are issues with your laptop producing sound.

If there is no sound coming from the speakers first check to make sure that you have the most up to date sound drivers for your laptop. If your laptop consistently cannot produce sound using multiple devices after you have updated drivers, it is possible that your sound card is physically broken and needs to be replaced. Please refer to our replacement guide.

If your laptop has a history of water damage it could potentially distort the sound coming out of your speakers, in this case it is likely that you will have to replace your speakers. Please refer to our replacement guide.

It is possible that this is not an issue with your speakers at all but rather an issue with your audio jack, this could potentially be a symptom but will not be covered in our replacement guides.