Dell Inspiron 3520 Troubleshooting

The screen is either cracked, scratched or completely dark.

Before deciding that you need to replace the screen or the laptop, check to see if you have disabled your display, then locate the "Fn" and the "F1" key. By pressing and holding the "Fn" key and tapping the "F1" you will cycle through your laptops display options. Wait a few seconds between each tap of the "F1" key for the display to come back, if it doesn't... read on.

Check to make sure either your laptop has a charge or is plugged into the wall.

If the above solutions did not work or your screen has cracks or scratches that are causing you issues, then it is more than likely time to replace your screen. You can follow our repair guide.

Your computer is slow to respond to your commands, its downloads aren’t running smoothly or your movie is experiencing lag.

Every computer has its limits. Before you blame the computer for running slow, check to see how many programs you have open. If you have some that you aren’t using, then speeding up your computer could be as simple as closing out of that game of solitaire or closing the browser tabs you are no longer using.

When a computer stores data, it puts it away wherever it can find space. To solve the slowness, sometimes all a computer needs is a reboot to get a chance to reorganize its data.

Viruses and malware are two major issues when it comes to the health and performance of your laptop. Running a virus scan couldn’t hurt; try using programs like Zonealarm or Norton to identify any possible issues and make sure they are dealt with.

If you’ve gone through all of the above solutions and the issue persists, then it is time to upgrade your computers RAM. You can go online or to your local computer parts store and have them help you select the best compatible RAM for your laptop. Then we can help you remove the old RAM and insert the upgrade with this guide.

Your laptop seems to be dying more often than it used to, or maybe that battery warning is appearing just after you unplug it; there are a couple of potential issues here.

Your computer may be overheating due to an accumulation of dust in the computers vents or fans. To fix this issue, use a can of compressed air to blow the dust off of your fan through the vents on the computer.

The battery may not be holding a charge due to a broken or malfunctioning charging cable. If this is the case, you will need to buy a new charging cable.

If your computer is only working when it is plugged into the wall, this may be due to a defective battery. In which case you will need to purchase a new battery for your computer, and we can it show you how to install.

Your Dell Inspiron 3520 is not playing CD’s or DVD’s

Check to see if the CD or DVD has a scratch. If so, this could be the reason the disk isn’t playing.

Your Dell Inspiron 3520 may not be playing CD/DVD’s due to dust on the disk or optical drive. In this case, use a soft cloth to wipe the disk, being careful not to scratch it. Then use a can of compressed air to blow any dust out of the CD drive.

If the above actions do not fix your problem, you may need to replace the optical drive.

Keys on keyboard are not registering or are missing

If you can see that a certain key is missing, you will need to replace the keyboard.

Keys not registering may be due to the keyboard being disconnected or broken. This would require you to replace the keyboard.