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Touchpad is Unresponsive
The cursor jumps around when using the touchpad and the two buttons are not responsive or are only responsive in certain places.
Touchpad is turned off
On occasion, the touchpad can be accidentally turned off. Pressing the F6 key will toggle the touchpad on and off. If this does not work, the F6 key itself may be faulty.
Driver is not installed
If for some reason your touchpad driver is not installed, install it using this link http://www.dell.com/support/home/us/en/1...
Hard drive ribbon touching the touchpad
Turn the laptop off, unplug it and remove the battery to be safe.
Flip the laptop over and locate the removable panel in the bottom right. There is one screw in the very bottom right corner to remove. It doesn't come all the way out of the plastic. Once it doesn't seem to be unscrewing anymore, use it to pull the plastic up and unhook the whole panel. You may need to use something to help you pry it up.
Once the panel is off you will see the hard drive. There are 4 screws holding it in. Remove these and set them aside.
Slide the drive and its enclosure to the right in order to disconnect it, then lift the enclosure out.
Now you should see what is causing the issue: The hard drive ribbon cable is hanging right above the trackpad. If you peer in there with a flashlight you can see a black square in the center of the trackpad that the ribbon is practically touching.
Move the ribbon off to the side and tape it in place.
Slide the drive back into the connector, put the 4 screws back, and reattach the panel.
Touchpad Needs Replacement
Please view this _____________________ replacement guide.
Failure to Charge
Your laptop does not charge or shuts down when plugged into a power source.
Power Source is Unresponsive
If the laptop is connected to a power source (i.e. a wall outlet, power strip etc.) make sure the power source itself is working properly. It may be damaged or turned off. Test this by connecting your laptop to multiple power sources, or other electronics to the same source, to insure that it is reliable.
Power Cord is Damaged
Examine your laptop’s power cord. If the cord is secure within a reliable power source, failure to charge the laptop could be a sign of a broken or damaged charger. Ensure that the plugin is not distorted or bent and the cord’s wire are not frayed. Also examine the jack itself. The plugin to the jack may be distorted, so make sure it is fully plugged in. If the problem persists, the jack itself may be faulty.
Faulty Battery
If the charger is not charging the battery, this is likely the result of your battery malfunctioning. Try shutting down the computer, taking out the battery, putting it back in again and starting it up. Or start up the computer without its battery. If these solutions solve your problem, there may be something wrong with the battery, and it might need to be replaced. See [view guide| this page| for a detailed replacement guide]
Laptop Runs Slow
''The software on the laptop does not run smoothly or it takes a significant amount of
time to run software.''
Too many applications running
You may be doing more tasks than your computer is able to handle. Try shutting down everything you are not using, and focus on fewer tasks at a time. Doing this will improve the processing speed of the computer.
Your cache is full
Try resetting your laptop to clear its dispensable memory and free up some space If this does not work try the next step.
RAM Needs Replacement
You may just not have enough computing memory. With more ram, or newer ram, your computer will run more smoothly. See [view guide| this page| for a detailed replacement guide].
Audio Distorted
You have trouble listening to sounds on your computer.
=== Headphone Jack is Loose===
Test audio through the computer speakers, then test it using headphones. If the audio is only distorted while listening via headphones, the audio jack or the headphones themselves may be faulty. Audio that cuts in and out is often a sign of a loose audio jack, so make sure the audio jack is fully inserted in the computer.
Faulty Driver
If the audio sound is distorted when listening through the laptop’s speakers, the audio driver may be corrupt. Go to dell.com and search for “dell insprion 14z n411z audio drivers” then click on the driver that is applicable to your device.
Audio is Muffled
Blown speakers cause the audio to be distorted; please visit [view guide|this page| to replace these.
Not Powering On
The laptop does not power on by means of plugging it in or the power button.
Laptop is Dead
Check to see if the battery is fully charged. Computers failing to turn on is often the result of a dead battery. Test this by plugging your computer into a power source and see if it powers on.
Laptop is Too Hot
Laptops are known to shut themselves off if they overheat. An overheated laptop may not turn on again until cooled down. See the “=Laptop Overheating=” section for more information.
Static Build-up
On Occasion, static electricity will build up in the battery and the motherboard, causing the laptop to short circuit and temporarily burn out. Try disconnecting the AC adapter and take the battery out for a short time. Holding the power button for 10-15 seconds while the battery is removed may get rid of any static in the motherboard.
AC Adapter has failed
There might be a problem or malfunction with the AC adapter. Try using a voltmeter to see if it is showing a charge or not. If not, your AC adapter may need to be replaced [view guide| this page for AC adapter replacement].
Laptop Overheating
Your laptop will turn on and work, but shuts down after it gets too hot
Fan is not able to run efficiently
Check to ensure your fan is obstacle free. Try moving the laptop to a hard flat surface, or pushing anything around it out of the way. If this does not work, you may have a bigger problem with your fan.
Dust build-up in fan
There may be dust built up in the fan intake. Too much dust could be jamming the fan and making it not run properly. Try using an air can duster to blow the dust build-up out of the fan intake holes. If this does not work you may need a replacement fan.
Fan is Broken
If the air can method does not work your fan may be broken and [view guide| here| needs to be replaced].
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