Dell Inspiron 14-3452 Troubleshooting

Unable to access or retrieve user files.

If you are unable to save or download a file to your computer, you may have reached the maximum storage capacity of your laptop. To correct this problem, you can remove old files and programs that are saved to your hard drive. To find programs that are installed on your computer, click on the search bar to the right of the windows icon at the bottom left corner of your screen, and type in “Control Panel”. When the control panel program opens, click "Programs", and then "Programs and Features". Once this page opens, you will see a list of programs installed on your computer. To uninstall a program you no longer need, find that program in the list and click it with your cursor. Once the program is highlighted click the button that says uninstall/change, which is located at the top of the list of programs.

Computer takes extended periods of time to load applications or boot up.

Sometimes applications can use up a lot of your available RAM. The easiest way to regain used memory is to close unnecessary or unused open applications. This can be done by moving your cursor to the taskbar on the bottom of your screen and right-clicking on the applications that are running. Once you do this a window will pop-up allowing you to click “close”, which will free up the memory that was previously used by this application.

RAM wears out over time. If your computer frequently freezes, reboots, or brings up a blue screen of death, the RAM may need to be replaced. Follow this guide for instructions on how to open up your computer and replace the RAM stick inside of it.

The laptop shows no signs of powering up.

The reason your laptop is not turning on may be due to a faulty power adapter. Make sure the power adapter is plugged in, and the light indicating charging turns on. If the light does not turn on, the adaptor may be broken, and you may need to consider purchasing a replacement.

If your power adapter is still working and the laptop will not turn on, you may need to replace the battery. To replace the battery completely turn off your computer. After the computer has shut down, close the laptop display. Turn your laptop over and find the battery release switch located towards the rear of the laptop. Slide the battery release switch to the unlock position and lift the battery out of battery bay at an angle. Replacement batteries can be purchased from Dell Support. See "Additional Resources" section for a link to the Dell Inspiron 14-3452 Support website.

A motherboard allows your computer to communicate between components (Central Processing Unit, Graphics Processing Unit) and memory. It also provides connections for peripherals (external keyboard, external mouse, USB drives). Over time your motherboard can wear out and require replacement. Follow this guide for step by step instructions on accessing and replacing your motherboard.

Your laptop can find WiFi but you cannot connect.

You may be able to fix this problem by using the Windows Troubleshooter. You can access this by right-clicking on the network icon on the taskbar near the clock. Select Network & Internet settings. Click on the options that will launch the Troubleshooter. The system will detect the problem and automatically fix it. Another solution would be restarting your laptop, which will reinstall the WLAN driver. This will reset your WiFi driver. Yet another way you can deal with this problem is to open Device Manager and click on the WiFi card. You can right-click to uninstall the driver.

If your laptop still cannot connect to WiFi, you will need to replace the WiFi card. Follow this guide for step-by-step instructions on how to do this.

Your screen will not show anything, is frozen, or black lines appear on your screen.

Your laptop may have run out of battery, and that may be the reason the display is not showing anything. Try charging your laptop by plugging in your power adaptor.

A driver is a software component that allows your computer operating system and a device communicate with each other. Your display driver may have failed to activate or be outdated. The easiest way to resolve this problem is by restarting your laptop. To do this, hold down the power button for 10 seconds until the screen turns black. After making sure the screen is off, hit the power key again to reboot your computer.

If the lines remain on your screen after you try rebooting your laptop, your screen may be in need of replacement.