Dell Inspiron 15 (3505) Usage and Troubleshooting Guide

When the computer stops responding or you are troubleshooting slow performance issues, perform the following steps:

1. Press the Power button for at least 15 seconds to make sure the computer turns off.
2. Disconnect all external peripherals including the keyboard, mouse, and external monitor. Peripherals also include external storage devices such as flash drives, USB devices, printers, cards etc.
3. Press the Power button to see if the computer turns on and boots up correctly. If not, refer to Dell Knowledge Base article Computer Does Not Turn on, or is Stuck on the Dell Logo Screen.
4. When the computer does boot up correctly, download and install SupportAssist. For more information about how to obtain and install SupportAssist, browse to the SupportAssist for PCs and tablets page.
5. Perform system maintenance on your computer, for more information refer to Dell Knowledge Base article Optimization and Maintenance of Microsoft Windows or Troubleshooting Slow Performance Issues.
6. Start connecting external peripherals one at a time, and check to see if the computer continues to respond.

This link takes you to the Dell Knowledge Base article Microsoft Windows Locks Up or an Error Occurs.

For information about the drivers available, browse to the Inspiron 15 3505 Drivers Page.

This article provides information about how to download drivers for Dell computers: How to Download and Install Dell Drivers

Refer to the Dell Knowledge Base article Troubleshooting Touchscreen Issues in Microsoft Windows, for information about resolving Touchscreen issues.

When you experience a situation in which the computer does not start at all. Or it does turn on. (Lights turn on, and fans are spinning.) If the computer does not show any image, look at the Battery LED (located on the left side of the computer, Figure 1) for a blinking amber and white pattern. You can determine the failures that are listed in Table 1.

Figure 1: Battery Charge and Status LED Location

NOTE:

The blinking patterns will consist of 2 sets of numbers being represented by a group of Amber blinks, and then a group of White blinks.

First Group: The LED blinks with an Amber color 1 to 9 times, followed by a brief pause with the LED off for 1.5 seconds.

Second Group: The LED blinks with a White color 1 to 9 times. Followed by a longer pause before the next cycle starts again with the LED off for 3 seconds.

For example: For a No Memory Detected Error (2,3). The battery LED blinks 2 times with an Amber color, followed by a pause and then blinks 3 times with a White color. The battery LED will pause for 3 seconds before the next cycle repeats itself again. Each LED blink takes 0.5 seconds.update

The computer will not shut down when displaying the Diagnostic Error Codes.

Diagnostic Error Codes will always supersede any other use of the LED. For instance, on Notebooks, battery codes for Low Battery or Battery Failure situations will not be displayed when the Diagnostic Error Codes are being displayed.

For additional help with your computer, please Contact Technical Support.

1. Press the power button for at least 15 seconds to make sure the computer turns off.
2. Disconnect all external peripherals including the keyboard, mouse, and external monitor. Peripherals also include external storage devices such as flash drives, USB devices, printers, cards, etc.
3. Remove the AC adapter from the computer and unplug the AC adapter from the electrical outlet.
4. Make sure the connections on the power cord and AC adapter are firmly pressed together.
5. Insert the AC into the computer and a good electrical outlet (not on a surge protector or power strip).
6. Press the Power button to see if the computer turns on and boots up correctly. If not, refer to Dell Knowledge Base article Computer Does Not Turn on, or is Stuck on the Dell Logo Screen.
7. Start attaching devices one at a time and testing to see if the computer will turn on.

There are times when changes to the settings in the System Setup (BIOS) prevent the computer from booting into Windows or connect to the Internet. Setting the BIOS back to its defaults may help fix these issues.

1. Reboot the computer.
2. When you see the Dell logo during POST, press the F2 key to enter the setup screen.
3. On the System Setup screen, click Load Defaults.
4. Make sure BIOS Defaults is selected and click OK (when asked).
5. Click OK on the Warning window (when asked).
6. Click Exit, the computer will restart.

For help with resolving USB port issues, refer to Dell Knowledge Base article: How to resolve USB port issues.

For information about and help with resolving Hard Drive issues, refer to the Dell Knowledge Base article: Understanding and Troubleshooting Your Hard Drive.

NOTE: When the computer is powered on, the battery LED also acts as the hard drive activity light. Press and hold the Fn key, and then press the h key to toggle between the battery and the hard drive activity light function.

For information about and help with resolving Audio issues, refer to the Speakers and Headphones Support site.

The battery charge and status LED indicator is located at the left side of the computer Figure 2. Refer to Table 2 for the description of the LED.

• S0 (ON) — System is turned on.
• S4 (Hibernate) — The system consumes the least power compared to all other sleep states. The system is almost at an OFF state, expect for a trickle power. The context data is written to hard drive.
• S5 (OFF) — The system is in a shutdown state.

NOTE:

• For models with a fingerprint reader (where no Power LED is on the power button), the LED illuminates white immediately once the power button is pressed.
• When the computer is powered on, the battery LED also acts as the hard drive activity light. Press and hold the Fn key, and then press the h key to toggle between the battery and the hard drive activity light function.

For additional information about and help with resolving Battery issues, refer to the Battery Support site.

To access the Dell Security and Virus Support Page click on the following link:

• Dell Security and Virus Support page

Your computer will come preinstalled with an anti-virus program. For more information, refer to the Dell Knowledge Base article Useful Information about the third-party anti-virus programs that ship with a Dell PC.

More information about Viruses, Spyware, and Malware can be found at the following links:

• What are the different types of Viruses, Spyware and Malware that can infect my computer
• Protect your computer or remove virus, spyware, or other malware in Microsoft Windows
• How to Identify and Repair Malware or Virus Infected Systems