Dell XPS 14 L421X Troubleshooting

The device’s battery dies quickly, charging is not consistent.

Make sure the power adapter is plugged in and the charge light is on. If the charge light is not on and the adapter is plugged in, then the cord is broken. You will need to buy a new power adapter.

If the power adapter is plugged in and the light on the adapter is on, check to see if the battery is plugged in. If the battery is not plugged in, plug it in. If the battery is plugged in you may have a faulty battery.

If the charging cord is functioning and the battery is connected, the laptop may not be able to hold a charge because the issues lie within the battery. The battery may need to be replaced. To replace the battery, refer to this guide.

The screen will unexpectedly freeze without warning, creating an unresponsive display.

Oftentimes, the laptop may be running multiple programs or tasks simultaneously and could result in a freezing or frozen screen. Reducing the amount of programs/tasks running or restarting your laptop could be a simple solution.

If restarting the computer or reducing tasks/programs does not solve the problem, the issue may lie in the display components. It may be necessary to replace the screen itself, or its functioning components.

The display screen will unexpectedly shut down, turning black or blue.

Turn off the computer and hold the power button down for 10 seconds. Disconnect the power adapter from the computer and hold the power button down for 15 to 20 more seconds. Connect the power adapter and turn on the computer. If this does not solve the issue then it may be a software or hardware issue.

A hardware diagnostics test will determine whether or not the issue is a hardware one. Turn on the computer and press F2 until the One Time Boot Menu appears. Follow the guided instructions for the diagnostics test. If the test fails, write down the service tag, error code, and validation code and look up the codes on the preboot diagnostics error code website. If the test runs and passes, it is most likely a software issue.

The device feels warmer than usual, potentially not hearing noises from the fan or the fan is too loud.

Using the laptop on a fabric surface such as on a blanket or other cloth can sometimes cause the laptop to overheat because it cannot properly use its vent. Try to avoid using the laptop on top of a cloth surface, this can be avoided using a lapdesk or other equivalents.

Sometimes dust or dirt can get built up in the area where the fan is. Buy a container of compressed air to clear out the vent. Put the canister to the vent itself and spray the air directly into the vent.

The fan’s connection settings may not be up to date so make sure your drivers and system are up to date. If the fan does not seem to be turning on at all, the software may not be registering a connection. Try fully restarting your laptop and to see if that fixes the issue.

If the fan’s settings are up to date and the fan is still not functioning, the issue may be with the physical fan that is in use. The fan can wear out or stop functioning due to damage, so the fan may need to be replaced. To replace the fan, refer to this guide.

The device is running slow and randomly closes out of windows

Sometimes if the software is not fully up to date the programs will not run properly until the software is updated. Check your system settings to see if an update is needed. To do this, open the settings app on the computer and type in “Windows Update Settings.” In this window you will be able to check update eligibility and update the device if needed. Then, fully restart and update your system if needed.

The random crashes may be due to a faulty battery. To replace the battery, refer to this guide.

The laptop may experience random crashes due to old RAM or hard drive issues. To replace the RAM, refer to this guide.

Sometimes running too many programs can cause the computer to be overloaded. Try closing excess programs that are running in the background and check your Task Manager settings to see if there are extra programs that are taking up more RAM space. To check your Task Manager settings, right click on the taskbar (bottom bar on the computer screen) and click Task Manager settings.