Dell Latitude E6330 Troubleshooting

The power LED is off and display is black

Try plugging the device into the wall with its charging cable.  Make sure all cables are secured properly. Clear any dust or debris out of the charging ports.  Also, make sure the particular wall outlet is working properly by trying to charge another device first.

Remove external plug-ins such as flash drives, CDs, charging cables, external hard drives, wireless mice, printers, or SD cards.  Some common issues happens when the device is crowded with information and cannot process everything at once.

Disconnect power cord and then plug it back in.  Then press the “Built In Self Test” button on the back of the computer and see if the LED lights up for three seconds.  If the LED is off, unplug the power cord. Repeat this step to see if the result has changed.

The power button seems to be working but nothing is being displayed

Verify that the LCD screen works properly and that it is not a problem with the screen by testing the LCD screen on an external monitor.  ''

If the screen is blank, adjusting the brightness on the keyboard.  You could also try changing the refresh rate if accessible

Screen could have an issue turning on because of external damage to the laptop or LCD screen.  Inspect the device to ensure of any complications to the physical device.

The operating system of the laptop won’t operate when powered on

Test the charging cable and battery for issues.  This can be done by testing the cable on a different computer and/or taking the battery out of the computer to check its power.  Having power issues can affect the booting up of a system.

Problems with booting a system can be can caused by conflicts with a USB drive. Unplug all USB devices and restart the computer to confirm if that is the root of the problem.

Malware, aka a “virus”, is a common cause of issues with booting systems.  Run the malware countermeasures through a USB drive or a cd. A possible free program to use is AVG Rescue CD.

Laptop can’t microphone or line-in devices such as an audio player or a musical instrument.

Check to see if the audio jack is plugged into a port of appropriate size.  Also, check for debris such as dust or dirt stuck in the port.

Problems with audio equipment can be caused by an outdated audio driver.  Check for an update in Device Manager.

If the audio works in Windows but not the desired application, check the app for user errors.  Check to see if the microphone is configured correctly, and nothing is accidentally muted. If no user error is found, contact the app developer for further assistance.

There can be a number of reasons for suboptimal performance, but we’ll cover the most common causes here and how to prevent them

Overheating

Overheating can cause a processor to throttle itself back or cause the device to shut off entirely. To prevent this avoid running programs that demand 100% of the cpu’s processing capacity.

Alternatively keep the ventilation ports clear of obstructions as heat will accumulate if they’re covered. This can be avoided by using the laptop on a hard, flat surface. Using it on blankets or pillows will cause heat to accumulate quickly.

Laptops that use HDD’s (hard disk drives) are easy to damage if they are moved while in use. Any time that a large amount of information is being stored or read the hard disk will be rotating extremely fast (5000+ rpm). Rotating the laptop even a small amount can cause the platter to be scratched. The platter that the read/write head hovers over can warp into this head if rotated while it is spinning. This can be prevented by keeping the laptop in one place while using it. Only move it while the HDD isn’t under load or if you have a solid state drive (solid state drives have no moving parts).

Some slow performance can be attributed to software on the computer itself. Whenever you download/install a new application you should carefully read what the application comes with. Free software frequently comes with additional software that another developer paid to have packaged with their product. This bloatware can be opted out of by selecting which features the user wishes to install by doing a “custom installation” not a “default installation”. In the event that suspicious or problematic software is already installed utilizing the “add/remove programs” menu in windows can be used to remove software that isn’t regularly used.

In the case of more malicious software antivirus software may be required to remove problems. Malwarebytes is free anti-malware software that can be used in the event a premium option can’t be afforded however premium services like Kaspersky can go a ways in preventing problems even for users that understand how to browse the internet safely.

There can be a number of reasons for connection difficulties, but we’ll cover the most common causes here and how to prevent them

If you’ve connected the device with an ethernet cable check that it is snugly in its port. If it is and you still can’t connect check the port for damage. In the event that it is moving around the solder connecting the ethernet port to the motherboard may have broken. If this is the case please see the motherboard replacement guide.  (tentative)

Start by checking that wireless functionality is enabled in windows. Additionally check that the device isn’t in airplane mode. If it is enabled and the device is not in airplane mode you may need to replace the network card/antenna (tentative). Please refer to the network card/antenna replacement guide if you have exhausted all other options. (tentative)

In the event you’re experiencing connection problems check that the connection problem isn’t tied to a particular site, application or service. You can do this by connecting to another website or using another application or client that requires an internet connection. If the problem is limited to a single application they may be experiencing issues like a ddos attack, undergoing server maintenance, etc. Checking the related twitter, social media accounts or service status pages can help inform when the service will be available again.