Dell XPS 10 Troubleshooting

After holding the power button the screen turns on and then off immediately.

It is worth noting that if the device battery drops below 2% it will not be able to be powered on even when connected to the charger. If the screen does what is listed above, it is because someone attempted to power on the device when it was at less than 2% and the device is now in a “hung state.” Essentially what this means is that the tablet is unable to be charged until a set of steps are completed to get the device out of said state. The steps are as follows: 1) unplug anything that is connected to the 40 pin connector (keyboard/dock or charger) 2) hold the power button for 10-15 seconds to ensure that it it no longer in a hung state 3) plug the charger back into the 40 pin connector for charging (note: if the white led comes on then it is less than 100% battery and needs to be charged). The device needs to be charged for a minimum of 60 minutes before attempting to power it on. 4) Press the power button for 3-4 seconds to power it on.

(If the above steps worked then the battery was simply dead and in a hung state.)

First attempt to use the charger for the XPS 10 on another device with a compatible charging port. If the device does not charge then the charger is probably faulty and should be replaced.

The easiest way to check if the battery is faulty is to plug a working charger into the XPS 10 and see if it charges. If it does charge then the charger was faulty, however, if it does not, then the battery is faulty and should be replaced. (Another sign that you might have a faulty battery is, if your battery no longer holds a charge. You can tell this because a battery for instance, that would normally last you for 11 hours now only lasts for 3 hours.)

Since the XPS 10 is a tablet and does not have many components such as a hard drive, it is easy enough to eliminate the working parts to find the faulty ones. After performing all of the previous steps, if the XPS 10 still does not power on then most likely the problem is with the motherboard and it should be replaced.

Problems when switching from the internal speakers to a wired headset or Bluetooth wireless speaker/headset occur most often when the device is switched when the tablet is in sleep mode. Check that all Windows updates are up to date and access the Control panel and check the sound settings are correct for the audio output. Restart the device.

Access the device manager from the control panel to see if there are any obvious problems and run the audio troubleshooter from the control panel. Then check the playback properties to ensure the speakers are listed by right clicking the speaker icon on the taskbar (usually in bottom right corner of screen). Make sure Windows updates are up to date and restart the device.

If nothing shows up when opening the Camera app try and test it, launch Skype and click on Allow to let Skype use the camera and microphone. Once Skype opens up, launch the Settings Charm and select Options. Click the drop-down list next to Camera to see the cameras installed on this tablet. If the camera is working, it will show your image in a thumbnail view.

Launch the Camera app. From the Settings charm, select Permissions. Under the Privacy option, move the slider to turn on access. It is possible that a permission could be the cause of the issue.

If none of the above steps worked or the device says that it does not recognize that there is a camera, the camera might be faulty and need to be replaced.

Motherboard problems are not easy to notice. In order to make sure that the motherboard is faulty, a few tests should be performed on the device. However, there are some things to look for when a defective motherboard is suspect.

• XPS 10 does not recognize any attached peripherals.
• XPS 10 is taking substantially more time than is necessary to boot up.
• Burning smell.
• XPS 10 will disconnect peripherals for few seconds or more.
• Strange lines appearing on the the monitor.

First, make sure the current problem is caused by the motherboard. Ensure this by testing the RAM and PSU (power supply unit) whether they are functioning or not, if the tests return results of non-functioning RAM or PSU or both then the motherboard is defective.

PSU test

If the device is not turning on plug it to a power supply and look for the green light on the face of the device. Sometimes the green light might be burnt out or have a problem. So give the device around 60 minutes to charge and try to turn it on. If it failed to boot up, then a RAM test is necessary.

RAM test

A RAM test can only be performed if the device is on. However, if it is off it can be tested by plugging it in another working device. Although RAM does not have any moving parts, it can have some internal problems that would make your system performance suffer. To test the RAM, use a diagnostic tool such as Memtest86 or Memtest86+. If theRAM is completely dead, the device will not be able to be powered on.

If all of the components in the device are working fine but the device is still off, then most likely the motherboard is faulty and needs to be replaced.

Physical damage caused by bending a USB or a charger while they are plugged or dropping the device which would loose the USB/charging port from the board.

Device does not recognize a USB

First, make sure that the port is damaged and not the USB flash or the charger. To do so, try to plug the same USB flash/charger in another port that is working.

After making sure the port is damaged it would be better to replace it than fix it. As it would take less time and effort and would be more cost effective. Fixing it would require a background in soldering and electronics.

Device keeps on connecting and disconnecting any attached peripherals

First, make sure that the port is damaged and not the USB flash or the charger. To do so, try to plug the same USB flash/charger in another port that is working.

After making sure the port is damaged it would be better to replace it than fix it. As it would take less time and effort and would be more cost effective.. Fixing it would require a background in soldering and electronics.

Device does not charge

First, make sure that the port is damaged and not the USB flash or the charger. To do so, try to plug the same USB flash/charger in another port that is working.

After making sure the port is damaged it would be better to replace it than fix it. As it would take less time and effort and would be more cost effective. Fixing it would require a background in soldering and electronics.

Water or dust entering the port could short out the wiring or the port itself causing malfunctions.

Device does not recognize a USB

First, make sure that the port is damaged and not the USB flash or the charger. To do so, try to plug the same USB flash/charger in another port that is working.

After making sure the port is damaged it would be better to replace it than fix it. As it would take less time and effort and would be more cost effective. Fixing it would require a background in soldering and electronics.

Device keeps on connecting and disconnecting any attached peripherals

First, make sure that the port is damaged and not the USB flash or the charger. To do so, try to plug the same USB flash/charger in another port then you know for sure it is working.

After making sure the port is damaged it would be better to replace it than fix it. As it would take less time and effort and would be more cost effective. Fixing it would require a background in soldering and electronics.

Device does not charge

First, make sure that the port is damaged and not the USB flash or the charger. To do so, try to plug the same USB flash/charger in another port that is working.

After making sure the port is damaged it would be better to replace it than fix it. As it would take less time and effort and would be more cost effective. Fixing it would require a background in soldering and electronics.