Frequently asked questions

Draining residual flea power, also known as flea power drain, is a technique used in various electronic devices, including laptops and desktop computers. Let me explain why it’s important:

Laptop Troubleshooting:

• When your laptop encounters issues like not turning on or common malfunctions, performing a hard reset by draining residual flea power can help.
  
• It resets the internal components and can resolve problems related to power supply, USB ports, sound, and booting up

What Is Flea Power?

Flea power refers to the small amount of electrical charge that remains in the system even after it’s powered off.
Components like capacitors and memory modules retain this residual charge.
Draining flea power ensures a clean slate for the system to start fresh.

How to Perform Flea Power Drain

• Turn off your computer.
• Disconnect the power adapter from your computer.
• Remove the base cover.
• Disconnect the battery from motherboard.
• Disconnect the Coin cell battery from motherboard.
• Press and hold the power button for 20 seconds to drain the flea power.
• Install the battery.
• Install the Coin cell battery.
• Install the base cover.
• Connect the power adapter to your computer.
• Turn on your computer.

Using the product label on your Dell computer:

• For most Dell laptops, you can find the product model number on a label or sticker that is on the outside of the case.
• Look for the label in these locations:
  • Bottom cover
  • Base
  • Battery compartment
  • Screen
  • Keyboard trim
  • Palm rest

Using the Dell SupportAssist app for Microsoft Windows:

• SupportAssist is a Dell application that comes pre-installed on your computer.
• When you open the application, your product model is displayed.
• To find your product model using SupportAssist:
  • On Windows 11 and Windows 10:
  1. In the Search Box, type “SupportAssist.”
  2. Select “SupportAssist” in the search results to open the application.
  3. Your product model will be displayed on the main screen.
  • On Windows 8 (8.1):
  1. Swipe in from the right edge of the screen or move the cursor to the upper right corner until the Charms Bar appears.
  2. Select “Search.”
  3. Type “SupportAssist” in the search results to open the application.
  4. Your product model will be displayed on the main screen.

Using the Windows System Information utility:

• The built-in System Information utility displays system details, including your Dell laptop model number.
• To access it:
  • Enter “system information” into the search bar on the taskbar.
  • Alternatively, open Run (Win + R) and execute the “msinfo32” command.
• On the System Summary screen, next to “System Model,” you’ll find your Dell laptop model number.

By entering BIOS:

• Power down laptop and wait for it to turn off completely.
• Press power button.
• As soon as you see anything on the screen keep pressing F2, function key top left on the keyboard.
• When you enter BIOS model of the laptop will be displayed top left corner of the screen.

Software:

Download and install this application to check your battery status: https://www.passmark.com/products/batmon/

How to use it:

• Download and install the application.
• When the BatteryMon window appears, click on the Edit tab, then Configuration. Change the sample time to 5 seconds. In the logfile location section, press Browse and select your preferred location to create a text document. Choose this document as the logfile location, then press OK to close all windows apart from the main one.
• On the main window, press Start.

Calibrating your battery:

Change Your Power Plan:

• Right-click the battery icon in your taskbar.
• Click Power Options.
• Select Change when the computer sleeps.
• Set both “Turn off the display” and “Put the computer to sleep” to Never.
• Click Change advanced power settings.
• Expand the Battery section.
• Ensure that the Critical battery action is set to Hibernate.
• Adjust the Critical battery level percentage to be as low as possible.
• Apply the changes and save them.

Charge Your Battery:

• Charge your laptop’s battery to 100%.
• Leave it plugged in and allow the battery to cool down (this may take a few hours).

Discharge the Battery:

• Unplug your laptop.
• Use it until it shuts down and no longer turns on.
• If possible, avoid using the laptop during this discharge process.

Recharge the Battery:

• Immediately recharge the battery after it shuts down.
• Once fully charged, your battery should be recalibrated.

If you notice big jumps, it means the battery is not calibrated. Charge it to full and discharge the battery to 0% until there are no jumps and the battery is calibrated.

Using Task Manager, there are several ways to open Task Manager:

• Right-click the Taskbar and select Task Manager.
• Press Ctrl + Shift + Esc on your keyboard.
• Use the Ctrl + Alt + Del shortcut and choose Task Manager.
• Press the Windows key + X, then click Task Manager from the power-user menu.
• If you see Task Manager in compact mode, click the More details button to access the advanced view.

Using Windows Security:

• Open Windows Security by pressing the Windows key and typing “Windows Security” or navigating to Settings > Update & Security > Windows Security > Open Windows Security.
• Click on Device performance & health (the tile with a heart icon).
• Check the list for any yellow marks. Green marks indicate good performance, while yellow marks highlight areas that need attention.
• If you see a yellow mark, click it to see Windows recommendations for improvement.
• To troubleshoot further, press Ctrl + Shift + Esc to open the Task Manager. Go to the Performance tab to monitor CPU, memory, and graphics card usage. If any component consistently reaches 100%, consider closing unused applications or upgrading if necessary.

Using Performance Monitor:

Open Performance Monitor:

• Press the Windows key, type “Performance Monitor,” and click the app in the search results.
• Alternatively, use the Windows key + R shortcut, type “perfmon”, and hit OK.
• Or, use the Windows key + X, select Computer Management, and click on Performance.

To assess real-time performance or view logs. Access Resource and Performance Monitor:

• Open Run (Windows key + R) and type “perfmon”.
• Go to Data Collector Sets > System.
• Right-click System Performance and click Start to trigger a 60-second test.
• After the test, view the results under Reports > System > System Performance