Multiple Issues with XPS 13 (2015 version)

[spastickitten]

I've been having a few issues with my XPS 13 over the last few years. The audio will get a buzzing noise (disappears if I change the bitrate or adjust the brightness of my screen a few times), the webcam just doesn't work(the LED beside the camera lights up, but I get a back screen), and now it's charging intermittently (seems to be the charger, any recommendations on where to get a good one?). 

[NinJake]

Have you dropped it? Spilt liquid? Anything that normally damages a laptop over time?

 

Otherwise the XPS lineup is highly regarded, and I've been looking at possibly getting the XPS 15 as a work laptop that I can travel with instead of taking notes down on my phone.

[NinJake]

24 minutes ago, spastickitten said:

and now it's charging intermittently (seems to be the charger, any recommendations on where to get a good one?). 

I'm almost wondering if the laptop ended up getting surged with electricity, this would cause most of the problems you are explaining. (AKA lightning storm struck while laptop was plugged into the wall socket)

[NumLock21]

First update bios and see if that fixes some of the problems you're having.

[spastickitten]

It should be running the newest BIOS (I still have the included software which does that). It's had a few bumps, but nothing that would damage the actual computer. I have a dent in the lid, but none of the issues happened back then. I had a cat chew the charger while it was plugged in, but the issue didn't start until later. I have used a genuine Dell charger (I can't find a reasonably priced genuine one for myself) and it charged fine.

[spastickitten]

I think the charging issue has more to do with the cheap knock off chargers, but I wanted to add it to see if anyone on the forum had similar issues and found a solution. The charger I used that worked fine, but it's for a different computer (part number: 3rg0t). It's a genuine Dell charger, but it looks to be bigger and more "industry". I usually only charge at home, so I don't care about it being bulkier if it's cheaper.

[spastickitten]

I'll elaborate on the actual behavior of the laptop when plugged in. When plugging in a knock off charger it will light up like it's charging, the light will turn off after a moment. Then the laptop will run off the charger's power, but not charge the battery (windows says "plugged in, not charging"). After a while it'll start charging, after some playing around it seems like it does it once the laptop heats up (or draws a lot from the charger?). I've seen a screen come up during boot that say that the wattage of the charger can't be determined, and the "adapter" (charger) type is "unknown" in the UEFI. I would say that it's a solder issue, but I plugged it into the genuine charger and it started charging immediately.