I too have a Dell that is just about a year old and have the same things go on with my laptop. I dont know why it does those quirky things. I have tried adjusting settings and it still does it. Now my fan is acting up. It is really load on start up and doesnt seem to run normally while its on. Not to mention my battery has exceded it's life so I always need to have it plugged in during use. Im pretty much gonna get a new laptop soon. Originally Posted by kendra kayyKendra, go to Batteries Plus and look up your laptop make and model. I had the same issue.. battery would last about 10 minutes. They are not the cheapest but they are very reputable and if they have a store in your city you can take the old battery there, get the new one, check it etc and be all fixed up in no time.
As for your fan, it could need cleaning... I would seek out a professional for this as they might need to open it up and clean all the fins