Yesterday morning I plugged in my computer. I reached for the power button on my Dell Dimension 8400, but then noticed that the tower’s power light was flashing orange. In my Dell manual, I found the section about power light signals and read:
If the power light is blinking amber – The computer is receiving electrical power, but an internal power problem might exist.
Ensure that the voltage selection switch is set to match the AC power at your location (if applicable).
Ensure that the processor power cable is securely connected to the system board (see page 73).
Well, I was sure that the voltage selection switch was in the right place. And I found it highly unlikely that the processor power cable would suddenly unseat itself. Ugh.
Then I had an idea. I flipped off the surge protector and then flipped it back on.
Tada! No more orange lights. Weird.
The moral of the story: try the simple stuff first.
Many visitors have provided additional solution ideas in the comments section below.
Here is a new fix:
I replaced the power supply and same prob….unplugged the cpu cooling fan and bam it came up! Of course it cried about the fan being unplugged but it powered up. I will now scour the Internet for a new fan. (by the way it wasnt locked up or anything…must be the electronics in it….4 wires
I think the solution here is to NOT buy dell products as there support and hardware is ****!
Overheating has always been an issue with there systems and out company stop buying from them a long time ago.
I disconnected all USB, wiggled the powercord, and it flashed green, wiggled it a little more and it started, looks like it’s my PSU that’s been badly manufactured
We have a T1 Poweredge ( been running fine ), and after inserting a scsi card into the system for a tape drive, yep you guessed it ! The orange flashing powerlight !
As soon as the card is removed the machine powers as normal. Frustating !!!
Thanks for all the help, we had the dreaded flashing orange light on our Optiplex GX620 & followed all your advice.
We unplugged everything cleaned all the dust, checked the USB’s but the battery was the key.
The only thing we can add is when we changed the battery, on powering up, it worked for about a second Then went back to the orange light again. This would happen each time we removed & replaced the battery. We were obviously on to something. After replacing the battery yet again & powering up, I was busy reading through all this info for more clues when after about 10 mins it kicked into life & then died again. 10 mins later it did it again but no flashing lights. I pressed the power button & hey presto. Success.
Thanks again for all your help.
Tim
Boot comp w/o hdd hooked up and wala computer stays on!
Man, this web page is fabulous. Thanks to everybody who has posted so far.
For the record, I have an Optiplex GX280 with the blinking power supply button problem. Blinks long short short, over and over. I checked USB pins, replaced the CR2032 battery, no help. Then, halfway down the page, some Einstein (thanks, man!) suggested taking a power supply from a known good system and plugging it in. Voila! System went into BIOS easily. Wouldn’t boot because that power supply didn’t have a connector for the SATA drive, but I’m convinced. So, in my case, replacing the power supply should fix the system. Amazing what happens if you let people share info. Thanks again.
Geat info folks.
My blinking amber power button turned out to be…my video card. Unplugged it and power resumed. Plugged it back in, power still resumes but no video display.
Dell XPS420, card was a Gigabyte 9600GT 1GB GV-N96TZL-1GI.
This is the second card now as the original carked it about 6 months ago. New busted card wants 450W power supply and Dell’s is 425W – maybe that’s what damaged it.
Hope this helps.
Rich.
I’ve had problems with the flashing amber light from time to time with my Dimension 8400. I’ve usually been able to overcome it with persistance. I would hold it down til it shut off and then try again. Eventually, it would kick on for a few seconds and the flash again until finally it boots up. Tonight, after a 12 hour power outage, it showed no signs of life after repeated attempts. So, this time I tried unplugging it with basically the same method as before, persistance. After about 5 tries, I got the green light for a second. Tried a few more times and then it fired up. Cheap fix so far. Good luck.
Mark
thanks for the great info I have a dimension 5150 kept on blinking disconected the the front usb panel with cable from motherboard turns out two pins in a usb port was folded in on each other I straightened them both out with 2 tiny flat (eyeglass screwdrivers) one one top and one on bottom of each pin then straightened them and now the computer boots thanks again
Thank you every body my problem got fixed. I had a orage light.
I tried the battery but it did not work.
I changed the power supply and the computer started working fine. The power supply costed me $32 from Radio Shack.
But i need to tell one thing, my system fan was not working and the green light on my mother board was fine.
I saved atleast $300 because of the comments here.
thnx 4 these helpful lesson guyz u’v really helped me alot>
Hi,
i do consider myself a somewhat technically inclined so most problems i can fix on my own but thought i’d check the net to see if my solution to it was far off from what it should be.
i had the same problem of the blinking orange light at start up but after going thru my board the moat logical thing to do was replace the power supply as it was a power problem. just bought the parts for it but if all else fails i’ll try the other techniques listed, but usually when the battery fails all that happens is an annoying screen at atart up asking if to continue with F1 or another since sys time is inaccurate, so not quite sure that would be the issuue. will check bent pins for that really slipped my observation but the probelm did start with an external hard drive. will let you all know what worked an what really was the issue. had no idea this problem was so prominent.
laterz.
I just fixed my dell dimension 5150 simply by having the power supply replaced. Actually, as I’m technician I was able to repair it myself by replacing a leaking capacitor (1000 uF, 10V).
Disclaimer : Do NOT try to do this yourself if you don’t know what you’re doing : there are VERY high voltages still present AFTER power off. (400V DC, and sometimes even more).
To all having such problem : this problem is related to a power supply failure. Always try to replace the PSU, since it is relatively low cost and easy to do.
GX 270, shut down USB and held it off, worked like a charm on re-start. Many thanks!
Also check that one of the USB ports is not damaged.
I had a PC with same sysmptoms (flashing amber) and I replaced the PSU. No joy, so I replaced the mainboard. Still same.
Someone mentioned that a connected USB device could be the cause.
In my case, PC is from a Computer Suite in a University and some student had damaged one of the USB ports at the front, causing a short.
I disconnected ribbon cable and PC powered up. Now working with the offedning port taped off.
Hi all, I too had the same problem with the flashing lights. I bought a Dell 1150 for my daughter, and not long after the battery gave up. Was running it on the AC power alone and got the flashing lights. I checked the powerboard that it was connected to and pushed the red button on the side and and Bobs your uncle the laptop booted up. Thanks again.
Dell PowerEdge server 2600 orange flashing light
everything is running right no weird sound, event error.
got frustrated, can someone provide a solution, will be appreciated.
thank you
I have a Dell XPS 420 that has/had the blinking orange light.
I tried everything I could see here, unplugged, removed all usb connections, even removed the wireless card checked the internals for any obvious damage and found none, cleaned the heatsink and all the fans and got nothing. Chnged the 3V battery..nothing. Eventually bought a new popwer supply and installed that with nothing changing.
Still had the flashing light and that little orange light inside.
Decided the power supply wasn’t the issue so put the old one back in and when i went to turn it on i got a spark from behind the heat sink thing..
I have always been under the impression that sparks mean it’s time for a new computer but does anyone know what might have been the problem or if it would be worth trying to fix it/get it fixed?
Thanks
SOLVED:
Was caused by two bent pins on one of the USB ports on the rear of the machine. Didn’t know they were bent until I rebooted after installing windows updates.
Never would have thought that USB could be the culprit in something like this. Our dog chewed through a USB cable under the computer desk a few weeks ago and I’d just left it there (after the dog got an earful). Then earlier this week the computer wouldn’t turn on but just kept blinking that orange light.
Read some of the comments here and began to unplug USB components. The chewed up cord was the problem!
I don’t pretend to know why it’s working now, but I’m glad it is. Thanks to everyone who offered ideas for how to fix the problem! Can’t believe my good fortune
Thx guys for a great post……It seem after read this post….I did check the power supply unit and did find that 2 of the caps are gone!…..need a new power supply.
Thanks again.
I have a variation on this with a DELL 9200. Orange light comes on the goes green, so far so good. There is a buzzing noise comming fromt he PSU area and the PC will not boot, not even from a bootable CD. Problem is intermittant, but becomming more frequent. Before I go out and buy a new PSU anyone else get this problem and knows how to fix it?
just dropping a note to say your quick and easy fix worked like a charmfor me. Thanks for saving me a lot of frustration!
This site helped me greatly. I had the orange light blues too.Did some unplugging of all usb cord turned of the power source by the switch on the back an turned off the moniter. Waited a few minutes and turned just the tower power on. Ta—da green lights. Then plugg in an turn on moniter which now should also be green. Almost done plugg in usb cords. TIME TO SURF……THANKS FOR YOUR HELP!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
the blinking light woos… I learned after a long time of dealing with this issue… the change of the color of the light is like a computer for a car giving flashes and codes… with the computer it is a warning that something inside is malfunctioning or not working properly. In my case, it was the fans were not working properly and the light was trying to alert me of the internal things getting too warm and the fan was not working full time. Again, it could be ‘anything’ inside not working properly, in my case the fan was part time not working! Thanks to everyone!
I have a problem.Today my daughter went to turn on our Desk top and it wouldnt turn on,, the on button stays yellow you can here the fan working the disk opens but the monitor wont stay on..The yellow on light just stays yellow(No blinking)But you can here the computer working..What could be the problem..Its a dell dimension E521 turns on but on bottom stays yellow Help please ASAP..Im lost..thank you
My input on this pretty authoritative post: re-seating the battery worked for me. Instead of a slowly blinking amber light, I received a fast-blinking one. Unplugged the USB keyboard & mouse, and the light turned green.
Told the computer who the current president is, and we’re back up & running.
i have a dimension 8400 and well i think i found an easier solution just press the F2 key when you turn it on its the second time it worked for me and no shut down at all!
Some interesting info here. I havd a dell gx270 which lost video I assume the onboard gpu needs a reflow or is damaged. i was hoping adding a new video card would get the video up and going but nope as I need to disable the onboard video processor to get the new video card to be the primary but thats a different question . I removed the card and went to power the unit up but before I could do anything I looked and the unit has a flashing green power light as soon as plugged in. If i press it no change no fans or anyt5hing just the constant flashing green power light. I read and all I find on that is its a stand by indicator and says to wake it up move a mouse but that doesnt do anything as the computer isnt truely powered on just plugged in with the flashing green light..Any ideas?
The blinking amber light could mean a dead …..omg i would forget the name….the part that you plug in the power cord! a major problem for the dell opiplex 745 atleast!
Been reading through some of the comments here. One thing I see a lot is mention of “disconnected and I got a green light!”.
This actually may strengthen the case against your power supply. This is also the reason testing the voltages with a PSU removed from the case means nothing either.
Your computer needs a certain amount of power to supply everything. Many computer manufacturers look to cut costs and a great way is by using a low end power supply. So it works good for a while and wears out fast OR you add something and it cannot handle it OR it burns something out and cannot keep the power levels it used to have.
Safe bet all these things point to a power supply issue. Do all the checks mentioned in the thread, but remember this post. Things like this tend to come down to Motherboard or PSU. Visually inspect the MB if it looks real good (no discoloration, melted solder, fried components, etc.) it an EXTREMELY safe bet it is your Power Supply.
GX620 with blinking amber light. Turns out power supply was overheating (fan was stiff and no longer turning). Replaced fan in the power supply: cheap easy fix.
Hi there,
I have a dell optiplox gx270 but it’s not booting up, when i plug it the power light on the board comes and the power in the power button blinks but does not boot up. Fan does not even turn.
hey,
i havethe dell dimension 5150
the orange light is still continuosly blinking and will not even turn off:S
Good page was about to bin a dell 5150 for the sake of a damaged front usb socket. should have checked that first stripped whole machine to check mother board first, excellent work up and running a treat. removed pins from socket so problem will not come back, when some one sticks something in the already broken socket.
GX270 NO BOOT UP. After making sure caps are good on mb and power supply is OK, pull heat sink w/ fan from cpu. Unclip pressure mechanism and pull out and reseat processor. Reclip pressure mechanism. Apply some heat sink compound to top of processor and reattach heat sink. Make sure after reassembling PC that ground screw on mb is secure and ground screw on rear of cabinet for power supply is secure. The PSs on both PCs that I was given to work on were not grounded.
For anyone else who is having similar issues, I have an Optiplex GX520 slim tower. I was getting an orange blinking light on startup. The computer would get all the way to the Ctrl +Alt +Del screen, and then would shut down and start the blinking orange light. I could not boot into Safe Mode, Last Known Good Config, or Normal Mode.
After troubleshooting for a minute I was able to pin-point the issue, it was my ATI video card. Once removed the computer would boot up fine. I was able to swap the card with a spare that we had, and from that point forward I have had no further issues.
Hope this helps someone. Thank you all for the outstanding feedback and information.
Jon
John Lamansky – I have similar problem (blinking orange power light) on dell optiplex 745. Where can I find the surge protector on the motherboard and how it resembles?
thanks.
@Bockarie: A surge protector is a power strip you plug your computer into, not something on the motherboard. If you don’t have a surge protector, unplugging/replugging your computer from/into the outlet will have the same effect as turning off/on the surge protector.
thanx for the help
what in the heck does a surge protector have to do with any of this
the internet is heaven and you folks are gods.
my dell gx620 would not power on. i got a faint blink from the yellow amber light as i pressed the power button and another faint blink a second or two later. i saw all the posts about shorting usb port problems and remembered one of the ports was not letting me insert the plug. i have 8 ports so i never checked it at the time. turns out one of the pins was pushing against the wall. i moved the pin from the wall and the pc fired right up.
maddogmike
I have a Compaq Presario PC Model No. SR5130NX. The little light just below the power switch on the front has suddenly gone on. It is usually flashing, but sometimes it just stays on with no flashing. Sometimes the flashing is steady, sometimes it is inconsistent. I turned the power strip off and then back on, but that didn’t help. I’ve rebooted a number of times, but that doesn’t help. Computer seems to be working okay, but I am concerned about that darn light. Can you help?
kept blinking that orange light- just found out that usb pin was broken. after fixing the pin, everything back to normal.
Hi, I’m a computer tech intern and I am trying to fix a Dell Optiplex GX620. The machine was not turning on at all, so my boss ordered me to replace the motherboard.
I replaced the motherboard, and now I have the blinking orange light. The fans turn on, and that’s about it. All the connections inside are good. The power supply works, as do the memory sticks. All USB ports are fine. The hard drive is good as well.
Could it be the processor? Please let me know!
Thanks guys!
-One Confused Intern
FOUND MY SOLUTION. It was the processor. The motherboard I used was from a 755. So I replaced the GX620 processor with a 755. Booted right up!
-One Happy Intern
Switch the power supply voltage setting switch in the back from 110 to 220 and then switch it back. Problem solved!
Hello
I have a Dell Dimension 5150 and then suddenly one day when i got home it started blinking amber where the power button is, I’ve tried to turn it off and on but it wont work. Two weeks before this happend my computer started suddenly turning off and on but now it’s only blinking amber and I don’t know what to do
can it be the fan cuz it’s not working after i’ve tried to turn it on
please help!
you don’t know how to solve the yellow light in the power display in toshiba laptops where are the folowing model satellite a200- 1c3 and a200- 2c5
please contact me.
thanks guys bought a dell dimension 5150 for 30 euro wouldnt boot thought it was a bad psu so pluged mouse and keyboard in to the front usb ports and twiged it was a bent pin straightened it out and hay presto it booted and is running fine thanks