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.
Thank you for the tip about the bent USB pin ! I checked the two front USB ports and sure enough, one of them was bent. Straightened it out and EUREKA! we have boot up again!! I was getting ready to drop $900 for a new computer, but now my Dimension 5100 has a little more life left. My wife was hoping this meant we were upgrading to a new PC, but alas, not yet. That’s OK. The budget wasn’t quite ready for it anyway. We’ll have our upgrade soon enough.