Dell Dimension – Flashing orange power light
If you have a Dell Dimension and experience the dreaded orange flashing light, there are normally ways to verify what is causing it to occur. I spoke to a Dell technician and he informed me on the Dell Dimension 5100 there are status lights right next to the front USB ports. The numbers are fairly faint so you have to look really good.
However, when I gave the tech the numbers on this computer I was working on, he seemed to be reading from a script and when I asked him what does code 2 and 4 mean he said the SATA cable is not connected – he was wrong.
Let me give you a little background into this computer. I’m working on it for a client. The main symptoms is that as soon as the unit receives power, the indicator light on the power button immediately starts to flash orange. I was unable to turn the computer on. I replaced the power supply and the orange light flashed constantly, again. I then disconnected everything except for the power supply, and CPU. I was hoping to at least get the unit to turn in then I could go from there by plugging each component back in one by one. I eventually came to the conclusion that the motherboard was bad.
I spoke to the client and she still had warranty with Dell. She called Dell and then the Dell tech called me. We spoke like I mentioned earlier, and eventually I was able to convince him that it was a motherboard problem.
Dell shipped the motherboard out next day air and I received it just before lunch.
As I was tearing down the Dimension what do I find?
You see that nasty corrosion? I don’t know what the hell that is but it isn’t dust. I tried blowing it off with a compressed can of air but was unsuccessful.
For reasons beyond me that was the only area of the motherboard that had that build up. Everywhere else was spotless.
So in conclusion, if you experience the dreaded blinking orange power light, make sure to check your motherboard for blown capacitors as well as something like the above pictures show.
If this post helped you, please feel free to donate. Any amount helps, even $1.00!!!
After an electrical storm, which didn’t seem to affect anything else (all the clocks were ok in the house), I was getting the flashing orange light (of death?) After playing with it for a while, I noticed something on the video card. It looked like the tops of two capacitors had been sliced open. Not sure, but it looked they might be damaged. So, I took the video card out and attempted a restart. It started up. No flashing orange light. I haven’t had a chance to replace the card, yet, but I’m hoping this will fix it. Because even though the machine starts, it’s just no fun without a video card.
By the way, my machine is a Dell Dimension E510.
Both machines i was working on needed new PSU’s to fix the orange light issue.
Put 480w ATX psu’s in so much more power than the standard Dell PSU’s
And as of yet my customers machines are now working fine.
An addtional piece of info both customer suffered power issues in there home when the problem first started happening.
Dell Dimension E510: Flashing Yellow Light: Video card was damaged. Replacing it fixed the problem.
My problem has a slight variation; my Dell sometimes turns on and within a couple of minutes it shuts down and the yellow light flashes. Sometimes it flashes for a few minutes and restarts and then turns off again. Sometimes the computer stays on for 10 minutes but most of the time the blinking light keeps changing from green to yellow.
have a dimension 5150. tried all the before mentioned things that i can do myself. cleaned it, no shorted caps that i can see, what am i looking for in the usb ports to be bent? i cxan hear a slight pop when i plug in my power supply but i cannot see anything else. .
Dell are a load of bull when it comes to capacitors. I have a Dell Optiplex GX280 and all the capacitors are blown. Not one is in good shape so im gonna replace thenm all with the spare mobo’s i have. Im gonna need about either 3 or 4 mobos! no biggie since iv got loads of spares1
Like so many others the PSU made the trick for me. So far so good. Thanks to everyone for their input.
Had a 5150 with all the same symptoms. Removing the battery would eventually allow it to start. The fix for this unit appears to have been the power supply. I threw an old PSU in from a 9100 that had a bad MB and the 5150 seems rock solid now. Best of luck to the others out there.
So glad I stumbled on this post! I have a precision 380 that developed the flashing amber light. I got a new power supply and that didn’t do the trick, I was afraid I was going to have to get a new mobo or toss one of the better computers in our office; the non-profit I work for dosn’t have money for either option. Then I saw a comment on this page about a bent USB pin. Sure enough one of them had been damaged. A quick fix later, and it is now happily catching up on back-ups.