Dell Flashing Amber Power light, possible workaround.
G’day all 🙂
I have a Dell 5150 that has come in with a flashing amber power light error. The Power Supply unit was stuffed, so replaced it with another, but the problem remained, so I assume the motherboard is also stuffed.
Out of curiosity, before writing it off completely and after having done all the usual things us IT people do before declaring a motherboard dead, I tried forcing it to power up using the power on link in the ATX connector. The fan spun, etc, but there was no other sign of life. I then removed the jump lead and the fans, etc, stopped. However, the flashing had stopped too, and pressing the power button again caused the machine to start normally, and it appears to be fine.. until you turn it off, at which point the orange flash comes back.
So, if you have one of these machines, it might be worth trying to force it to turn on – but first be aware that just because it worked for me doesn’t mean it will work for you – there’s a risk that there could be a big bang! Disconnect any drives before you dare try, and if worried, rig it up to happen outside on a bench by remote control Mythbusters style!
So, here’s how.
1 – Connect the power supply to power.
2 – Using a short piece of wire (or in the Mythbusters style, two long pieces of wire) create a short between the green wire in the ATX connector with an adjacent black wire. (Pins 14 and 15 as shown on http://info.ee.surrey.ac.uk/Workshop/advice/conns/connPSU.html)
You should hear the fan spin up and maybe see some diagnostic LEDs flashing on the front panel.
3 – Disconnect the temporary short you made.
4 – Press the power button on the front of the computer. If it starts, yay. If not, try again a few times. If it still doesn’t work, and you’ve tried a new power supply, then I guess it’s time to add the motherboard to your ‘soon to be a new pot plant pot’ collection. (You need at least three motherboard to join together to make a pot plant pot.)
Hope it works! If it does, you might need to add a second power button to your computer by patching in to the appropriate power supply wires, and labelling it “pre-launch prime” or something!
Edit: A few hours later…
I’ve found a mangled USB port on the front panel of the computer after installing XP and getting a Power Surge on USB Port error. After bending the pins therein to stop them shorting to ground, it appears that the orange flash has gone away! Check your USB ports!
Edit 2: A couple of days later…
Client said USB port was mangled prior to this failure, so it’s not a conclusive cause in this case.