Dell E510 Flashing Amber Light

Hi MITCHELLRILEY3 

Thanks for writing to us. 

That sounds more of a motherboard failure. 

You can try to remove memory modules and observe if the system beeps , then put back the modules one by one and look for any promising changes. 

if nothing works, please consider replacing motherboard. 

Regards

Replacement motherboards can be purchased on eBay at reasonable prices.

Or, you may consider a newer Dell, refurbished. Sometimes they can be had for $100, including a Windows 7 license (which qualifies for a free upgrade to Windows 10).

Hi we are awaiting your response

A couple of weeks ago, my Dell E510 started shutting off randomly. After it would shut off, the front would start flashing a yellow light, but the computer could be turned back on by holding down the power button and pressing it again. About two weeks later, this solution stopped working, and the pc would always show a blinking amber light, regardless of any attempts to turn it back on . After several days of researching the problem, I found out that it could be a power supply. I ordered the exact same PSU that was previously in my pc, and installed it. To my surprise, it worked! Sadly, after 20 minutes of use, it shut off and I am now unable to get it to turn on again. I have cleaned the entire case, and there are no corroded or leaking pins or caps on the motherboard. I just recently replaced the CMOS battery, so I don't think that is the culprit. I have tried fiddling with the wattage switch on the back of the case, but that didn't seem to do anything for me. I also tried resetting the CMOS memory by using the 2-pin jumper plug. Nothing seems to be working. Is this a motherboard problem, or something else?

 mitchellriley3

Posts about the Dimension e510/5160 blinking amber light issue:

 http://en.community.dell.com/support-forums/desktop/f/3514/t/19274720

http://en.community.dell.com/support-forums/desktop/f/3514/t/18835915

Bev.

I tried jumping the new PSU using the old paperclip trick, but it would only click. Consequently, I also tried to jump the original PSU, and the fan on that one would only spin for half a second, which confirms that it was dead to begin with. This leads me to believe that I have received a PSU that was DOA, so I went ahead and ordered a new one; different brand, but same dimensions. If this new one doesn't work, then either there is something wrong with the outlet where it is shorting out or possibly not supplying enough power, or it truly is a motherboard problem.