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Yet another E510 with blinking amber light
This appears to be a common problem. In my case, my E510 began to refuse to boot after about 14 months of minimal use (typically only a few hours per week), protected the entire time by a UPS with power conditioning. Unlike most of the other posts on this issue that I've read, my E510 with blinking amber light can periodically be coaxed to boot. (Note: There are NO diagnostic lights visible. And once it IS running, the button is steady green -- as though everything is just fine.) Whether it boots or I get the blinking amber light is starting to feel like a voodoo thing. I plug and unplug, plug and unplug, drain the remaining current by holding in the power button, walk away for 15-30 minutes, spin around, hug the dog, and OCCASIONALLY I'll get the steady green power light. Most recently, after running through one of the Dell troubleshooting Web pages, I discovered that if I disconnect every external cable, drain the remaining current, and then wait 5-10 minutes, it will usually allow me to boot. While booting, I can reconnect the cables and everything works fine. (Well, not everything. The DVD drive seems to have a miserable time spinning up to speed. Eventually, it works, though.) Other things I've tried: (1) Replaced the internal battery. (That worked for one boot.) (2) Plugged the system into different outlets. (Initially, it was plugged into a power strip that was connected to the UPS. After reading that somehow that might affect the power getting to the system, I plugged it directly into the UPS. That worked for one or two boots, too. All that remains plugged into the power strip is the monitor and speakers. (Side note: Since when did using a power strip or UPS become a no-no?) Since the system CAN be tricked into booting, is there any reason to think that my power supply has problems? I really hate the idea of tossing money at this without knowing for sure that the problem will be corrected. Frankly, for a $1,000 computer (I added a bunch of upgrades when it was ordered), I'm really dismayed that it's having hardware problems this early on. Either my luck is bad or this is a badly cobbled together system. Given the number of people that have the same problem, is their any chance that Dell will step up and take responsibility for the repairs? Steve
Message Edited by zapt on 01-23-2008 09:08 AM
Message Edited by zapt on 01-23-2008 09:08 AM
ty_ger
812 Posts
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January 23rd, 2008 03:00
A power supply or system board failure has occurred.
Check the diagnostic lights to see if the specific problem is identified. Also, see "Power Problems" in your computer Owner's Manual.
"
kirkd
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January 23rd, 2008 04:00
Inspiron E1705, Win Vista Premium, T7200 Core 2 Duo (4MB, 2.0 GHz 667MHz), 2 GB DDR2 677 MHz RAM, 120 GB Samsung HD, Nvidia Go 7900 GS - 156.69 Driver, 17” Sharp UltraSharp TrueLife Wide-Screen WUXGA
fireberd
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33.3K Posts
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January 23rd, 2008 09:00
NemesisDB
7.9K Posts
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January 23rd, 2008 10:00
zapt
42 Posts
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January 23rd, 2008 14:00
Let's say that it IS a power supply problem. Obviously, it hasn't failed because I'm able to coax the computer to boot. And given the fact that once booted it runs fine, why would the power supply STOP showing problems at that point? I don't think they work like car batteries. If there are problems with it and perhaps it's failing, why doesn't the computer show problems once it has booted? It seems to me that the problem is specifically related to something that is happening prior to startup ... perhaps some logic circuit somewhere is sending a signal that there is insufficient power to boot.
Skipping past that for now, what do you all recommend as a replacement power supply? Dell shows only refurbished units on its site, and I have no desire to try to fix this with a used part. Thanks again. Steve
Message Edited by zapt on 01-23-2008 09:09 AM
mjp46356
16 Posts
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January 24th, 2008 12:00
nitro1356
6 Posts
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January 28th, 2008 01:00
zapt
42 Posts
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January 28th, 2008 02:00
Last night, I thought I had the solution. Since I seriously doubted it was a power supply problem, I thought that perhaps there was some way to reset the system. The user manual showed how to reset CMOS, so I figured it was worth a shot. Immediately after doing that and attempting to turn it on, the amber lights blinked for a few seconds and then switched to a green steady light!
UNFORTUNATELY, it worked perfectly -- like your system -- until I shut it down and tried to power it up again. So far, the only solution (and I'm reluctant to use it) is to coax it into running again and then NEVER TURN IT OFF. (By the way, once running, it successfully passed all the Dell Diagnostics for hardware.)
Does anybody from Dell's engineering staff follow these threads? I'm not going to bother making a $50 call to Support merely to be recited the "power supply or motherboard" suggestions from the manual. Only a high-level support person or engineer is going to be able to solve this one -- especially if it's a known problem to them.
Also, any chance there's a new BIOS somewhere that we can apply? I'm running out of ideas here.
Steve
zapt
42 Posts
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January 28th, 2008 23:00
That was the FIRST thing I tried. Worked perfectly for one boot, but didn't fix the problem. But for $4-5, it's worth a shot and won't break the bank.
Other things I've tried that I THOUGHT might work include: (a) resetting CMOS, (b) messing with BIOS settings, and (c) flashing the BIOS with the newest version [A07]. At best, each worked for a single boot.
I swear that when I get this to work, all I'm doing is the equivalent of pressing a reset switch. Now I just wish there WAS a reset switch.
Steve
P.S. I did a general Web search today for "E510 blinking" and got HUNDREDS of individual links, each complaining about this problem. I still don't think the power supply replacement is the answer, unless it was only marginally powerful enough to work for 14 months and I was simply LUCKY until then. This sounds simply like bad engineering -- or really mediocre hardware.
nitro1356
6 Posts
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January 28th, 2008 23:00
nitro1356
6 Posts
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January 29th, 2008 01:00
nixrealm
5 Posts
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January 29th, 2008 19:00
zapt
42 Posts
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January 29th, 2008 21:00
Do you (or does anyone else) know whether this is ACTUALLY a power supply, motherboard, or front panel issue? I don't think any of us object to replacing a failed part (sometimes that just HAPPENS), but I also think that no one wants to throw money at parts that may or may not be the cause of our blinking amber light.
Eric,
Please let us know if replacing the front panel has any impact on the problem. And I was thinking of trying hibernate last night. Any idea if it will still reboot later if the system is connected to a UPS that I shut down every night?
Steve
shesagordie
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46K Posts
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January 29th, 2008 21:00
You can buy the e510 front I/O panel from Dell Spare Parts @ 1-800-357-3355 ext 7269937, M-F 7 to 7 CDT and keep the system's "Service Tag" handy.
Bev.
===================================================
Please don't send me questions about your system by DCF Messenger.
Post the issue in the appropriate Board, where they will be answered.
nitro1356
6 Posts
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January 29th, 2008 23:00