Unsolved
This post is more than 5 years old
29 Posts
0
42493
Dell 6400 Red Blinking Battery Light (3-red, 1-green)
I am coming here to ask about this. I've read the other posts which say that the battery is dying. My battery is at 96% and is less than a year old. Bought a Dell power cell. Anyway, so all posts state that the battery needs to be replaced. Got that part. Here is what I'm asking about. When the LED starts flashing - I'm knocked off of the internet. Any idea why THAT is happening? Thanks in advance for any ideas. I've taken the laptop apart but the fan is ok, looks like all of the other parts are ok too. My guess is that the ethernet card is going. (This computer is in use a lot ever since I got it so it wouldn't surprise me if that is what is going on but it is weird that this started with the flashing of the battery.)
I'm also wondering if an event of this past week didn't have something to do with this. One of our cats managed somehow to stick his tail into one of the wall sockets. I've never seen a cat run as quite that speed as a blue arc of electricity shot out of the wall socket. The cat's ok but our lights did go up and down several times. So I'm thinking the laptop took a hit from the power surge even though I have everyone on surge suppressors and UPCs.
Again, thanks for any insights. :-)
Philip_Yip
7 Technologist
7 Technologist
•
16K Posts
0
June 19th, 2011 19:00
Run the diagnostics. Hold F12 while powering up the machine, then select the diagnostics. Also install and run the Dell Support Centre Checkup.
If the computer is in use alot a USB cooling pad may be a useful purchase, if you don't already have one. I use Thermaltake products which seem more effective than other ones I have tried. I always have the cooling pad attached to my 6400.
This problem occurs both by wireless and ethernet?
mekram
29 Posts
0
June 19th, 2011 22:00
I am thinking now that my problem is what happened a few days ago. One of our cats managed to somehow get it's tail hairs caught in one of the wall sockets. There was a huge blue arc of electrical flame that shot out of the socket as the cat shot across the room. (Who knows - maybe it urinated on the socket. Unknown.) Anyway, our lights when on and off just as if an electrocution had happened. A day after that - the red light flashing on the computer's LED began. 3 Red, Off, 1 Green, repeat.
I use a cake rake to hold the computer up off of the shelving where I have the computer. I connect to the computer via RDP from the computer below it. The computer below it is my programming computer. The upper computer does scanning, video, etc.... (the one with the problem). I took the laptop completely apart this morning and even took out all of the components. I did this because some times, in desktops, when some kind of major electrical problem occurs, static electricity (or maybe just a charge build-up) can happen with a computer and this build up can be stored in a component. If you take the components apart and let them rest by themselves off to one side for a few minutes, then this charge build up will dissipate. (Sort of like when you wear an electrician's band before touching anything so the static charge drains out of your body.) Anyway, after taking everything out (disk drive, battery, cooling fan, heat sink, memory, wlan card, keyboard, touchpad, etc..., letting them sit for about 10 minutes, and then putting them all back in - everything now works fine - except I am still getting the blinking red light.
So now I'm wondering if the battery just needs to be drained and recharged. Looking up how to do that.
When I press the F12 button all I get is "which device do you want to use as the boot device" and not any kind of diagnostics stuff. Maybe I should try holding down the function key as well as F12? I'll give it a try. Also I've downloaded the support center checkup and will run it. If it produces some kind of an output I'll post it here.
Have a great night and I'll post tomorrow. :-)