Problem with my inspiron 1501...Light blinking and screen is black

Try reseating the memory. I had a similar problem and that was the cure

As a very broad and general rule of thumb on Dell laptops, if any of the lock lights are blinking, reseat the RAM first.

How do you reset the ram?

turn the laptop over. There should be a little door held on by a screw or two. Remove the screw and the door will come open. You will see either 1 or 2 memory chips. On each side of the chip there will be a metal "arm" that hold the chip in place. With a small screwdriver, push the "ARMS" away from the chip and the chip willl come out. Once they are both out, simply put the chips back in where they were. make sure the "ARMS" hold it back tightly. Your memory has now been re-seated.

Reseating system memory, Inspiron 1501. 

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