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3841
August 6th, 2008 16:00
Amber Light Flashing E510
I checked all the usb ports for bent tabs…there are none.
Checked for corrosion on all boards…there is none.
I took out the cmos battery…and it booted up.
I replaced the battery with a new cr2032…and it booted up.
if i start the computer backup right after i power down (under 1 min) it will start back up…..but….if i let it sit several minutes (still pluged in) it will not boot back up….i get the amber light of death.
....BUT....
If I take out the battery and put it right back in....it starts.
If I take out the battery completely...it starts.
(Question #1) Why is this doing this? power supply? power drain?
Anybody smarter than me think they know a reason for this …or…has corrected this?
What is a good power supply it put in…another Dell…if so anybody have a part# for that?
or an aftermarket? are they direct plug-ins…the aftermarket power supplies that is. Anybody have a good manufacturer and part # ?
(Question #2) Another question….will it damage the computer to run without the CMOS battery?
(Question #3) What would it do if the CMOS battery is not there…just not keep time?
Thanks
John
cirincio
4 Posts
0
August 7th, 2008 10:00
Anybody?
Do Dell People even read this?
cirincio
4 Posts
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August 7th, 2008 15:00
Pov01
4 Posts
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August 7th, 2008 20:00
Hard to say what the problem is. Could be the motherboard, power supply or something else. I am guessing that a sensor somewhere in the PC is sensing that some component is not getting appropriate power, which can cause the flashing amber light. When you remove the battery the sensor is resetting itself, and then eventually sensing the problem again and preventing a boot-up.
If my utter speculation is correct, under these circumstances you might cause more problems by just removing the battery and operating the PC as normal. Besides, do you really want to reset the clock and all every time you boot up?
One piece of advice that I am more sure about: DO NOT replace the power supply with another Dell. I have had 2 fail on me just over 6 months. I think there may be some quality control problems with these units. After the most recent episode I just went to Staples and bought a 430 Watt Antec power supply. It fits in the back of the unit (altough one of the screws on the AC cord socket is under the rim of the case), and so far seems to be working fine.