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February 13th, 2006 13:00
Blinking Amber light
I have a Dell Dimension 8400. Today, I turned it on and there is now a blinking amber light.
I've browsed around the forum, and it sounds like my motherboard may have died. I just want to know if I can expect all my files to be intact when the problem is fixed.
I've browsed around the forum, and it sounds like my motherboard may have died. I just want to know if I can expect all my files to be intact when the problem is fixed.
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ejn63
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February 13th, 2006 16:00
shesagordie
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February 13th, 2006 17:00
silverdragon_ey
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February 16th, 2006 22:00
ATX 400 (at least) watt Power supply
w/ PCI- E plugs and SATA plugs
Does this sound right?
hyperart
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January 18th, 2007 01:00
I know many people with the blinking amber lights suspect a powersupply issue, but for me it turned out to be a different problem. Maybe this will help some people:
I've had my Dimension 8400 for over two years, so I didn't want to suspect it was the PSU, even though I probably have the first version, and an outdated BIOS, etc.
The Dell manual says two different things about a blinking amber light on two different pages:
1) power issue
2) device issue
So, I suspected the latter. I had RE-installed a webcam recently, with a different driver. Strange as it seemed, it would shutdown my computer at random times. Eventually it would turn off every 2 min, and then I would have to reconnect the power cable or wait until it stops 'remembering' that it had a problem, in order to turn it back on.
I would go to the BIOS to check it out and it would freeze at the BIOS--not turn off, so power can't be it. So...
- I booted up Windows and logged in as fast as I could
- Brought up Device Manager immediately (Windows key + Pause key for System Properties, click on Hardware tab)
- Found the device, and right-clicked and uninstalled the driver immediately. [Your device probably has to be plugged in for it to show up. Uninstall any other apps that the driver had installed.]
- And then waited to see what happens--no shutdown, nada.
I just did these steps and my system has been up for about 30min. And when I reboot to the BIOS it doesn't freeze anymore. It seems like this was the solution for me.
So if you have recently installed a device (mine was a USB webcam), you may want to try these steps before you start screaming at dell for a new power supply.
Good luck!
Karen