Alienware Area-51 Laptop Power Button Flashing Red Once and then Blue Four Times

Summary: The following article provides information about a false error that may be seen when turning on an Alienware Area-51 laptop. The power button flashes red and then blue four times, before repeating. ...

This article applies to This article does not apply to This article is not tied to any specific product. Not all product versions are identified in this article.
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Symptoms

An Alienware Area-51 laptop boots into the operating system but the power button may flash a repeated error code. The power button Light Emitting Diode (LED) may flash red once and then blue four times before repeating. This is not a recognized error code for these laptops and does not affect the functionality of the laptop during use.

Note: This is a false error, it does not affect the laptop and the type of boot does not affect the issue.

Affected Platforms:

  • Alienware 16 Area-51 AA16250
  • Alienware 18 Area-51 AA18250

Cause

The power signal from the LCD fluctuates during the laptop boot. The power fluctuation can confuse the laptop into displaying the "a single red and then four blue" flash pattern.

Resolution

Recovery:

Restarting the laptop recovers it from the displaying the error.

BIOS Update:

Note: Before starting the update, perform the following:
  1. Back up all personal data. For more information, refer to: Back Up and Recovery
  2. Connect the AC adapter.

Updating the Alienware 16/18 Area-51 System BIOS to version 2.0.1 or later on the laptop resolves the issue. To download and install the Alienware_Area-51_AA16250_AA18250_2.0.1_64.exe file, refer to the: BIOS Update Guide

Affected Products

Alienware 16 Area-51 AA16250, Alienware 18 Area-51 AA18250
Article Properties
Article Number: 000422770
Article Type: Solution
Last Modified: 10 Apr 2026
Version:  2
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