Computer Won’t Start. Power on Button Light Flashing

How annoying it is when your computer won’t start and you can see the computer power button flashing? One minute they are fine, and the next thing you know it is basically dead. I especially hate it when you press your power button and nothing happens. You can see the computer Power light blinking but nothing comes up on the screen. It seems like the computer is sending me a signal, but what is it trying to say? We have tutorials about computers not starting when the computer has a black screen, when you need to repair the boot sector of your hard drive, and many more. However this article is about your computer not starting, but seeing a flashing light at the same time.

Check the power supply

Unfortunately different makes and models of computers do different things for which could be the same error causing the problem. Some computers have a beep sequence code and others have no signals at all. However when the computer won’t start and the power light flashing on and off I always test the power supply first.

You can also take the side of your computer case off to listen for the cpu fan starting when you press the button. If it seems a bit slow and quiet you can almost guarantee that there is not enough power getting through to your computer. If you have a spare Power supply hanging around and you have done this type of thing before, try swapping them over. If you are not confident in working on computers yourself, get a professional to do it for you.

Computer won’t start and the reasons are too obvious

I was working on a computer with this problem a few years ago, and it turned out to be the power cord. It was faulty, which allowed the computer to work most of the time, but then other times it would not boot and the power light flashed. This was a rare because the problem is usually the actual power supply itself.

If this doesn’t work for you, try removing everything that is connected to your computer. Remove the mouse, keyboard, monitor, PCI cards, graphics cards, etc. Now you should only have the power cable connected. Turn the computer on now. If the blinking power light is gone and it seems ti be running, this could mean that there is something wrong with one of the components you have just removed. Replace them one at a time, testing to see if the computer works each time. When the flashing light comes back you know you have found the problem.

If changing the power supply didn’t help, or removing all of the components either, it doesn’t look good. Now it could only be the cpu or the motherboard.

Example problem – computer power light blinking

My computer won’t start. I have a Dell Dimension 9150. After a power outage my PC will not turn on. It has a blinking yellow light. Everything I have read said it is most likely a power supply problem. I purchased a new power supply from 911 PC and still have the same problem. There is a green light lit up on the motherboard. Any ideas? I have also read about diagnostic lights to figure out the problem. I don’t believe this PC has any of those lights. Thanks

I did remove the ram and graphic card and tried starting it up without any of that installed and got the same thing. I then put them back and got the same blinking light. The setting is 115 on the power supply although I have toggled it and tried the other setting.
I have also tried just the power supply connected to the MOBO–no drives and get the same blinking light. Two lights also blink on the back of the PC underneath an RJ 45 connection.

Nothing beeps and nothing else turns on. Source.

I did remove and change the memory to different slots and tried starting it up without any memory and got the same blinking light. I received a new power supply and tried it and got the same results. brought the new power supply to a PC shop and they let me try their tester. It produced lights but it grinded and the fan barely moved. “Possible I got a dud. the place I got the power supply from is great–911 PC . The guy I spoke to on the phone is going to open up and test the new one and initial it before shipping it priority mail–also not even charging me for the new one being shipped as long as I send the old one back. If it turns out the motherboard is shot I’ll send both back and they will refund.

Computer won’t start problem solved

Warning: When working on computers see opening computer cases and please take the right precautions.

Problem fixed. It was the front USB ports that were causing the computer not to power on and the blinking yellow lights. I took a screwdriver and kept messing with the pins on the beat up port–pushing them down, spreading them apart, etc. etc.. until finally no lights on power button. I then pushed the power button and it started right up. That port for sure is fried but I don’t care. The computer works.

Thanks for the help! I had this exact same issue to the Tee with a Dell XPS 400. The front USB pins were touching causing a short on the motherboard. After i stuck a screw driver in there and pulled back the pins just mike magic everything started working!

Quick troubleshooting tips

If your computer won’t start and you have a flashing power light then you can try the following:

1. The first thing you should do is check to see if you have valid warranty on your computer. If you have then you should get it repaired by the appropriate person or you will void your warranty.
2. If you are plugged into a surge protector or UPS, try plugging it straight into the wall. If killing the power for a few minutes doesn’t do the trick, it sounds like a hardware failure. Could be faulty power supply, or mainboard as the first possible culprit. I would suggest getting it looked at by a competent technician.
3. Have you tried changing the power cord over.
4. Try a hard restart by pressing in the power button until the computer shuts down. Under plug all the power cables, the power button while the computer is unplugged, then plug it all in again and try to restart it.
5. Check inside the computer case and make sure the power cables are connected securely. There could be a loose connection that is causing this problem.
6. Try a new power supply.
7. Check connections on your motherboard, for example the pins, disconnected cables. Bent pins cause power shorts.
8. You can check your RAM, but I have never seen in amber flashing light, and found that RAM was the problem. But there is always a first!

http://support.dell.com/support/edocs/systems/dim5100/en/sm/tshoot0.htm

What does the blinking light on the computer mean?

If you have a Dell computer, here is a table showing what lights mean what. For example if your computer won’t start and you see a solid amber light this can mean that either the system board is faulty or the devices connected to it.

Your power button light and hard-drive activity light may indicate a computer problem. This table was transferred from a Dell manual. If you have another brand of computer, try looking through the repair manual to see if you can find something similar.

Notes:

• One other idea is to try changing the bios battery.. You never know..LOL

Have you got any tips for us to try when the computer won’t start and there is a flashing power light?

Tagged as: amber light, blinking, boot, computer wont' start, flashes, flashing, Light Flashing, Power Button, power light flashing, yellow light

This post was written by...

Mitz – who has written 731 posts on Computer Tips.

Hi guys…I am a computer freak but I do not always talk in tech language. Hope you enjoy my website and learn everything you need to know in an easy to understand way.. If you like what you see please join: Follow Tips4pc On Twitter | Become A Facebook Fan | Subscribe RSS Feed | Tips4pc Youtube Channel

Contact the author