A flashing power light means the computer is getting power but some component is faulty. Try removing all your ram sticks, cards and disconnect the power going to all your drives. Unplug the computer and press and hold the power button for 10~15 secs. Plug it back in. Listen to hear if the fans spin up briefly. If they do, try pressing the power button and see if the light has changed. If not then either the mother board or power supply is bad. If it is good start adding in components one at a time start with the drives, then the ram then the cards last. You might also want to put the old supply back in and check again with that one. Answer from Drivingmecrazeh on reddit.com
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Reddit
reddit.com › r/techsupport › power button on dell case starting flashing orange light, pc won’t boot
r/techsupport on Reddit: Power button on dell case starting flashing orange light, PC won’t boot
May 29, 2021 -

My 3 year old dell pre-built started powering down randomly, at first it would do it after a while of use, but it started to get more and more and more frequent. It eventually reached the point where it would spin up and then power off, and then finally it would do absolutely nothing no matter what I did.

I figured the power supply was the issue from prior experience so I went ahead and bought a new one. I replaced the old 400w that came with the computer with a nice 650w evga gold. However even after double and triple checking the connections all I get is a blinking orange light from the power button on the case. I guess either the motherboard is what went and not the psu, but that doesn't seem right judging from the initial issues. Or maybe the psu was doa? Not sure but if anyone has any idea how to continue trying to figure this out i'd appreciate any help I can get, thanks.

Discussions

Optiplex 9020 Blinking Orange Power Button
I have the same problem as others....blinking orange power button on 9020 minitower. The blink pattern indicates bad motherboard but I can get the system to power up by holding in the power s... More on dell.com
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7
0
January 15, 2020
Dell Optiplex 3020 flashing orange power button
Reimaged a Dell OptiPlex 3020 on Friday, came back to work Monday, power button flashing orange 2/2, will not power back on. Not having much luck finding any tips online to fix. Had a Digital Check receipt printer plugged into it, pulled that, still not powering back on. More on community.spiceworks.com
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13
7
March 27, 2018
Optiplex 9010 Does not turn on. Blinking orange light
I unplugged all peripherals and pressed the button in the back. When that button is pressed the led turns green and stays on for as long as I press it. I tried testing out a graphics card (750 TI) ... More on dell.com
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24
2
August 1, 2018
Desktop PC will not boot up (blinking orange light)
I have a Dell Dimension 510 desktop PC that I bought in 2006. Obviously warranty expired on this system. For the past month, I am facing a strange problem. Whenever I shut down my PC (meaning compl... More on dell.com
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July 10, 2008
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Dell
dell.com › support › manuals › en-us › optiplex-7460-aio › optiplex_7460_service_manual › diagnostics
Dell OptiPlex 7460 All-in-One Service Manual | Dell US
Power status light: Indicates the power status. Solid Amber – The system is unable to boot to the operating system. This indicates that the power supply or another device in the system is failing. Blinking Amber – The system is unable to boot to the operating system.
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Dell
dell.com › support › kbdoc › en-us › 000126021 › a-reference-guide-to-the-dell-optiplex-diagnostic-indicators
A Reference Guide to the Dell OptiPlex Diagnostic Indicators | Dell US
NOTE: On any OptiPlex built since 2012 (that is, 7010/9010/9010 AIO), Dell has stopped using all beep codes except for the Memory Failure code. (One, three, two, or one beep, then three beeps, then two beeps.) If your computer was built after 2012 and is making any other beep code, contact technical support for further help. ... With this series, the diagnostics indicator LEDs were removed. Instead, the Power Button state gives a blink and color shift pattern to indicate where it had a problem.
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Facebook
facebook.com › groups › captainsoftech › posts › 1627019681925630
Dell Optiplex 4th gen not turning on, blinking orange light?
I have dell optplex 6020 i7 4th gen. it's not turning on only blinking orange light on power button, all fan runs when I press the power supply button.... what could be the problem..
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Dell
dell.com › dell community › desktops › optiplex desktops
Optiplex 9020 Blinking Orange Power Button | DELL Technologies
January 15, 2020 - The blink pattern indicates bad motherboard but I can get the system to power up by holding in the power supply test button while pressing the power button. It can take a few tries but the system eventually powers up.
Find elsewhere
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Quora
quora.com › Why-is-my-Dell-Optiplex-7010s-power-button-flashing-orange
Why is my Dell Optiplex 7010's power button flashing orange? - Quora
Answer: I don’t have that exact model, but I have a very similar model. Your desktop is probably in sleep mode. Press he space bar a couple times, or click a couple times. If that doesn’t work press the power button. If It’s on and flashing orange, I am unsure.
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Dell
dell.com › dell community › desktops › locked topics – desktops general
flashing orange power light | DELL Technologies
September 27, 2011 - When i tried to boot it keyboard, mouse, and monitor only... The fans kicked in for a second and the case LEDs lit up (something I havent been getting) , then it all died and went back to the blinking orange light again.
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Asurion
asurion.com › connect › tech-tips › fix-a-flashing-light-on-dell-laptop
How to fix orange flashing light on Dell laptop | Asurion
September 15, 2025 - Asurion Experts explain the meaning behind the orange flashing light on Dell laptops and how to stop it.
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Asktech
asktech.support › computer › qmtrc-power-light-blinking-orange-times.html
I have a power light that is blinking in orange 3 times... Dell ...
November 21, 2024 - Can you confirm if the power cord is plugged in? ... Yes, it's always plugged in. But when I unplug it, nothing changes. ... Normally, a steady white light means everything is fine, while the orange light blinking usually indicates a low battery or charging issue.
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Quora
quora.com › I-have-a-Dell-Optiplex-3010-Why-is-it-blinking-orange-light
I have a Dell Optiplex 3010. Why is it blinking orange light? - Quora
Answer: Okay do you have a Dell optiplex laptop or do you have a desktop if it's a laptop the little orange light on the side blinking orange means the battery is charging it should turn white when the battery is charged if it never turns white that's because you need to replace the battery. If ...
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Dell
dell.com › support › manuals › en-ca › optiplex-7040-sff › opti7040_sff_om › diagnostic-and-power-led-codes
OptiPlex 7040 - Small Form Factor Owner's Manual | Dell Canada
NOTE:Amber LED blinking pattern : The pattern is 2 or 3 blinks followed by a short pause then X number of blinks up to 7. The repeated pattern has a long pause inserted in the middle.
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JustAnswer
justanswer.com › computer › fahk3-power-button-flashing-amber-green-lights.html
Troubleshooting Dell Optiplex Diagnostic Lights and Flashing Orange Light Issues
According to Dell diagnostic indicators, lights 1 & 3 suggest a RAM issue. A blinking orange power light indicates a failing or failed PSU. Please try re-seating the RAM chips one at a time, starting with no RAM, and see if the error persists.
Top answer
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The Dell power button is blinking with amber color

You need to look at the blink pattern. It is documented in the Owners Manual and will tell you exactly what is wrong:

Power LED Diagnostics

The power button LED located on the front of the chassis also functions as a bicolored diagnostic LED. The diagnostic LED is only active and visible during the POST process. Once the operating system starts to load, it is no longer visible.

Amber LED blinking scheme – The pattern is 2 or 3 blinks followed by a short pause then x number of blinks up to 7. The repeated pattern has a long pause inserted in the middle. For example 2,3 = 2 amber blinks, short pause, 3 amber blinks followed by long pause then repeats.

...

2,1 system board failure
2,2 system board, PSU or PSU cabling failure
2,3 system board, memory or CPU failure
2,4 coin-cell battery failure
2,5 corrupt BIOS
2,6 CPU configuration failure or CPU failure
2,7 memory modules are detected, but a memory failure
3,1 possible peripheral card or system board failure
3,2 possible USB failure
3,3 no memory modules are detected
3,4 possible system board error
3,5 memory modules are detected, but a memory configuration or compatibility error
3,6 possible system board resource and/or hardware failure
3,7 some other failure with messages on screen
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Just for followers, for me on my 990 this "did" mean bad psu, I blew out the dust on its intake grill and blew through the thing itself and it started working again FWIW :)

Other options: remove and replug in to motherboard, replace motherboard? :)