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
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: If your computer successfully completes POST and then displays a black screen, you are likely experiencing a No Boot issue and not a No POST issue. See the Dell Knowledge Base article: Resolve No Power, No POST, No Boot or No Video issues with your Dell Computer. ... With the latest series, the Power Button state now gives more accurate errors. Using a blink and color shift pattern to indicate where it has a problem. NOTE: If you have an OptiPlex All In One (AIO) Computer, use the reference tables below.
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.
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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.
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The flashing is an error code. The number of blinks indicates the type of error. If it's an Inspiron - https://www.dell.com/support/kbdoc/en-us/000132276/a-reference-guide-to-the-inspiron-desktop-diagnostic-indicators If it's an Optiplex - https://www.dell.com/support/kbdoc/en-us/000126021/a-reference-guide-to-the-dell-optiplex-diagnostic-indicators Edit: At the bottom of each link are links to guides for the various other models Dell sells.
Videos
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Dell optiplex 7010 computer blinks orange light: fixed! - YouTube
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r/Dell on Reddit: 2 orange flashes before PC goes white
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Dell Optiplex 5080 3 amber 1 white light fix - YouTube
Reddit
reddit.com › r/techsupport › orange blinking light on dell optiplex 7010
r/techsupport on Reddit: Orange blinking light on dell optiplex 7010
May 8, 2025 -
The light keeps blinking orange, looked it up and it’s apparently a power supply issue or a motherboard issue, I watched a few YouTube videos and some people said switching the ram could fix it so I did and it’s still blinking orange, I know very little about computers and when I open the case I don’t even know what I’m really looking at, I just don’t understand how it was working last night and now it’s blinking orange. I guess I’m asking if there’s anything I can do in the pc or if I’m just sort of screwed and need new parts.
Thanks in advance for any help and advice
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Those lights are blinking in a sequence which means something so start with that but ram sticks and ram slots going bad seems to be pretty common if its anything else its probably just worth it to buy a new/er system
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so the blinking pattern on the light will explain the issue. you will need to interpret it similar to mores code and follow the pattern till it repeats itself. heres a link explaining some code patterns you will need to verify your version of the optiplex 7010 as their are several forms and generations so codes may vary https://www.dell.com/support/kbdoc/en-us/000126021/a-reference-guide-to-the-dell-optiplex-diagnostic-indicators
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.
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.
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This is why I buy Dell. I had 3 then 2 yellow blinks went through and reseated all the memory cured problem.
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Seems to be the motherboard that is the problem just needed confirmation. The light blinks 2,2 I know the power supply works and so do the cables. The form factor is DT and it looks like the motherboard is ATX. Do I have to look for a specific brand or would any brand work fine? All components are stock except the graphics card and I don't plan on changing them unless I have to.
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One of the computer in my lab had similar problem. Here is what you need to do. Unlpug the system from the power. On the back of the power supply there is a black reset button next to PS LED. Hold that down while the system is not connected to the power for 10 seconds. Plug the power cable back on and restart the system.
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I had the same problem with my Dell Optiplex 7010, power button was flashing orange. Here is how to fix the issue: 1). Turn off the computer. 2). Unplug the power & remove the computer case. 3). The Dell Optiplex 7010 has four memory slots, remove the memory, and switch slots. 4). Replace computer case and then reattach power plug. 5). Start computer! That is it, a very simple fix! Please Remember to drain the Flea Power before removing the memory -
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Your 290W PSU is just fine for your GPU. Even if you went thru the trouble of upgrading PSU's and wanted to use a higher watt GPU, you'd still have to use low profile single slot cards with their own power cable. I think your setup is just fine as long as your happy with your GPU. If your still curious about optional PSU's, '9020 MT PSU' can be used for a search term in Dell Community and you could Google it as well. Chances are optional PSU's for the 9020 was already answered. @speedstep is an expert at it.
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And Also Why Were The Lights Blinking, Now It's Working Fine But I Am Still Concerned. It Is Also Not Overheating.
Dell
dell.com › dell community › desktops › optiplex desktops
Power turned on after long amber light blinking 2-1, 2-1,...... | DELL Technologies
July 30, 2020 - Therefore I had to cut the copper thin string of the DP cable (the colour of the cable on PIN 20 is white btw). That automatically stop the Orange blinking and now is solid white!
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.
Quora
quora.com › Why-does-my-Dell-desktop-blink-orange-but-refuse-to-turn-on
Why does my Dell desktop blink orange but refuse to turn on? - Quora
Answer (1 of 2): The blink codes indicate what’s broken, installed improperly, or not turning on. The blink codes vary slightly by specific computer model. Here is an enumerated list of codes for a Dell Optiplex 7460; this may or may not help with your specific Dell.
JustAnswer
justanswer.com › computer › 1w8st-dell-optiplex-170l-when-turn-power-appears.html
Dell Optiplex Troubleshooting: Blinking Orange Light Issues
An orange power light on the Optiplex 170L typically signals a hardware fault or power supply issue. First, unplug and reseat all internal components like RAM and expansion cards.
Dell
dell.com › dell community › desktops › optiplex desktops
Solid Orange light | DELL Technologies
July 1, 2020 - Solid orange light typically means bad MB, so it's possible it's the CPU. Blinking orange would mean bad PSU. As fun as it is to do everything at once, a good rule of thumb is to install one piece at a time and see if PC works.
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@Rick0167 I'm glad you got it working. Bad batteries have thrown error codes before that are either off-track or erroneous and have nothing to do with anything.
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Thanks for the help and replies Found the date/year (Oct 2018) stamped into the chassis. Will pick up a battery in the next day or two and try resetting the CMOS, hopefully its not the motherboard. The only other things I can think of is I did have some problems with this PC when trying to install a M.2 SSD. See https://www.dell.com/community/en/conversations/optiplex-desktops/help-think-i-broke-my-computer/647fa20ef4ccf8a8de7716f8 If memory serves me right there was a little spacer that goes between the M.2 SSD and the motherboard that was missing so I used a small brass nut of the same size to act as a spacer before fastening the SSD to the motherboard. Maybe this could be causing the error code?
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
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 it's a desktop Tower and you got a little light blinking on and off and you have no display on the screen ...
Dell
dell.com › dell community › desktops › optiplex desktops
Optiplex 7010 orange light | DELL Technologies
July 18, 2021 - Therefore I had to cut the copper thin string of the DP cable (the colour of the cable on PIN 20 is white btw). That automatically stop the Orange blinking and now is solid white!
Linux Mint Forums
forums.linuxmint.com › board index › main edition support › hardware support
[SOLVED] Sudden blackout and power button blinking orange Optiplex 9010 - Linux Mint Forums
Blinking Amber Power LED Problem Description 2,1 The motherboard may be faulty. 2,2 The motherboard, power supply or power supply cabling may be faulty. 2,3 The motherboard, memory or processor may be faulty. 2,4 The coin-cell battery may be faulty. 2,5 The system may be in recovery mode.
Dell
dell.com › dell community › desktops › optiplex desktops
Dell optilex 3020 me orange light blink 3 times please give me the solution | DELL Technologies
November 18, 2024 - Dell laptops use a combination of amber and white LED blinks to indicate various fault conditions.
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Solid amber on the MB means it has power. When the power button has blinking or solid amber, then it's a problem. From your photos it looks like you have the SFF model. Optiplex 780 Documentation From the 780 Service Manual: Optiplex 780 Tech Guide.pdf
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I mean look at these pictures