Hi Yarrumbak,
I am Dave, I will help you with this.
You will need to return your PC to Dell for it to be repaired or replaced, below are the flash codes for your device and 3 orange/two white indicates the video card has failed.
Amber/White
Error
2/1 CPU Failure
2/2 System board, BIOS or ROM failure
2/3 No RAM detected
2/4 RAM failure
2/5 Invalid RAM installed
2/6 System board or chipset error
2/7 LCD failure
3/1 CMOS battery failure
3/2 PCI or video card or chip failure
3/3 Recovery image not found
3/4 Recovery image found but not accessible
Answer from DaveM121 on learn.microsoft.comDell
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
(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 diagnostic LEDs changed to include a combination of the Power button LED state and the diagnostic LED indicators. The Diagnostic LEDs remain 1, 2, 3, 4, and placed on the front of the unit.
Power outage. Now power button flashes 2 and 1 orange.
Bad MBD - Rows A, G, H, and J from table 12.4 of SIO Spec - Pre-Post indicators [40] Looks like a motherboard failure \#Iwork4Dell More on reddit.com
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May 15, 20257010, BIOS corrupted, blinking amber color 2,3 times
At my work I have an old PC Optiplex 7010 and it was still in good condition. I just update the BIOS from A08 to A29 to see if it runs better in Win10 cause it had some hardware or driver problems.... More on dell.com
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May 23, 2019Power turned on after long amber light blinking 2-1, 2-1,......
I have this pc dell 9020 small form factor, At everytime I try to turn on, there is amber light blinking 2-1, then I remove the power plug and hold the power button for 15-20 sec , then I connect i... More on dell.com
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July 30, 2020XPS 8930, amber light blinks 2x then 3x
We recently had a power outage while I was gaming. After that, I was trying to change the CPU cooler and re-arranging some things, but I'm pretty sure that didn't contribute to the problem at... More on dell.com
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January 2, 2023Videos
r/Dell on Reddit: how do you fix the blinking orange? help
01:03
Fixed: 3 Amber & 1 White light flashing on Dell computer - YouTube
07:09
Dell desktop orange light blinking 3 times - YouTube
00:51
Solved: 3 orange & 1 white light blinking on Dell computers. - YouTube
r/Dell on Reddit: 2 orange flashes before PC goes white
Tutorial on Dell’s Built In Self Test for power supplies if No ...
Top answer 1 of 15
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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
Reddit
reddit.com › r/dell › power outage. now power button flashes 2 and 1 orange.
Power outage. Now power button flashes 2 and 1 orange. : r/Dell
May 15, 2025 - New MB (or used) would be your solution then. ... That light means buy a UPS. ... While you're on a hunt for a new mobo, try removing the power cable and disconnect all peripherals. Remove CMOS battery and push the power button a couple of times to de-energize capacitors.
Dell
dell.com › support › kbdoc › en-us › 000131044 › diagnostic-and-battery-indicators-for-dell-latitude-laptops-and-tablets
Diagnostic and Battery Indicators for Dell Latitude Laptops and Tablets | Dell US
Note: The first number in the LED Flash Sequence column represents the number of amber-colored flashes, while the second number represents the number of white-colored flashes. Example: No Memory or RAM detected is (2,3): The battery LED blinks two times in amber, then three times in white.
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
For example, the power status light blinks amber two times followed by a pause, and then blinks white three times followed by a pause. This 2,3 pattern continues until the computer is turned off indicating the Recovery image is not found.
Dell
dell.com › dell community › desktops › optiplex desktops
7010, BIOS corrupted, blinking amber color 2,3 times | DELL Technologies
May 23, 2019 - Curiously enough, I run into this after BIOS updates occasionally.. Try the old method before taking your PC apart.. disconnect power, press and hold power button until it stops flashing, release for 2 seconds (important, apparently), then press and hold for at least 30 seconds.
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.
EVGOER
egevgoer.com › blogs › blogs › dell-laptop-power-light-blinking-orange-diagnosis-and-solutions
How to Fix a Dell Laptop with a Blinking Orange Power Light? – EVGOER
January 13, 2026 - ... Restarting the power supply can solve the problem by removing the residual charge that might trigger the error signal. First, completely turn off your laptop and unplug the AC adapter.
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 - The DisplayPort cable connector PIN #20 was supplying power from the monitor to the Motherboard causing the Motherboard to Amber Blink because the only 2 power supplies should only be the Power Supply unit and the Battery Coin. 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!
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2,3 = System board, memory or processor failure So several possibilities here, based on what you said: You dislodged CPU from its socket and/or damaged the CPU when you replaced the heat sink. Is CPU latch locked in place? Did you clean old thermal paste off top of CPU and apply thin fresh coat of new thermal paste before attaching new heat sink? Is new heat sink properly installed? Is CPU fan cable properly plugged into motherboard fan power connector? Is CPU power cable properly plugged into motherboard CPU power connector? You dislodged RAM module(s) while installing the new heat sink: Have you tried re-seating RAM modules in their slots? Make sure each module goes back in same slot you took it from, and make sure the retention clips are locked after you press the modules back into their slots. Power outage scrambled BIOS settings (common after power outages) or the outage killed the motherboard and/or CPU: After you get all of the other stuff checked out, remove motherboard battery and press/hold power button for ~30 sec. Reinstall the battery and see if the blink code error is cleared at next boot. BTW: If the battery is old, this would be good time to install a fresh one. (CR2032 3-volt coin cell, ~$2.00.) NOTE: Unplug power cord from rear of PC while working inside the case... EDIT: Also possible the power failure killed the PSU, so if above doesn't help, run the PSU BIST test, using the button on back of XPS 8930.
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Re: power supply and fan turn on for about 1 second, and then turn back off. It did this every 5 five seconds as long as I had it plugged in. that is an ominous sign of bad motherboard indeed. I have seen that multiple times on other motherboards. you can still try unplug power, press power button for 30 sec, replace cmos battery with a new one which was already suggested, and clear cmos settings via motherboard jumper.
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.
Top answer 1 of 4
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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.
Dell
dell.com › dell community › desktops › optiplex desktops
Two amber blinks | DELL Technologies
June 19, 2023 - Next: How to Run a Power Supply Unit Self Test On a Dell Desktop or All-in-One Computer Dell BIST Video Notes: Make sure all external peripherals are disconnected. If PSU test button gives the green light when pushed, internal peripherals should be good; possible bad PSU.
Dell
dell.com › dell community › laptops › inspiron
orange light blinking issue | DELL Technologies
July 14, 2023 - 2. **Battery Health and Calibration**: - If the orange light blinks when the laptop is running on battery power, it might indicate a low battery level or a battery health issue. - Try calibrating the battery as mentioned in the previous response.
Reddit
reddit.com › r/dell › hi my computer is flashing 2 oranges and 4 whites
r/Dell on Reddit: Hi my computer is flashing 2 oranges and 4 whites
May 28, 2025 - Either ram damaged or misplaced or is incompatible with each other, or worst case cpu pins (that have to do with ram) are bent · Try slotting 1 ram stick into each slot at a time and see if it boots · A quick backstory to what changed can ...
Dell
dell.com › dell community › laptops › inspiron
2 amber lights and 1 white light | DELL Technologies
October 29, 2024 - After the failure, the notebook displayed the LED pattern: 1 white, 2 amber (orange). I took it to a technician who said that the motherboard was intact, and that it was necessary to re-flash the BIOS chipset via hardware.
Dell
dell.com › dell community › desktops › locked topics – desktops general
flashing orange power light | DELL Technologies
September 27, 2011 - IF not you need to unplug the computer and once unplugged press and hold the power button for about 10~15 secs. open the case and remove all your ram sticks, all your plug in cards, and disconnect the power connector on all of your drives. once that is done, plug in your computer and press the power button. if you still get the flashing power light then the first thing I would look at would be the supply. Now finding one your best bet would be E bay. If the light goes normal then start adding in parts one at a time.
Reddit
reddit.com › r/techsupport › my dell optiplex 3020 is showing amber lights 2-3
r/techsupport on Reddit: My dell optiplex 3020 is showing amber lights 2-3
March 21, 2025 -
When i was changing my desk to a new place u kept my cpu down and by mistake my cpu fell sidewise after keeping it down after that the amber light in my dell optiplex started showing . I cleaned my RAM and fixed my RAM in the same position but the amber lights are still showing . Can anyone help me with this please?
Reddit
reddit.com › r/dell › 3 orange and 1 white lights
r/Dell on Reddit: 3 orange and 1 white lights
May 5, 2024 -
I have a dell g5 5587, i changed the fans and keyboard by myself (not the first time i dissemble it), the laptop is 6 years old, when i was changing things i kept the cmos battery connected and disconnected everything else, after finishing things when i was trying to boot up the laptop to check everything it didnt bootup at all, at first i thought it might be a power up button problem but after checks it seemed like its not, I removed cmos battery and plugged in the laptop with charger it immediately turned on (only keyboard and led) and then led flashed me 3 orange and 1 white lights, i reseated the cmos battery and tried again, same problem, sometimes with cmos battery hooked the laptop doesnt make anything other than flashing once i plug it in with one white light but then i wont be able to boot it at all and power button doesnt turn it on, I tried removing cmos and holding the power button for 30 seconds and plug it again but it didnt work, I encountered the same problem before but I solved it with the 30 seconds thing, is there any thing i can do and is it a big problem or a small one (im hoping i just need to replace cmos battery) could it be a power button failure too ?
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Maybe you need a new cmos battery. https://www.dell.com/support/manuals/en-us/g-series-15-5587-laptop/g5-5587-servicemanual/system-diagnostic-lights?guid=guid-1249af58-9da3-473d-bdb7-73f41f8ffba8&lang=en-us
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Update, turns out that the power button connector wasn’t registering, I cleaned both copper ends of the connector and it worked fine.
Dell
dell.com › dell community › laptops › laptops wiki
Dell Laptop Blinking Orange and White Light Issue | DELL Technologies
April 14, 2025 - ... Battery Failure: The battery may have reached the end of its lifespan, especially if the laptop is around 18-24 months old. Hardware Component Failure: Specific blinking patterns can indicate hardware issues. For example, 3 amber (orange) ...