# Problem with blinking lights on an old Compaq



## kerri191 (Oct 4, 2009)

I use a Compaq Presario SR1803WM. I bought it in March of 2006. I've had no real problems with the computer since then, but I noticed a troubling one this morning when I woke up. The green light on the front of my tower was continuously blinking, and the monitor light was orange. There was no noise from the tower at all (no fan whirring). I thought it might been in sleep mode, but nothing I tried with the keyboard worked. I held the power button in because that was the only way it seemed I could shut it off. When I tried to restart, the green light stayed green for a few seconds, and then was immediately blinking again. Nothing on the monitor but that vicious orange light next to it's power button.
So, I looked at the back of the tower to see if any connections were loose. None. So I shut if off with the power button one more time and turned it back on, still nothing.
So then I pulled the power cord from the back of the tower, and plugged it back in to see what would happen. Sure enough, I heard the fan kick in. But it slowed down, and eventually stopped. I unplugged it, and replugged it. The same thing happened again. So when I went around to the front of the computer, I hit the power button again. This time, it responded. The light didn't blink, it stayed on, and eventually windows booted up, and now here I am. I can hear, and feel air from the blower in the back of the tower. But I did notice one more strange thing.
There is another light below the power button on the tower. I've never it be anything but green until today. Right after the successful power-up, that light stayed orange, and blinked off and on for about five minutes. It has a little cylinder above it that I can't decipher what it means. I have scoured the internet for what all this might mean, but everyone else with a green blinking light on a compaq reports the one next to the power cord in the back. Obviously, that isn't my problem. So, is there anyone who may be able to tell me what went wrong, and if it's something I should worry about?


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## greenbrucelee (Apr 24, 2007)

I think its your power supply.

Just because it is working doesn't mean the power supply is ok.

The orange light you speak of usually means power issues.

When the computer is booting press del or f1 (it will tell you which) to enter the BIOS.

Go to a section that should be name hardware or hardware monitor this will be a section that will show your voltages.

Can you post what they are as this could tell us if the power supply is failing.


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## hitech (Oct 17, 2007)

The light below your power light is the harddrive light. I do not believe you have anything serious but I have had to adjust display properties settings and clean the inside of the pc. Also with modern motherboards, I reccommend shutting down the pc instead of leaving it on. Try on your display properties/screen saver/ uncheck on resume display welcome screen. On power settings, just have turn off monitor, never on the rest. Do not use hibernate. To clean the inside/unplug the power cord/press the power button to discharge static electricity/unplug the rest of the cords and move to a different area/remove side panel and use a couple of cans of compressed air for computers. Blow out the holes in the side panel/power supply/heat sink of processor/fans and rest of pc.


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