When I shut down my pc at the end of the day it goes off completely and all lights disappear. However, when I start my computer the next day and press the power on button, it turns a blinking yellow and doesn't turn on. I have to turn off the power strip and wait 10 seconds before I attempt to restart. Then it starts as it normally would. I have to do this every day. Does anyone know how to fix this annoying problem?
Thank you.
I assume this is the Dell Dimension E521 you show in your "My Computer".
The blinking power button and that you have to unplug the power to get it working suggests a power supply problem. Could be the motherboard or some component causing it but most likely the power supply.
Power supplies have an internal "electronic" circuit breaker, called a "crowbar" circuit and if the power supply "crowbars" you have to remove AC input power for a short period to get it to reset. Considering the age of the E521 (I used to have an E510) I would first suspect the power supply. The power supply is a standard ATX style power supply, not a Dell proprietary so finding one should not be problem. I would say at least a 400 watt and a "modular" would be best as it eliminates having to stuff all the unused power cables in the case.
UPDATE: I did some checking on the Dell forum and every instance of a flashing power light turned out to be power supply.
Thank you for your thorough and prompt reply. I really appreciate your expertise, time and effort.
Nothing is really 100% as something else could be overloading the power supply, but as the flashing light symptom has turned out to be the power supply I would first replace it.
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