My wife has a dell 8400 XP which was working fine yesterday. This morning the screen was blank. The on/off button is flashing (not sure if did that before or was constantly on). I tried holding the button in and it did turn the computer off, but when I turned it back on, nothing changed. The screen works fine as the message "safe mode" appears when you press a button on the screen, but clicking the keys does nothing. All the connections are solid. The computer has windows 7 installed.
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Your question as stated makes me think that you don't understand safe mode. Try this for info: en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Safe_mode– XavierjazzCommented Aug 4, 2014 at 14:43
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@Xavierjazz He probably means "save," as in the monitor's power save mode, which he would see on the monitor even if the PC was not working. At least, I hope he does; otherwise the question is contradictory.– LoduwijkCommented Aug 4, 2014 at 15:02
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1 Answer
On/off button flashing means it's likely a hardware problem.
- Is it flashing green or is it flashing amber (Dell calls it amber, but it might look closer to a yellow or orange on your computer)?
- Does it make any beeping noises when you try to start it? If yes, what is the pattern of beeps like (not just how many beeps, but describe the pattern, such as "1 beep, a short pause, 2 more, then another 1)?
- Do you see any numbered lights? Many Dell models have 4 numbered lights which also provide diagnostic information about a problem.
Those are the three main forms of diagnostics that Dell provides for situations like this. If you want to see what the different combinations of lights and beeps and such mean, you can look at Dell's diagnostic documentation. You can find their info by Googling things like "Dell diagnostics" or "Dell diagnostic lights." You can look at the manual for your specific model: the information on the power light is on pages 42&43, video/monitor problems on 46&47 (though the blinking power light makes me doubt the monitor), the info about the 4 numbered lights starts on 49, and I did a "find" for the word "beep" in the manual and it didn't seem to be there.
What I think it most likely:
- If the power light is blinking amber: something inside is bad and likely needs to be replaced, often the motherboard in this case.
- If the power light is blinking green: your computer might be in standby mode. Try pressing the power button once (not holding it in) to bring it out of standby. If that does not work, make sure the keyboard/mouse connections are good and try pressing buttons again. If that does not work, try unplugging the keyboard/mouse and plugging it back in again (possibly in a different USB port, also try a USB on the front [if available] if it is currently in the back). My reasoning for this is that it could be a bad keyboard/mouse or maybe just the port(s) they are plugged in. It also would not hurt to try a different keyboard/mouse.
(edit) After a second thought, the computer should not be in standby mode. You said that you have restarted it, and the problem exists immediately upon startup? So standby should not be an issue and I will assume it is blinking amber. If it actually is blinking green and stays blinking green immediately from startup then there are other issues. Let us know.
