The computer is a toshiba tecra 8100, with windows xp installed. it has been running fine until one time when i tried to turn it on, it completely stopped working, and i got a blinking orange pattern on an led near the power button. after doing numerous troubleshooting tests, like taking the battery out, all accessories off, etc, i figured id take the harddrive out and see if it booted up into a live-cd distro of linux. It does, and boots fine, but as soon as i put the hard drive back in, it shuts off immidiatly and gives me the blinking lights. Any help at all would be greatly appreciated,
thanks,
-Joe.

I had a similar problem, and found that the battery had lost it's charge. When the battery is almost dead or dead, the system will flash that orange light as the older power supply circuitry (could be the external supply or the circuitry IN the computer) is NOT passing sufficient amperage to charge the almost DEAD battery AND run the system with the hard-disk.
I got past the problem by charging the battery overnight before using the system again and then it ran properly.
And note that if the system and/or battery is old (and I know the 8100 is old), it may no longer be charging properly when the system is running, so you may need to start charging the battery with the system off on a regular basis.

hi joe, i am having the exact same problem as you. how did you resolve your problem??

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