En-Light-en me please. Computer question.

WillyBWright · Dec 13, 2006

Three led lights on my computer. One is the pilot for when it's on, always steady. Another flashes when the hard drive is working. What's the third flashing light for?

ndemge · Dec 13, 2006

Re: En-Light-en me please. Computer question.

Quote from Airplane II:

Buck Murdock: Oh, cut the bleeding heart crap, will ya? We've all got our switches, lights, and knobs to deal with, Striker. I mean, down here there are literally hundreds and thousands of blinking, beeping, and flashing lights, blinking and beeping and flashing - they're *flashing* and they're *beeping*. I can't stand it anymore! They're *blinking* and *beeping* and *flashing*! Why doesn't somebody pull the plug!

tommays · Dec 13, 2006

Re: En-Light-en me please. Computer question.

floppy disk and cd/dvd drive have lights and over the years there were many other things

Tommays

KaGee · Dec 13, 2006

Re: En-Light-en me please. Computer question.

Don't you have a service manual???

Do you have more than one hard drive?

I have two hard drive LEDs that light separately when each drive is in use.

WillyBWright · Dec 13, 2006

Re: En-Light-en me please. Computer question.

Just one hard drive. No manual. $99 puter from a Goodwill kinda biz. Most of the computers I've owned have these. I'm thinking it's some sort of CPU activity indicator. The floppy drive and CD-Rom have their own lights.

Xcusme · Dec 13, 2006

Re: En-Light-en me please. Computer question.

Could indicate a lot of things....best to open case, find make-model number of motherboard. Goto website and d/l manual. It could be for a Power/Sleep/Message Waiting LED.

Paul Moir · Dec 13, 2006

Re: En-Light-en me please. Computer question.

It's the Turbo light.

Most likely the SLEEP/STANDBY light then. I've got mine hooked to the network card though. Is it sort of a random flashing?

WillyBWright · Dec 13, 2006

Re: En-Light-en me please. Computer question.

Turbo sounds right. I seem to recall that the computer that the ex ended up with said that and it acts like that. It seems rather random and is most active when the computer is actively doing something, but sometimes it flashes when I'm not doing anything on it at all. So what the heck is Turbo?

tommays · Dec 13, 2006

Re: En-Light-en me please. Computer question.

In the OLD days some computers were so fast

there was a button to slow it down so some older software could still run

If i recall mine had a 8/16 Mhz button with a light

I have one older DOS flying game that still runs but it runs out of control fast on new computers , it goes through the whole level in about 5 seconds

Tommays

Paul Moir · Dec 13, 2006

Re: En-Light-en me please. Computer question.

Way back when, the original (IBM) PC ran at 4.77Mhz. Then someone got the bright idea to market a clone of it that ran with an 8Mhz processor. The trouble was, a lot of software just sort of assumed the computer would run at 4.77Mhz and would run too fast at 8Mhz. So they had to put a button & indicator light on the computer to slow it down. It stuck around for about 10 years and was called the "Turbo" switch & light. Never did hear any turbine wind up when I pressed it though.

It could very well be network activity then. Try clicking your refresh/reload button on your browser (IE or firefox, etc) and see if it blinks as the page loads. I'm assuming you're running some sort of high speed internet.

I've never heard the power LED called a pilot light before. I'd like to use that phrase too if you don't mind.

EDIT: Too slow... tommays - google "dosbox"

JustMrWill · Dec 13, 2006

Re: En-Light-en me please. Computer question.

Is the "pilot light" there to get the firewall back up when it goes out?

Sorry...just had to say it...

-JMW

Plainsman · Dec 13, 2006

Re: En-Light-en me please. Computer question.

You can open the case, follow the wires to the motherboard and the end of the wires will have a plastic piece that will have what it is written on it as well it may be written on the motherboard.

Xcusme · Dec 13, 2006

Re: En-Light-en me please. Computer question.

"Old days"..."Way back when..." what a hoot.....Remember the keylock on the case front? and round keys? You had the option to 'lock' your keyboard controller so no one could run your computer without the key.....now that was security! duuh , remove a few screws, yank a jumper and you'd 'hack' your way in. Yes siree bob, that was high tech.

ndemge · Dec 13, 2006

Re: En-Light-en me please. Computer question.

Just like the bios password..... cross the jumper to reset bios and off ya go.

I remember my turbo

vrrrm vrrrm

Solittle · Dec 13, 2006

Re: En-Light-en me please. Computer question.

And then there are the old-old days of 80 col punched cards and mag tape you could read by putting a paper on top, sprinkling with a fine iron powder, a quick puff of air and a magnifying glass.

roscoe · Dec 13, 2006

Re: En-Light-en me please. Computer question.

Buy a new puter with only ONE led. You will enjoy its simplicity.

roscoe · Dec 13, 2006

Re: En-Light-en me please. Computer question.

Oh, by the way, a Mac has only one led. 8)

Link · Dec 14, 2006

Re: En-Light-en me please. Computer question.

I like the term Pilot Light!

Can't wait for the next time I need to go to the computer store! :devil:

WillyBWright · Dec 14, 2006

Re: En-Light-en me please. Computer question.

Sheesh! Ain't you guys ever heard of "firing up" the old computer? Go ahead. Make fun of the key lock on the back of it. ( Yes, it's an IBM. ) Good Grief!

So how outdated are 100MB Zip drives?

Colorado04 · Dec 14, 2006

Re: En-Light-en me please. Computer question.

Dude....tried to to give mine away way back. Nobody wanted it. It went in the garbage. Paid big bucks for it when it first came out in the eairly 90's I believe.

En-Light-en me please. Computer question.

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