I was working on my computer when I noticed a solid red light coming from inside the PC case. It was an unfamiliar sight, and it made me pause for a moment, wondering what could be causing this strange phenomenon.
After taking a closer look and researching online, I got my PC’s red light error resolved.
In this article, I’ll show you why there is a solid red light on your PC case and how you can fix it.
Let’s begin!
How to Read A Red LED Light on Motherboard
Most of the latest motherboards these days have four LED indicators with their own singular purposes. That helps you to narrow down the problem with your PC while the POST phases.
These are four LED indicators that help you to detect the problem and resolve it:
- CPU
- DRAM
- Boot
- VGA
1). CPU
A red light near this indicator means the motherboard has not detected any hardware components. The CPU might not be connected correctly, or the CPU fan might not be plugged in properly.
If your PC has a red light near the CPU, you should check your motherboard-qualified vendor list to ensure the CPU you are running is compatible.
You may also need to update your BIOS because your CPU might be manufactured after the motherboard.
Another reason can be an improperly installed CPU. To resolve the problem, you should check all power cables and PSUs are connected properly.
If it doesn’t resolve the problem, you should remove the CPU cooler, paste thermal residue and reseat the CPU cooler.
2). DRAM
The LED light near the DRAM indicates that the RAM module isn’t seated correctly. As you can see, the RAM stick isn’t locked down, that’s probably an issue.
In case, you should check whether the RAM sticks in your PC are of the same brand and frequency because mixing RAM models can lead to this problem.
If it doesn’t resolve the problem, you should check whether the RAM sticks are properly seated in the slot.
If the problem is still not resolved, you should check each RAM by inserting individually and turning on the PC until you find the faulty one.
In the end, if the problem persists, you should ensure the RAM sticks you use are compatible with your motherboard; if not, they might lead your PC to the red LED error.
3). Boot
A red LED near the Boot indicates something is wrong with the boot device; it’s the hard drive where the OS is stored. If that LED starts blinking on your system, it means your SSD/ HDD is malfunctioning.
Suppose you’ve just assembled your PC. This LED can indicate that there is no operating system installed.
Also, you should check your boot drive; it should be securely connected and set as the primary boot drive in your BIOS.
On the other hand, you can unplug all the storage devices except the boot drive and boot up your PC.
If it is not working, your boot drive is corrupted or dead; if the boot drive is corrupted, you try reinstalling the operating system.
On the other hand, for SATA SSDs and HDDs, ensure both the data and power cables are securely plugged in, and the SATA ports you use are enabled.
For the M.2 SSDs, you should ensure that the motherboard supports that type of M.2 drive and interface protocols.
4). VGA
The LED near the VGA indicator means the PC hasn’t detected the GPU or is not seated correctly.
When this LED starts blinking, it means that the device hasn’t detected the GPU or the GPU itself is malfunctioning.
To begin, ensure that all the 6 or 8 pins power cables are connected properly on both GPU and PSU.
You should also ensure that the GPU is installed in the appropriate slot. Alternatively, you can try connecting GUP in a different PCIe slot.
If possible, you can try another solution: plug the GPU into your friend’s PC or another GPU into your PC. In this way, you can test your GPU to determine whether it is the culprit.
What Does Red Light Mean on Your PC
The red LED light indicates that something has gone wrong in the process of initialization of the hardware components.
This initialization process starts right after you turn on your PC, called POST (power on self-test).
These LEDs are helpful in narrowing down the main reason for the issue you are facing with PCs.
The LED can be an indication issue with a defective hardware component, incompatibility, or malfunctioning hardware.
How to Fix Solid Red Light On PC Case
You should try these solutions when you see a red LED on your PC case.
1. Reset BIOS
If your PC continuously shows the red LED, you should reset the BIOS or CMOS to its factory default settings.
Here is how you can reset BIOS to default settings:
1. Turn on your PC and press the Delete, F1, F2, or F8 rapidly several times while the PC is turning on. (Get help from your motherboard’s owner manual to enter the PC to BIOS settings).
2. Once you’ve entered BIOS, press F1 to check for available options.
3. Press F6 or another option shown on the screen to enter the PC to “optimized defaults.”
4. Select Yes
5. Then press the F10 key to Save and Reset BIOS settings to default.
You can follow these steps to reset the CMOS:
1. Take off your PC side cover and locate the battery on the motherboard.
2. Remove the CMOS battery from the PC and wait about 1-5 minutes.
3. Reinsert it into the battery slot and ensure it is seated correctly in place.
2. Replace CMOS Battery
A faulty CMOS battery can be the reason for the solid red light indication. So, you should check your battery is depleted.
You can replace this depleted battery with a new one and check if it resolves the problem. Here is how you can do so:
1. Take off the PC cover and locate the battery.
2. Remove it from the motherboard.
3. Take a new battery and insert it back into the slot.
3. Check All Hardware Components
If you’re still getting a red light indication on your PC case, you should check all the connected hardware components to find the problem.
Sometimes a faulty component connected to your PC can bring it to this situation. You should check each hardware component by individually connecting to the PC.
Firstly turn off the power supply and unplug the AC adapter. Then disconnect all attached devices such as; keyboard, mouse, external hard drive, PSU, etc.
And then, attach one hardware component back to the computer and turn it back on. If it works correctly, try the next component until you find a problem.
4. Check RAM Sticks
Sometimes the RAM sticks might not be seated properly in the slot, or they are just malfunctioning and causing that particular red light error.
You should check all your memory sticks installed on the motherboard to ensure they work correctly.
To test the RAMs, you should remove all sticks installed on the motherboard. And then insert each RAM individually to check if it works.
You can repeat the process until you find the faulty memory stick and then start troubleshooting it to resolve the issue.
You can simply try cleaning the RAM connectors with a lint-free cloth or rubbing alcohol and then insert them back in that way. It seats in place.
5. PSU issues
In the end, you should take a look at your PSU, causing your PC to have a red light error. So, you can disconnect the PSU and check with another PC.
Also, swapping out the components that come with the device might be a possible trick. You can also check it using the jump-start method.
6. Contact Customer Support
After trying all the possible solutions, you still face the red light issue with your PC. You should contact your PC manufacturer.
The manufacturer’s support team will deeply look into this problem and provide you with different solutions if available.
Final Words
These are possible solutions you can try to resolve your PC red light error:
- Reset BIOS
- Replace CMOS Battery
- Check All Hardware Components
- Check RAM Sticks
- PSU issues
We would appreciate an update on the status of your PC.
Have you successfully resolved the red light error? Are you still facing any issues with your PC?
We would appreciate you sharing any updates or concerns in the comments.
You May Like Reading:
