I'm new here and as a preface I'm not the greatest with computers. I've had an eMachines T2895 for at least 4-5 years now, and had no problems with it at all (this thing actually was on 24 hours a day for years) until a week or two back. The mouse seemingly stopped working, so I got a good mouse to try and it still didn't work. I turned it off figuring I'd mess with it later. The next time I turned it on, it didn't boot up normally but had a black screen with a bunch of white text (I can't remember what it said), and made a clicking noise. Now it won't turn on at all.
Now, before I posted here, I did a bunch of research and it seems the initial problem was a bad PSU (power supply unit I presume). I opened the case and the PSU in there is a Bestec, which appears to be pretty crappy based on my research. I also read that many times the failed PSU will ruin the motherboard (which is what I figure "mobo" is).
So here's my n00b questions. First, I feel fairly confident I can replace the PSU myself, but how do I determine if the motherboard is bad or not? I don't want to buy a new PSU and there still be more problems with it.
Second, if the motherboard IS bad (and I realize this is a silly question to you guys), what practical implication does that cause? Does that mean all my "stuff" is gone? Say, for example, if I have to replace the PSU and the motherboard, does that essentially create a new "old" computer? In this case, and all my "stuff" is gone, I don't see the point of fixing the computer
Third, if my "stuff" isn't gone, and assuming it's not worth it to fix and I just buy a new computer, how do I retrieve said "stuff"?
Now, before I posted here, I did a bunch of research and it seems the initial problem was a bad PSU (power supply unit I presume). I opened the case and the PSU in there is a Bestec, which appears to be pretty crappy based on my research. I also read that many times the failed PSU will ruin the motherboard (which is what I figure "mobo" is).
So here's my n00b questions. First, I feel fairly confident I can replace the PSU myself, but how do I determine if the motherboard is bad or not? I don't want to buy a new PSU and there still be more problems with it.
Second, if the motherboard IS bad (and I realize this is a silly question to you guys), what practical implication does that cause? Does that mean all my "stuff" is gone? Say, for example, if I have to replace the PSU and the motherboard, does that essentially create a new "old" computer? In this case, and all my "stuff" is gone, I don't see the point of fixing the computer
Third, if my "stuff" isn't gone, and assuming it's not worth it to fix and I just buy a new computer, how do I retrieve said "stuff"?