Power supply gone bad?

J

just-sumguy

Posts: 25   +0
Computer is an E-Machines T2642.
Motherboard: IM845GV
OS: Windows XP Home Edition (service pack 1)


Here is my problem: The other day I was online on my computer when it suddenly shut down. So I tried to restart it and everthing seemed to be going ok, it was able to boot up but shortly after my desktop loaded it shut off again. After that I tried to boot up again but it seemed to freeze up, so when I went to turn the power off it seemed like the button didnt work so i had to just unplug it.

Now nothing happpens when I press the power button, no power at all. So now I assume that the power supply has burnt out, as when I opend the case I did notice a faint burnt smell which seemed to be coming from the power supply. No smoke though.

So my question is, is it pretty safe to assume that the power supply is dead or is it possible that it could just be the power button? Also Im wondering if my harddrive is ok, I think so since it booted up a few time before, after that I got the screen telling me an improper shut down occured and asking if I want to start in safe mode or last good setting..etc.

Any help would be appriciated.
 
Yes you can pretty much bet the PSU is bad. Probably the mobo as well. If you search this site you will see MANY descriptions of this same problem.
 
So if I were to get a new PSU with a higher rating, say 350w, this means that it puts out up to a max of 350w? Its doesnt actually put out 350w at any given time right? In other words the system came with a 250w PSU so basically my system only uses up to about 250w and using a 350w should be fine and wont over load the system.
 
e-Machines' PSUs and motherboards are known to crap out quite frequently, so don't be surprised if you get another e-Machine and its PSU dies out on you too. And yes, the system will only use the power that it needs from the PSU so you could have a 350W one in your system. My recommendation for a new one would be this one. Before buying this one though, try getting another PSU from a friend's PC or somewhere else and trying it in the PC (double and triple check the connections, since even one loose connection might not allow the PC to boot). If the PC boots and works properly, then your mobo's perfectly fine. If it doesn't, you need a new mobo as well.
 
The only other power supply that I have is a 200w one from an old gateway that I have. Considering that the one on my current computer is rated at 250w I dont suppose the old one would be enough to boot it up?
 
I think in that case you should buy the new PSU. You can make a safe assumption that at least the PSU is dead. If, after putting the new PSU in and connecting everything properly, the PC still doesn't power up, then you'll need a new mobo as well.
 
Ok so I installed a new 350w PSU, but as was suspected the computer failed to start wich would mean the mother board is dead. So now that it looks like I need to replace the mother board, what would be a mother board that is compatible with my system?

Here are my system specs:

Power Supply: PS, 250 WATT 100744
CPU: CPU,CELERON 2.6GHZ 478P 128k F400
HDD: HDD, 40GB 5400rpm 1360
FDD Model: FDD, SFD-321B/LTGNQ FDEM2097BLCK
Keyboard Model: KB,9908,EN104K,PS/2,EMA CH-Gray/Blk-key 2422
MB: MB,IMPERIAL GV 100979
ODD1: 48X CDRW (48X24X48) CDEM2434RW40
Speaker: SPEAKER, SP-20A 1690
Memory: MEM,DDR-RAM 256MB (Max. 2GB)
LAN: LAN, 10/100 100372
Modem: MODEM,CONEXANT FAX/MODEM 56K V.92
Chassis: BEZEL, NEXGEN-2 MAIN CHASSIS FRAME
Mouse: MOUSE,SILVER 3 BUTTON WHEEL 1689
Video: Video, integrated
CPU Fan Type: FAN,H/S CEL-P4 3.0 100611



Also I have read on some other threads that I may or may not need a new copy of XP, I do have the system restore disks that came with the computer but apparently those wont really help? At this point Im looking for the best course of action, short of buying a new PC, that will allow me to get up and running again and retreive my data on the hard drive.
 
I think this mobo would do nicely. Also, you wouldn't need a new copy but rather a fresh install of Windows XP. You'll get BSODs otherwise.
 
Motherboard/CPU bundles are the way to go if you are upgrading. I would check the ram module(s) also. If you still have the product key for your XP it will activate more than one time (same pc). I have learned to always check the power switch first on any no start problem. Good Luck.
 
Ok, I think Im going to go with the new mother board route, but I have a few questions:


Besides the one mother board that was linked for me, are there any other ones that would work based on my current set up?

As far as upgrading in the future goes do I need a different mother board if say I wanted to increase my RAM? That is I assume this should be factored in when selecting the mother board right?

Speaking of RAM, do I need to worry about my current RAM not being compatible with certain mother boards? Same thing with the keyboard and mouse.

As far as the OS goes, am I to understand that basically all I would need to do is reinstall XP using the disk that came with my Emachine? I read on other threads that using these is basically worthless and that I will most likely have to get a new copy of XP and install it over the existing one on my hard drive.



Basically this would be my first time attempting something like this (installing a new MB) and I want to make sure I got the bases covered going in so that I dont end up scratching head half way through or wasting money on something that ends up not being compatible. Thanks for the help.
 
I just suggested that mobo so all your existing parts would work with it. I could recommend another one, but there's no point in getting something that won't work with your current parts is there? ;) You can upgrade the RAM on that one too, but you're limited to DDR RAM only. No point in getting a DDR2 mobo, since that way, you'll need a new processor as well.
If you don't have a copy of XP, then you will need to buy one and install it onto the PC for it to work properly.
 
Rage_3K_Moiz said:
I just suggested that mobo so all your existing parts would work with it. I could recommend another one, but there's no point in getting something that won't work with your current parts is there? ;) You can upgrade the RAM on that one too, but you're limited to DDR RAM only. No point in getting a DDR2 mobo, since that way, you'll need a new processor as well.
If you don't have a copy of XP, then you will need to buy one and install it onto the PC for it to work properly.
Click to expand...

Cool thanks. As far as XP goes I assume that basically you have to reinstall/upgrage the version I have on my hard drive, which should leave any other files intact (assuming of course that some havent gotten corrupted)? One question though, if Im just replacing the OS with a new one, that is i beleieve you have the option of just reinstalling its as opposed to wiping everything clean and installing, would any files saved to the documents & setting folder get wiped out?
 
Yes, I believe your Documents & Settings folder gets wiped if you install it on the same partition on your HDD. What I normally do is boot up the PC using a Windows 98 image on my USB flash disk and boot into the command prompt. Then I delete the Windows folder and reboot using the XP CD in the drive and then install XP. But that might be messy, so I suggest trying to repair XP from the CD first and seeing if it works. If you have problems, I'm afraid you're going to have to backup your data somehow before installing XP again.
 
Rage_3K_Moiz said:
Yes, I believe your Documents & Settings folder gets wiped if you install it on the same partition on your HDD. What I normally do is boot up the PC using a Windows 98 image on my USB flash disk and boot into the command prompt. Then I delete the Windows folder and reboot using the XP CD in the drive and then install XP. But that might be messy, so I suggest trying to repair XP from the CD first and seeing if it works. If you have problems, I'm afraid you're going to have to backup your data somehow before installing XP again.
Click to expand...


Hmmm. I guess at this point Im just going to get the new mother board, hooking everythng up, and seeing what happens from there. Am I to understand that the only reason that I need to reinstall XP is because the version that was installed by Emachines is "tied" to their mother board? In other words there isnt a chance that after installing the new mother board that i can still boot up without reinstalling a new OS? Also would it be possible to set up a new partition on the HDD and insalling the new OS there in hopes of retreiving data from the old partition?
 
Some manufactures like e-machine will not allow their branded version of XP to be installed on other manufactures motherboards. Now whether your version of XP will install or not is up in the air until you try the install. If it installs then great, if it doesn't install then XP is still about $90.00 on newegg. If your friends build computers ask to borrow an OEM (non-branded) copy of Windows XP. Or you can even download a ISO of an OEM copy of windows XP and then burn that to a CD-R disk and install Windows from that using your serial. You should be able to install XP with any OEM version of XP.
 
Update:

Ok so I got the new mother board the other day. I installed it and everything seems to be working. But now when the hard drive tries to boot I get a message saying that windows has a problem and that it shut down improperly. It gives me the option to start in safe mode, last known good windows, start normally, etc....but when I try to start from any of these the computer just resets. I assume that this is where having a retail version on windows comes in. But I have a couplde of questions. First, do I need to get the full retail version or just the "upgrade" version? Secondly, if I do get a new copy of window is there any way to just reinstall the windows files them selfs. I have some data stored in the Documents and Setting folder and I assume that this folder would get wiped out if I reinstall. So Im wondering if there is any way to move data from this directory prior to installing a new copy of windows.
 
The upgrade version would require windows 98 or Windows Millenium. Buy an OEM copy from Newegg.com. You can try to repair your current Windows install and get your computer running again long enough to snag the files you wanted, then I'd re-partition and format the drive and start fresh.
 
Hmmm....

If I were to set up another partition on my existing hard drive, install a new version of XP there, would I be able to access the files on the old partion and move them to the new one?
 
You could try Hiren's BootDisk (Google for it). It has a tool that'll help you get the data off onto a CD, but that tool is a beta one, so don't expect it to work perfectly. Alternatively, it has partitioning tools that'll allow you to partition your HDD without destroying any of the data on it.
 

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