If you own an Emachine, read this now!

To all Emachine owners!! Buy a new psu (power supply unit) and fit it in as soon as you possibly can!!!!

The standard psu's blow and take the mobo (motherboard) with them!!!!

Emachine's will charge you a small fortune for it!! Spending a little on a new psu could save you a lot of money in the long run!!!!

You have been warned!!!!

Have a look at what Tedster has to say about them here - http://www.techspot.com/vb/topic58076.html

Well, my emachine came with a good PSU, 15A On +12V Rail, and 300W, and lasted a year w/o cleaning. My sisters has lasted about 1.25 Years without cleaning, and my dads about 8 Month w/o cleaning. So its more of your requirements, you cant put an 8800GTS In a Emachine just because it has a PCI-e Slot.

I have the psu's from 2 dead emachines and one gives 18 volts on the 5 volt standby rail and the other is toast, both pc's had no added hardware at all!!!!

I've also seen several people here on TS having psu problems with their emachines!!!!

I've heard from someone that repairs pc's professionally that emachines account for almost %60 of his business!!!!

http://www.techspot.com/vb/topic55383.html

Nothing new, here.:grinthumb

Thats not the same thing at all Hewybo!!!!

That person was suffering from a lack of power, not the psu blowing and taking the mobo with it, which is what my post is about!!!!

Emachines are sold more, therfore have generally more problems, if 1 in 200 pc's have a PSU Problem, and dell makes 400 pc's, 2 will have PSU problems generally, if emachines makes 800 pc's 4 will have PSU problems.

If you scroll down during that same "session," you'll find my comment about a friend's eMachine's Psu leaving, and taking the Mobo AND processor with it. That was the comment I was referring to.

I have since replaced another neighbor's OEM PSU from eMachines due to premature death. No other damage- but unreliable PSU's, nevertheless.:)

http://www.techspot.com/vb/topic58076.html (http://www.techspot.com/vb/topic58076.html)

emachines problems (mainly PSU and/or mobo) are well known here at techspot

:wave:

I agree that Emachines psu`s are inherently unreliable.

I also agree that prevention is probably better than cure.

I am therefore stickying this thread. Providing no other mods have any problems with it being a sticky, it`ll stay that way for the foreseeable future.

Regards Howard :)

http://www.techspot.com/vb/showthread.php?t=58076&;highlight=avoid+emachines

I have two emachines.The psu blew out the mobo on one of them. I replaced the other psu and it is running fine. Take heed to this warning. Replace psu now if you want to extend its life. Thanks Kirk

Have added a link to Tedsters post in my frist one!!!!

Hey All Im New Here Glad To Join Up Whit You Guys And Gals.i Own A W 2060 Model Had It For 3 Years Before My Went Bad.i Own T399 Now For About A Year And A Half Have Had No Problems As Of Today.but Iam Going To Get Me A New Psu Tomorrow To Put Into It.was Wondering What Cause My Problemglad I Came Acroos This Sight.personally I Like Emachines All Of My Have Been Pretty Good To Me So Far.i Think 3 Years Is Pretty Darn Good Before It Blows.always Gotten Good Support Out Of Them Have Pretty Good Experince Working On Them.been Completly Thru All Of My So If I Can Help Out Anyone Feel Free To Post It Here And I Will Respond To It Might Be A Day Or Too

I own a computer repair shop and i must confess whn we get an e-mahine in most of the time the PSU has gone and taken the motherboard with it.

Saying that whenever PSU goes in any machine it can take out the mBoard

cheers james

It seems to happen with emachine more than any other brand tho!!!!

Have you ever investigated a blown emachine psu??

tell me bout just licked through our records and out of the last 6 e-machines in 4 had blown CPUS and taken the board out where as with others out of the last 14 only 2 had faulty PSU and taken the board out.

never taken an e-machine PSu apart but might be a good idea

cheers james

tell me bout just licked through our records and out of the last 6 e-machines in 4 had blown CPUS and taken the board out where as with others out of the last 14 only 2 had faulty PSU and taken the board out.

never taken an e-machine PSu apart but might be a good idea

cheers james
According to SIW (system information for Windows)available here at Techspot)), there is no such thing as an Emachines, just a collection of other manufacturers OEM parts. Well okay, maybe the name plate is Emachines.
I have 2 Emachines systems, a T-5026, 3.06 G Pentium 4 Prescott, with Intel GAG-515 Mobo. Except Gateway told Intel to leave out the PCI-E X16 socket. I suppose they wouldn't want anyone to be able to turn the computer into anything really good. The other is Celeron D 346, it has a MSI Mobo, with ATI 200 chipset. Anyway I agree that the OEM PS units suck After only a few months the one in the T-5026 smelled funny one day, then quit the next. Didn't do any damage, just wouldn't light. I'm a sucker for rebates though, and stuffed an Antec Smartpower 2.0 350 Watt which in was sitting in the dining room. The P4 rig seems to be living happily ever after.(Hope I didn't just jnx it). Got the Antec real cheap. I'm not allowed to say how much, am I?

This is my first visit and my first post. I'm unfamiliar with this forum and can't find a place to start a new post, so here goes.

I have a W2646 emachine, that is 2yr 11mo. old.. All of a sudden it has started to shut down and turn off the CPU on its own. I never know how long it will stay on, it may last an hout or 10 hours. Who knows !! At that time, the optical mouse (red LED) light goes out and doesnt respont. The power setting in control panes is set to never shut off. It is not set to hibernate. I have to hold in the power button to get it to power all the way down, and then completely restart it. I talked to emachine tech support. There comment was, "sorry" your out of warranty. But suggested that I get a UPS. I assumed that he meant an external power supply.
Is there a UPS inside the machine that I can change out and solve my problem??

Can someone help me out as to how to fix this problem??

Thanks

gcottingame

Doing what i suggested in my first post may well fix your problem!!!!

Getting a UPS will make no difference!!!!

yea i would go ahead and install a new psu .that most likly will fif your problem unless it has done some damage to your motherboard

I had an emachine and they are junk lol...mine lasted about 1yr and a month..motherboard went without warning...emachine kept putting me off to get another board after 2 weeks of waiting on them to send one out i just had a new computer built and got rid of ALL emachine parts lol

Hi,

After having the E-Machines T2085 for ~ 2.5 yrs, it has (of course) now decided to fuse the PSU and thus blow up the MB and obviously a new PSU did not help, so any advice on where I can get a new MB in the UK ?

I also understand that to use the recovery CD, I will need to obtain an exact copy of the MB and change out the BIOS chip, so that the recovery CD does not baulk at the new install ?

Any advice on someone who has already gone through this pain barrier would be greatly appreciated.

Cheers
Russell

Ebay can be a good place to look!!!!

The least expensive way to fix this is to buy a socket A mobo about $45.00 and use your cpu. You will need to purchase windows xp oem about $89.00. You stated you bought a new psu. I don't know if tigerdirect or newegg ships to UK. Ebay may be a good idea. I had the same thing happen to me and even though it blew the mobo the cpu still worked. Any help I can be let me know, kesler

Thanks, I guess that I should have chosen more wisely...maybe the next time :-)
I've just bought my daughter a Dell, so perhaps I should use hers and give her the E-Machines PC :-)

Yea, I'll search e-bay, but a little loath to do so, however, if this is the only option then I'll give it a go.

Cheers
Russell

Try www.tigerdirect.com lower right hand corner is a link for UK . They might have what you need.

We have performed a major project on eMachines motherboards. On at least 14 models (and 23 models all together), the problems are in the motherboard and NOT with the power supply. There were huge power supply problems up until two years ago, but much of that has abated.
We don't quite understand why people think it is the power supply causing the failure.
These are defects in the board of those using a Celeron.
We have 211 of them in our storage bin awaiting legal action. eMachines knows this is a problem, but has done nothing. The hard drive, cpu, cpu fan, memory module and power supply remain good on most of them. Yet it is the motherboard that fails. Some are bad capacitors. Others, there is no apparent reason. When we get enough together, we will have technician studies performed to narrow it down. The problem occurs after the 1 year warrant expires, and sometimes the eMachine will make it to years. In some models the failure rate must be above 50 percent.
DO NOT COUNT ON THE POWER SUPPY REPLACEMENT FIXING THE PROBLEM.
The reason this story keeps popping up, we believe, is that the failure appears to be the power supply... if compared to other machines. But you can take the failed power supply, and it will work fine in another machine.

Just a quick note- the three emachines I have had the misfortune to deal with- all three PSU's tested bad. I did not just assume they were the problem- they WERE the problem. These particular mobos were Intels, and two of the three accepted new processors, and are running fine as we speak.

Obviously, eMachines has found numerous ways to use planned obsolescense in their units.

CAVEAT EMPTOR!!!:hotbounce :rolleyes:

In at least 23 eMachines models made since 2002, the problem is in the motherboard itself, not the power supply. Be sure to check your power suppl with a power supply tester, or in another machine that is not an eMachine. Celeron eMachines have had dramatic failures soon after the warranty goes south. We have over 200 sitting here in Arizona awaiting legal action. The Motherboard goes dead. It appears to be the power supply. But it is not a power supply failure. Most of the eMachine power supply problems were behind them when these incredible numbers of failures started occuring two years ago.

the whole point is you get what you pay for. With el cheapo companies you get el cheapo customer service and product. (usually)

I iterate: I checked all three PSU with a power supply tester and multimeter. Two of three motherboards survived. The third did not. None of the CPU's did. I am NOT disputing your findings; merely relating mine.

This is my first visit and my first post. I'm unfamiliar with this forum and can't find a place to start a new post, so here goes.

I have a W2646 emachine, that is 2yr 11mo. old.. All of a sudden it has started to shut down and turn off the CPU on its own. I never know how long it will stay on, it may last an hout or 10 hours. Who knows !! At that time, the optical mouse (red LED) light goes out and doesnt respont. The power setting in control panes is set to never shut off. It is not set to hibernate. I have to hold in the power button to get it to power all the way down, and then completely restart it. I talked to emachine tech support. There comment was, "sorry" your out of warranty. But suggested that I get a UPS. I assumed that he meant an external power supply.
Is there a UPS inside the machine that I can change out and solve my problem??

Can someone help me out as to how to fix this problem??

Thanks

gcottingame

Your trouble may be caused by one of several possibilites:

1) Defective power supply - If it is an EMachines PC, then that would be the first step I would recommend. Don't buy a "cheap power supply". Find a good name brand (like Antec) and one that gives you enough power. minimum of 300 watts or 350 watts would be better. You should be able to find one for about $50. If you need assistance changing it the first time, draw yourself a diagram before removing any connections. Note that the connector that plugs into the system board can only be connected "one way".
Before restarting the system, follow the connections to ensure all the drives have power. Locate some miniature "zip ties" and neatly arrange the wiring away from the cooling fan and away from any moving parts (like the side panel cover).

2)If your system has a cooling fan on the CPU, it could be caked with dirt causing the processor to get overheated. Most PC's will shutdown and try to reboot when the processor gets too hot. If the fan needs cleaning, remove the screws holding it (and noting the proper orientation of the fan), and clean the fan very delicately with a damp coton swab making sure that you don't leave any cotton threads in the fan. Do not use an external agent like a high powered air hose or the fan bearings will fail immediately from being forced into an overspeed condition and possibly blowing any lubricant out of the bearings. Most fans are mounted on an aluminum heat sink. Sometimes the heat sink can also get caked with dirt / dust. If you are not experienced in removing the heat sink, I would not advise it for beginners unless you are mechanically inclined. Use something like a very thin plastic knife to clean the fins.

3)A UPS is a battery type system that you plug into your power recepatacle that provides uninterrupted power to your PC.
That is very good advice! Make sure you find a good one that offers a good warranty for your equipment. APC is a very good brand. When plugging your PC into a UPS, look for the receptacles that are marked "battery power" or some similar markings. Some models have battery protected receptacles and they also have "surge protected receptacles". Ensure that the only device plugged into the battery power is the PC tower or desktop unit only if you are using a standard monitor. The standard type monitors will run the battery down quickly and the monitor does not absolutely need backup power.

4)My last suggestion is to always have an "up to date" Anti-virus software utility running on your system. Never install more than one so they won't be in conflict with each other.

5)A system may also try to reboot if the Windows Update is set to "Automatic".

6) The optical mouse problem may have a software conflict or it may be intermittent. Viewing the hardware connections using ""Device Manager" will confirm whether or not a conflict exists; find someone who knows this utility well and have them show you how to check it. Optical mice have a short life expectancy. If yours is 3 years old, you can find a replacement for $10.


I hope this helps!

Try replacing the power supply. I have had two of them one the power supply blew out the mobo.

Tall_tiger and kesler, no offence, but did you read my thread starter??
This thread is intended to inform people about the psu problem with emachines!!

We now have over 200 failed eMachines in our storage warehouse, of 14 separate models. We have determined that most of them were failed motherboards, and not caused by failed power supplies.

Well, how do you explain the fact i replaced a psu in an emachine 6 weeks ago and it's been working perfectly well since with absolutely no problems what so ever!! It's original psu was DEAD AS A DODO!!!!

I spent over 10 years in the electronics industry and have tested and examined the psu and the power regulator for the 12v rail has gone open circuit and the internal fuse is blown!!

We have a large group of engineers working on the eMachine issues. We have a little over 200 failed machines in storage with considerable work already performed on the motherboards and power supplies.
Our people are quite convinced that the motherboard is the failure point on at least 14 models, not the power supply. Exchanging the power supply for a high quality one in the working models, does nothing to prevent their failure.
These machines are just bad, and eMachines knew then and knows now.

In our experience, the new Power Supply won't help a bit. We have repaired or attempted to repair 243 eMachines made since 2003. This is a tale by people who who have not worked on many machines.

It would seem that this thread has turned into a disagreement as to whether the Emachines psu`s or the mobo`s are the culprits in Emachines failures.

It is quite obvious from reading through all the posts in this thread, that there is a good case for citing the psu as the cause of major problems.

I wouldn`t be at all surprised if the Emachines mobo`s were total crap. However, to suggest the mobo`s are taking out the psu`s does stretch the imagination a little. I`m not saying it`s not possible, but the evidence within this thread would suggest otherwise. Also, the lack of evidence for the mobo being the culprit doesn`t help.

The only way to settle this disagreement is to provide proof. This could be by way of links, articles etc. It`s of no use to anyone for one person to say such and such without providing evidence to backup his or her claims. That applies to both the psu and the mobo camp.

This thread was intended to make Emachine users aware as to the problems associated with their psu`s. Unless it can be proved otherwise, that is still the case.

Regards Howard :)

I can only talk about my experience owing two of them bought at the same time. When one of them blew out I replaced the psu in the other one and it has been running fine. If it blows out any time soon I will post it.

At Howards request, the following is a list of links that are damning evidence to show that it is the bestec psu's rather than the mobo's that are the cause of most if not all emachine failures!!

http://www.howtofixcomputers.com/bb/sutra871801.html
http://www.resellerratings.com/store/Emachines
http://www.pcbuyerbeware.co.uk/MBoard3.htm
http://www.techspot.com/vb/topic59517.html
http://www.computing.net/hardware/wwwboard/forum/46170.html
http://www.techspot.com/vb/showthread.php?p=376869#post376869 - raybay's post #30


I await raybay's response with baited breath!

Just about all of them made assumptions about the cause, because failure was so prevalent. Ask they if they had engineers take down the boards and the power supplies to study the problem, and they will say no. We have used engineers, certified engineers.
The problem began with the machines made in 1999, 2000, 2001, and early 2002, when they DID have large numbers of power supply failures, so the assumption was made that it continued.
But when the problems occurred with several other eMachines power supplies, it was clear this was not the same problem.
We have the boards, we have the power supplies, we have the cases. In these 14 models, and presumably in the other 9 high-failure boards, we are so certain it is the board, that we have engineers who will testify in court..
Further, we have tracked down the failures to defective capacitors in some, defective Southbridge in others, and defective board assembly in others.
We will not continue this discussion, except to suggest you examine your boards closely.
On these failed machines:
Most owners who replace their power supplies DO NOT save their machines. Most power supplies are still good after the motherboard fails, and yet do not get tested.
The failures are the highest in the history of modern computers. Only Packard Bell has had such bad numbers, and they went out of business in the US.
The real problem is that eMachines knew they had a problem with the board, and previously with the power supply. Many which failed were replaced under warranty. But they knew that most would fail after the warranty expired. They did nothing. It would have cost them perhaps $35 to $40 for replacement boards... or they could have offered the owners a deal where the owner paid tech costs.
eMachines had huge contracts with Best Buy, Wal-Mart, and many other discounters... so most people who bought them didn't understand their rights, when they only had a one-year warranty.
eMachines went broke. They sold out to Gateway.
We challenge you to name any other computer anywhere with such a disastrous failure rate...
Even if it was the power supply on some, to have nothing done when the company knew is unforgivable.
Today their are thousands, perhaps multiple-thousands of people on budgets whose computers will fail.
Nothing can be done except to replace the motherboard at a cost of $159.95 to $221.95. Nothing is fixed when you replace the $27 power supply. The board still fails.
If you have NOT yourself seen a lot of these failed eMachines computers, you do not understand the magnitude of the problem.
Enough said.

You have STILL not supplied any evidence of what you claim.

Raybay, i am posting again because you have not seen fit to answer my previous post.

You say that none of the pc's in the links i provided were tested by engineers! To date we have seen absolutely now proof whatsoever that you have used engineers.

You say quote "We have used engineers, certified engineers" but you still have provided no proof. Who are your engineers? What qualifications do they have? What certificates do they possess? What test equipment and procedures do they use?

All you have provided to date is your opinion. Now I'm not saying that you are not entitled to your opinion, but, even just a single link from you would perhaps give us all something to think about.

Repeating the same information over and over again and using we instead of i does not constitute proof in any way.

The sad thing is, this thread was never intended to be a debate. I started this thread off in the hope of informing people that were unfortunate enough to have purchased an emachine that they have serious problems and that a new psu as a preventative measure would be a good idea.

I had mines come with one and i've had it for 3 years without cleaning and i do alot of gaming on it. i have an Emachine T2460

Greetings,

I replaced the MB of an "eMachine" with a new ASRock P4i65G. Without reformatting the HD which already has Windows XP Home on it I plugged it in and booted up. The machine will go through POST and recognize the hardware, but windows won't boot. I get an error message that says Windows won't start and may be because of new hardware or system crash. I have the option to boot in safe mode, boot normal, safe mode with networking. No matter which of these items I select the system will start to reboot and come back to this screen. Do I have to reformat and reload windows or is there a way around this?

You will need to re-install windows and there is no way around it. Before you do it, have a read of post#22 before you make a start on it.

Didn't want to have to do that but thanks. I've been racking my brains trying to find a way around that.

Emachines PC's power supplies are only 250 watts, so if you add any card or other peripherals such as dvd, the power supply cannot handle it so it burns out and most of the time it takes the MB with it. It happened to me and that time Best Buy would not honour the warranty.
Therefore, NEVER Best Buy again and NEVER Emachines again
As mentioned, there are several threads on this and I do not know why people still buy Emachines.

"As mentioned, there are several threads on this and I do not know why people still buy Emachines."

Two reasons:
1. The buyers of Emachines are 97% computer illerate... and
2. Emachines computers are cheap and full of "false" good specifications and perks

Most Emachines systems are generic Mini-ATX towers. Repalce the crap power supplies and motherboards with better grade parts, and the processors, hard drives, and memory are usually good enough. Some of the PCI modems are crap