If you own an Emachine, read this now!

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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.
 
eMachines PSU

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)
 
Say again

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.
 
W2646 Problems

gcottingame said:
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!
 
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
https://www.techspot.com/vb/topic59517.html
http://www.computing.net/hardware/wwwboard/forum/46170.html
https://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.
 
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
 
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