eMachine power supply issue

A friend has an eMachine T2042 that no longer starts up. When the power
button is pressed, the power actually comes on for a second but then
goes out. I verified this by watching the power light flicker on and
off, and also by opening the case and watching the CPU fan start and
then stop again. If I press the power button again right afterward,
nothing happens at all. The PC is dead. But if I wait a little while
and then press the button again, the power comes on ... and then goes
right off again.

I replaced the PSU with a couple of CompUSA-brand power supplies (both
had the same wattage as the eMachine PSU). With each CompUSA PSU, as
soon as I plug in the power cord, the power light starts flickering and
the fan starts. But the POST process never starts. And pushing the
power button makes no difference. The fan & light just keep going until
I remove the power cord.

I thought it might be the motherboard, since I was getting different
behavior with different different brand PSUs, but I did a bit of
research and saw that eMachine tend to have PSU issues. Are PSUs
essential a proprietary component with eMachines? If so, would
replacing the power supply with an eMachine-specific PSU be the most
likely solution at this point? And if that is the case, where is the
best place to purchase eMachine PSUs online?

TIA

"Jim Thompson" <> wrote in message
news: ...
>A friend has an eMachine T2042 that no longer starts up. When the power
> button is pressed, the power actually comes on for a second but then
> goes out. I verified this by watching the power light flicker on and
> off, and also by opening the case and watching the CPU fan start and
> then stop again. If I press the power button again right afterward,
> nothing happens at all. The PC is dead. But if I wait a little while
> and then press the button again, the power comes on ... and then goes
> right off again.
>
> I replaced the PSU with a couple of CompUSA-brand power supplies (both
> had the same wattage as the eMachine PSU). With each CompUSA PSU, as
> soon as I plug in the power cord, the power light starts flickering and
> the fan starts. But the POST process never starts. And pushing the
> power button makes no difference. The fan & light just keep going until
> I remove the power cord.
>
> I thought it might be the motherboard, since I was getting different
> behavior with different different brand PSUs, but I did a bit of
> research and saw that eMachine tend to have PSU issues. Are PSUs
> essential a proprietary component with eMachines? If so, would
> replacing the power supply with an eMachine-specific PSU be the most
> likely solution at this point? And if that is the case, where is the
> best place to purchase eMachine PSUs online?
>
> TIA

I had the same problem. I don't know if it was the exact module you have
but I think the eposides are the same.

The orig PS failed. Replaced it witha CUSA replacemeent. The system
would not power up. I inspected the mother board and found a (large) 'Via"
chip
with a deformity. I deduced the motherboard failed and took the weak power
supply with it. I purchased a similar motherboard at a local shop and it
powered
up. But... when I started to load windows, it required activation. I
called microsoft
and EMachines and to make a long stort short, I ended up having to purchase
windows. I seems the low system cost at the outset is because you will pay
when the
system fails. (They're counting on that). I'm sure it's burried somewhere
iin the
EULA but they probably state that you can only replace the motherboard with
one
purchased from EMachines. All other motherboards must have a new version
of windows.

HTH
Mike

Jim Thompson wrote:
> A friend has an eMachine T2042 that no longer starts up. When the power
> button is pressed, the power actually comes on for a second but then
> goes out. I verified this by watching the power light flicker on and
> off, and also by opening the case and watching the CPU fan start and
> then stop again. If I press the power button again right afterward,
> nothing happens at all. The PC is dead. But if I wait a little while
> and then press the button again, the power comes on ... and then goes
> right off again.

I had a similar problem with my eMachine T4080 ... it turned out to be
the power button itself that was at fault. I took it to the shop, they
replaced it for an exorbitant amount of money, cautioned me to press
the button V-E-R-Y G-E-N-T-L-Y from now on (apparently this is a known
problem with these machines) and it's worked fine for over a year now
with no recurrence of the problem.

Jim,

From what you've described, I think that the eMachines motherboard is hosed.
eMachines have weak and poor quality power supplies that sometimes take the
motherboard with them. In short, you've tested the motherboard with a known
good power supply (or two), and the system won't boot.

Now, to be doubly sure, disconnect the power from all the devices (hard drive,
CD-ROM drive, etc) and remove any add-in cards EXCEPT a graphics card (if
present). Next, make sure that the memory is properly seated in its memory
slots. Do all this with the computer unplugged from wall current. Then try to
power up the computer again. If it fails to power up this time, the motherboard
is toast.

Many models of eMachines computers use standard ATX or ATX-12V (Pentium 4) power
supplies. I would encourage you to buy another brand, not the cheap power
supplies used in eMachines computers. I recently acquired a failed eMachines
Pentium 4 box. The flimsy 150w power supply was still good, but the motherboard
was hosed. BTW, MORE wattage is always OK. The wattage rating on a power
supply is the MAXIMUM wattage that the power supply will allow. Computers
routinely draw less than the rated wattage... Ben Myers

On Fri, 03 Feb 2006 19:00:14 -0600, Jim Thompson <> wrote:

>A friend has an eMachine T2042 that no longer starts up. When the power
>button is pressed, the power actually comes on for a second but then
>goes out. I verified this by watching the power light flicker on and
>off, and also by opening the case and watching the CPU fan start and
>then stop again. If I press the power button again right afterward,
>nothing happens at all. The PC is dead. But if I wait a little while
>and then press the button again, the power comes on ... and then goes
>right off again.
>
>I replaced the PSU with a couple of CompUSA-brand power supplies (both
>had the same wattage as the eMachine PSU). With each CompUSA PSU, as
>soon as I plug in the power cord, the power light starts flickering and
>the fan starts. But the POST process never starts. And pushing the
>power button makes no difference. The fan & light just keep going until
>I remove the power cord.
>
>I thought it might be the motherboard, since I was getting different
>behavior with different different brand PSUs, but I did a bit of
>research and saw that eMachine tend to have PSU issues. Are PSUs
>essential a proprietary component with eMachines? If so, would
>replacing the power supply with an eMachine-specific PSU be the most
>likely solution at this point? And if that is the case, where is the
>best place to purchase eMachine PSUs online?
>
>TIA

On Fri, 03 Feb 2006 19:00:14 -0600, Jim Thompson
<> wrote:

>A friend has an eMachine T2042 that no longer starts up. When the power
>button is pressed, the power actually comes on for a second but then
>goes out. I verified this by watching the power light flicker on and
>off, and also by opening the case and watching the CPU fan start and
>then stop again. If I press the power button again right afterward,
>nothing happens at all. The PC is dead. But if I wait a little while
>and then press the button again, the power comes on ... and then goes
>right off again.
>
>I replaced the PSU with a couple of CompUSA-brand power supplies (both
>had the same wattage as the eMachine PSU). With each CompUSA PSU, as
>soon as I plug in the power cord, the power light starts flickering and
>the fan starts.
>But the POST process never starts. And pushing the
>power button makes no difference. The fan & light just keep going until
>I remove the power cord.

Try clearing the CMOS (with ac power disconnected, use the
jumper if available or pull the battery for a few minutes).
Check the 110/220 V switch on the power supply, that it's
correct per your location.

>I thought it might be the motherboard, since I was getting different
>behavior with different different brand PSUs, but I did a bit of
>research and saw that eMachine tend to have PSU issues. Are PSUs
>essential a proprietary component with eMachines?

Odds are fair it's the motherboard that is faulty.
eMachines PSU do tend to fail quickly, but it's inherant in
any low-cost mATX PSU ran nearer it's limits, not just
isolated to eMachines. Other OEMs tended to use better
quality mATX and that seems to have reduced related
failures.

None are, as far as I know, proprietary.

>If so, would
>replacing the power supply with an eMachine-specific PSU be the most
>likely solution at this point? And if that is the case, where is the
>best place to purchase eMachine PSUs online?

I don't recall ever dealing with a T2042, but if it didn't
look proprietary it probably wasn't. One indicator would be
the motherboard connector wire colors, the typical standard
PSU has the following,
http://69.36.189.159/usr_1034/atx_on.gif

I am also unfamiliar with what CompUSA is currently selling
for mATX PSU, but it wouldn't surprise me if it's something
trashy like an Allied (low quality) unit. Even so, it would
still be expected to work, "IF" it had the correct power
rail bias. What I mean by this is that older systems used
5V to derive power for the CPU, while newer systems, more
often 12V. When you use a limited wattage PSU like mATX,
it'll tend to be optimized for one of these two alternatives
and if your system needed more 5V amps but the PSU had been
designed for a lot of 12A, that alone might also cause a
symptom similar to what you saw. To determine this, compare
the labels on the original and the new PSU(s), or post their
labeled specs here, including the 5V, 3V, 12V amps and if
listed, the combined 5V + 3V rating.

On the other hand, it could simply be that the motherboard
failed rather than the power supply, or that the power
supply failed and killed the motherboard in the process. If
the system's entire chassis cooling was the PSU fan as an
exhaust, and that failed, it could have slow-baked the whole
system which had marginal cooling to begin with.

As another poster mentioned, if your system has a factory
image type of system restore (installation for the operating
system), it may not be so simple as swapping motherboards.
If you swapped the board and the OS needed reinstalled, the
factory restore CDs will not run. With older OS such as
Win9x (95, 98/SE, ME) it's quite possible to get the system
running again without the restore CD but a bit more involved
and difficult with NT (Win2k, XP). Thus, a replacement
board would come from eMachines, not even the indentical
retail board from another source would work because the
critical detail is the proprietary eMachine's ID string in
the BIOS that the restore CD checks for. The other
alternative is to source another OEM windows CD of the same
type and see if your license key works with it- but it must
be your license key, it is the only one you are licensed to
use.

nancy13g wrote:

> I had a similar problem with my eMachine T4080 ... it turned out to be
> the power button itself that was at fault. I took it to the shop, they
> replaced it for an exorbitant amount of money, cautioned me to press
> the button V-E-R-Y G-E-N-T-L-Y from now on (apparently this is a known
> problem with these machines) and it's worked fine for over a year now
> with no recurrence of the problem.

To test for a switch problem, disconnect the cable from it and
momentarily short the 2 socket holes of the cable together with a thin
piece of wire. If that's not convenient, disconnect the cable at the
motherboard end (actually a beter test, in case the cable is bad), and
short the pins momentarily with a pen or screwdriver.

Years ago, a friend of mine with a failure similar to yours was told by
CrapUSA that he needed a new hard drive and power supply, but an
independent shop replaced the switch, which had broken inside, and they
charged him nothing after hearing CrapUSA's misdiagnosis.

I have a feeling it wasn't your switch that failed but the plastic that
held it to the case. They may have fixed it with super glue instead of
solvent, the preferred method for ABS plastic. They also should have
solvent glued some pieces of scrap ABS to reinforce it.

hello..........i just bought an e machine t 3302...........is this a decent
machine........somehow, it seems to work for me, and i'm a war weary
satisfied with most things.......thanks..........dg
<> wrote in message
news: oups.com...
>
> nancy13g wrote:
>
>> I had a similar problem with my eMachine T4080 ... it turned out to be
>> the power button itself that was at fault. I took it to the shop, they
>> replaced it for an exorbitant amount of money, cautioned me to press
>> the button V-E-R-Y G-E-N-T-L-Y from now on (apparently this is a known
>> problem with these machines) and it's worked fine for over a year now
>> with no recurrence of the problem.
>
> To test for a switch problem, disconnect the cable from it and
> momentarily short the 2 socket holes of the cable together with a thin
> piece of wire. If that's not convenient, disconnect the cable at the
> motherboard end (actually a beter test, in case the cable is bad), and
> short the pins momentarily with a pen or screwdriver.
>
> Years ago, a friend of mine with a failure similar to yours was told by
> CrapUSA that he needed a new hard drive and power supply, but an
> independent shop replaced the switch, which had broken inside, and they
> charged him nothing after hearing CrapUSA's misdiagnosis.
>
> I have a feeling it wasn't your switch that failed but the plastic that
> held it to the case. They may have fixed it with super glue instead of
> solvent, the preferred method for ABS plastic. They also should have
> solvent glued some pieces of scrap ABS to reinforce it.
>

"DAVID GETLIN" <> wrote in
news:%XMQf.178$Vb.163@trndny02:

> hello..........i just bought an e machine

Nice you posted to alt.sys.pc-clone.gateway2000
and all the other groups.

I was repairing a desktop for a friend of mine, and researched the issue at hand. My findings were that At least with certain Emachines, the power supply will, in fact take out the intergrated graphic card, on the motherboard, and then proceed to fry the MB out! Thus, explained the hit the power button, and the unit goes on, and then off after a second. The remedy?
Replace the Motherboard
Repalce the Power Supply, with a higher wattage one!
IF YOU DON'T REPLACE THE PS, THE SAME RESULTS WILL HAPPEN TO THE REPLACED MB!!!!!!!IMPORTANT!!!!YOU CAN TEST THE OLD POWER SUPPLY INSTALLED FROM EMACHINE, AND IT WILL SEEM TO BE FINE.......BUT CERTAIN ONES FROM EMACHINE WERE INSTALLED AND HAVE BEEN CONCLUDED TO BE FAULTY, 2-3 YEARS AFTER PURCHASE.