EMachines not working.....

I have an EMachines Desktop computer and it has stopped working several days ago. I first noticed this problem on Sunday of this week. I had left it on all weekend, and it had been on for a total of 3 days. When I woke up Sunday morning, it was off, but I turned it on and it worked fine, then went to take a shower. When I returned after that, it was off again, and when I turned it on, the light around the "E" did not turn on, but I could hear it running. The only lights that turned on was one on the disc tray, which did not come out, and one below the "E" light which was orange. It had a picture of what looks like a can over it. The monitor turns on but does not detect the computer and it goes into sleep mode. I am not that smart when it comes to computers so if someone could help me it would be greatly appreciated!
Thank you!

faulty wiring, perhaps? Double check all your connections - 9 times out of 10 thats the case.

What [WebCarnage] said plus while you are in the case checking the connections look at the top of the capaciters on the motherboard and see if any of them have burst (will look like rust on the top of them).

Any post beeps?
Do you hear the hdd spinning from inside the case?

When I turn it on it beeps then it sounds like it is clicking a few times then it makes no noise but the humming that a lot of pcs do.

Hmmm,

A possible cause could be the hard drive just died. You will need to find out what make it is and look here: http://www.tacktech.com/display.cfm?ttid=287 or on the manufacturer's website for a diagnostic tool.

I am guessing that the "can" symbol is the hard drive, as that is a pretty standard annotation in the industry.

Most branded machines that I have seen have a green light that is either solid or flickers depending on disk activity. Do you recall if it used to do this, or maybe there is something in the manual.

I don't like the sound of the "orange" light............... that would seem to indicate a problem.

:(

So if the harddrive died then....its ruined? Is there any way to fix it after that? And what would happen to everything on the computer?

The first thing to do is check the hard drive and see if that actually is the problem.

How many beeps do you get when you start it up?

It actually isn't making any beeps now, it just clicks 3 times then continues humming and nothing else happens

If the hdd was the problem, this wouldnt cause the video signal to not be transmitted, although the clicking noises would indicate a hdd problem. You may have a number of problems here. If your video card is 3rd party i.e. pci, agp, etc., then check if there is built in video on the mobo - check for an additional 15 pin female adaptor on the back of the case and try connecting your monitor to that, while the comp is off of course. This will indicate that your video card is ok, and maybe give you access to the display which will make troubleshooting the problem alot more easier.

Can you remember how many beeps you got when it was making a noise?.........was it more than one?

I suspect that a basic machine like e-machines probably uses onboard video. If you have an old PCI video card or can borrow one, that would be an alternative to r3b00+'s suggestion.

Can you remember what colour the HDD light was when it worked?

Partial failure of the motherboard and/or power supply unit could cause this, but we really need to find out more.

:)

It does not make any beeps now that it does not work, but when it did work it would make when it was loading up. The light around the Emachines button was green, and now it does not make any color, the only color is the little orange light above the "can" figure.

OK, that sounds even more like power supply/motherboard issues. E-machines are sort of noted for this :( I guess from what you have said it is most likely to be the power supply, although it might have damaged the MoBo as well.

First thing I would do is slave the HDD to another box and recover any important data. Then try another PSU if you have/can borrow one that is compatible...............be careful, you will probably have to run it outside of the case.

If you are not confident and experienced with these things you may want to take it to someone who is, or to a repair shop for testing.

Get your data first ;)

You say you hear humming from inside the case? If this is still the case remove the cover from your pc and start it up. Notice any activity inside the pc i.e. fans spinning, noise coming from your hdd, any lights on the motherboard? If so then your psu is fine.
Do you know anyone with a pc?
Are you confident installing/replacing components?

I have some friends who know a lot about computers....my cousin is the person who knows the most. He actually showed me this website, his name on here is "The Duck". I will give him a call sometime to see if he can help me with it. Thank you for your help

Hi MT~ please be cautious of "lights".............it takes .000001 of an Ampere or whatever, to fire up an LED, but that does not mean that the device will work. Similarly, you can have a dead LED that doesn't light up, yet the attached device is fine ;)

If your PSU has simply started to degrade you will see these things. How about your 3.5" floppy drive (if you have one).......... that should have a green light on it? does that light up and flicker?

:)

The only lights that turn on is the orange one by the can that is very small and the light on the CD disc tray, which is green and is a bar that goes sideways, it is about half an inch long.

Well then, it appears I have returned from a long absence... How's it going nihil :)...


MT, you'll have to open your PC to troubleshoot it this time... First thing is to open the case and turn on the computer... Do you feel/hear the HDD (hard drive) running? If you put your hand on it can you feel heat being produced from it? Are these 'clicks' that you hear coming from the HDD, cd drive or Floppy drive?

I also think it's a PSU/motherboard issue... Look around the motherboard (biggest circuit board in the case) and look for any signs of leaking or bulging capacitors, burn marks, or any other damage.... The capacitors are the things that look like batteries... and when they leak it will look like rusty ooze is coming out of it. Bulging capacitors will look like it's... well... bulging from the top... as opposed to having a flat top like a normal capacitor...

If it's a motherboard problem I highly suggest you just take it to a repair shop... I can't help you seeing as how your in a different state :p...

However, you could also try going to a computer supply shop and buying a 400 watt ATX PSU for $40 bucks...

At this point, with the info you've given, I'd say it's 50/50 between the PSU and mobo... Although the HDD description you gave doesn't sound good either... A bad PSU or mobo could have taken the HDD with it... Have there been any storms in your area as of late?

Also... be sure to touch the metal on the inside of the case before messing with the circuitry inside... Doing this before and continually will get rid of the static electricity that get's stored up in your body...

Sounds like a Emachine to me.

I know i recently bought one and have problems like that some times. How old is the computer tho? if its under 2 years it should be fine. if its older than 2 years you should just got get a whole new system in my opinion. Also if you want to see if its just the hard drive thats gone bad (which it sounds like) stick another one in with it as the main C drive. if the drive is working properly it will also show up. If not try to launch the reboot process with the 2nd drive in. Ive been up against a few problems with mine where it wont start at all. it will turn it self off. just try re-installing the OS.