Emachine was a company that created cheap PCs; it was bought by Gateway in 2004. Generic cheap PCs are also referred to as emachines. There are many problems with emachine PCs. As PC profit margins are tiny, many emachine companies buy lower quality parts, which have a tendency to fail impulsively. The bulk of these failures look to be remote to power supply failures and motherboard failures.

Power Supply or Motherboard

1. Power supply gives power to all in a PC with devices connected into USB ports. This makes it hard to tell whether power supply is going bad or somewhat is drawing too much current, causing power supply to shut down.

Failure Symptoms

2. Failing power supplies can keep PC from turning on, shutting down instantly after turning it on, turning off after heating up and restarting accidentally. As motherboard failure can show same symptoms, it is frequently hard to decide whether it is a failing power supply or motherboard. Power supplies are less costly and easier to change, so it makes sense to change power supply first if you are not sure.

Overheating Power Supplies

3. Power supplies are infamous for overheating; initial thing you must do before changing power supply is to clean PC fans and vents. Also, ensure all cooling fans are ready and proper clearance around PC.

Replacement Power Supplies

4. If you are thinking of changing power supply, you must think about changing it with a 400 watt supply or bigger. You can buy these online for less than $40. Just ensure it is right type and that new power supply will fit in PC case.

Replacing Your Power Supply

5. Power supplies are simple to change and can be completed by anybody with a screwdriver. Just unplug PC, take out side, detach wires from power supply to motherboard and drives, unscrew retaining screws, take out bad power supply, place new power supply, and connect wires. Before changing power supply, contact the company to see if you can get it replaced for free.