Now It Won't Even Power Up. HELP!

[DKinUT]

Computer details:

Computer:eMachines W4682
BIOS: Phoenix-Award BIOS v.6.00PG
OEM sign-on: Version IEX409H
Chipset: Intel 2560 rev 3
OS: Microsoft Windows XP Home Edition
CPU: Intel Pentium 4 2600Mhz
RAM 256MB
Power Supply: 250 Watts
Added Cards:US Robotics 8054 wireless adapter

No other adaptations from original factory.

About 2 weeks ago, I booted fine and then got a blue screen saying "KERNAL_DATA_INPAGE_ERR0R". It said if it's the first time this happened to reboot and see if it boots ok. It did. So then I do my normal computing, etc...and shut down. Next day I boot up and then get a "Power Surge On USB Port" warning. After much surfing on the web about this message, I figure it's a problem that may not be related to the other based on googling the phrase and others saying don't worry too much about it. Stupid move. Anyway, I decide to try the DVD drive just to see if there are any problems. It reads fine but no sound. I try reinstalling audio drivers etc... try rebooting, it boots fine but shows the "Power Surge" warning which I finally learn to disable the hub root to stop but smell a faint smell of fried something!!! Then I shut it down for the night. The next night, I boot up and I get past the POST, I think, to the point where it's trying to read the 2nd DVD drive. At that point, the DVD drive light continuously stays lit and so does the hard drive light that says it's accessing the hard drive. Both stay on and it fails to boot to Windows. So, I shut it off with the power switch on front and reboot. I get back to the original "Kernal_DATA_INPAGE_ERROR" that happened the first time. This time, I write down ALL the info it says. At the bottom it says "STOP:0X00000077(0XC000000E,0X00000000,0X00773000). I then try one more reboot and get to the same point where it tries to read the DVD drive and stops. It just keeps trying to read. So, I power down and disconnect the DVD drive thinking I'll get past it in the boot sequence and see if I can figure it out from the "Device Manager" or get online for help. It still doesn't get to the Windows boot. So, I reconnect it and try again. No luck. Finally, I get on another computer and google the problem some more. I read that maybe I should clear the CMOS and revert to defaults. I do this following the instructions carefully. I get to a point in the POST where it says "CMOS defaults loaded, press F1 to continue or ...." I try pressing F1 and F8. Nothing happens. I look up at the boot sequence on the screen and notice it doesn't say anything about detecting the mouse and it says keyboard not detected. I remove and reinsert keyboard and mouse. Nothing. I power down. Turn it back on and don't even get power up. After reading some more online I think maybe I'll try disconnecting all drives, etc.... Still nothing. So, any suggestions? I've read that it could be a power supply problem but don't know if power supply could cause all this to happen the way it did. It seemed to sort of affect one thing after another each time I tried something else to fix the previous thing. I wish i hadn't done anything after I smelled something but I did. I can't see anything that looks fried inside. NOTHING. Could the power supply itself have fried? Sorry so long winded but wanted to get everything I could think of in there to help out.

[kiosk]

CPU: Intel Pentium 4 2600Mhz
Power Supply: 250 Watts


I basically outlined your problem. This power supply would struggle even with Pentium-2 era machines.

Edit: ....and was running totally overtaxed in your system for years. It's a small miracle that it survived as long as it did; but generally it shouldn't have died by going up in smoke. You definitely need a new power supply, but before fitting it into your system, double, no, triple-check everything around the mainboard for possible shorts. A lost screw or a flailing metal thingy inside a system case is all it takes to make a short-circuit, destroying a brand new power supply (and probably something else, as well).
I hope that whatever you did to the computer to cause the PSU to burn out was just a straw that broke a tired camel's back, and not a major failure elsewhere.

[SufferWell1396]

Kiosk hit the nail on the head, i really hope that your board is OK, eMachine boards are built with very poor quality parts, i mean, they are the low cost alternative to gateway, and they arent the best out there... Same thing happened to me, sides the smoke, my board was FRIED.

[DKinUT]

Thanks for info gang. Will check out power supply and board and let you know what happens. Just for info, I've looked the Motheboard over several times and can't see anything that looks like it fried it. I'm assuming it would be something REALLY noticeable. It's encouraging that it may just be power supply. It felt like something very bad when it happened. Stay tuned...

[jedr2313]

I have the same machine with the same problems except that it worsened and would not power up at all. I replaced the power supply and got the machine running again, but now none of the six USB connections work and the Device Manager says I have no sound card even though it is built into the motherboard. So now I have no sound and cannot connect any devices through USB. I removed and replaced the small battery on the motherboard, but to no avail. I have tried reinstalling the audio driver many times but it doesn't help. On the USB side, I used the Device Manager to uninstall all USB drives and the next time I booted up, the system found the "new" USB hardware and installed the drivers for them, but they STILL don't work. Though the system doesn't read that there is a USB device attached, the light on my external hard drive lights up, as it is USB powered. I know my external hard drive did not pull too much power from this machine's power supply because I had never connected it to this machine before I changed the power supply. I have also checked closely to make sure that nothing on the motherboard if fried, and didn't notice anything. Maybe it's time for a new machine or motherboard. :( Any help would be greatly appreciated. Thanks.