[XP] eMachines bad motherboard

[jdlenke]

I have here an eMachines computer with a bad mobo. What I want to know is if I have to get the same board that it currently has or can I put any board in and just reactivate windows?

I was working on a HP one time and when I put a different board in it complained that it was no longer a HP and that i would need a new copy of windows. It didn't say it like that but along those lines.

So i'm concern that it may result in that. I checked and a new board from emachines will run $159.00US *ouch*.

What is your ideas.

[SuperSparks]

It depends on whether it is an OEM copy of Windows which is locked to a particular mobo. Some are and some aren't, and there is no easy way of telling. What does it say on the Windows CD?

[jdc2000]

eMachines have a known issue with power supplies, especially the Bestec brand. Before you install a new $159 motherboard, you should probably check the power supply. If it is a Bestec, replace it. If not, have it thoroughly tested. Otherwise, your $159 motherboard may become a $159 paperweight the first time you apply power.

[jdlenke]

I already tried a new psu. that wasn't it.

[jdlenke]

SS I don't have the cd here. it's not my computer.

[jdlenke]

but i believe i saw recovery cd's and not a regular windows cd. so i may be out of luck with it working on a different mobo.

[prouton]

I already tried a new psu. that wasn't it.

The issue is that with many eMachines during a particular period in time, the PSU would self destruct and take the motherboard with it. If you end up replacing the dead motherboard, you may find that the powersupply must be replaced as well. If the powersupply is still working, then spending a little more for a new powersupply is a bit of insurance that you won't soon lose the replacement motherboard to a badly designed powersupply.

Also, odds are that the copy of Windows that came with the eMachines box is tied to the motherboard, just like the HP box you mentioned.

[lgbpop]

FWIW, older eMachines came with their own proprietary recovery CDs, and new ones do too IF you press the retailer hard enough - otherwise you'll get nothing at all.

You don't give the model number, but most older (before 2005) eMachines I've worked on use TriGem mobos which are - to be generous - of marginal quality. To drop $160 on a replacement piece of junk just to avoid buying Windows isn't cost-effective, and that assumes the owner actually has the recovery CD. Much better off to spend the $160 on an OEM copy of XP Home for $90, and a replacement board (Abit, Biostar, and MSI give good bang for the buck) for less than $70. Better yet, spend a bit more and update the mbo/CPU combo - and yes, get a real PSU while you're at it. I agree with the others regarding Bestec PSUs. When they go, they DO take prisoners.

[Train]

Whatever you do and wherever you buy - avoid:
Jetway
PC Chips
ECS
These aren't the bottom of the barrel; they'd have to improve greatly to achieve that status. Their failure rates are obscene.