Member Avatar for nick63

Hi,
My eMachines (T3406) was working fine. Moved to another house and now monitor light flashes but no image. Computer hard drive making a lot of noise like it is booting but not finishing. It's an old style monitor. (Only use this for word processing etc, have tablet for internet)

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  • Latest Post Latest Post by rubberman

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Summary of the problem and quick context: ’s eMachines T3406 shows a flashing monitor LED with no picture after a move, and the hard drive is noisy while the machine fails to finish booting. ’s point that transport can cause hardware damage is likely correct. The following prioritizes safe, practical diagnostics and data-preservation steps that complement that advice.

First, rule out the display and cabling before opening the case. Try a known-good monitor or a TV on the VGA port and swap the VGA cable (inspect for bent pins). Check whether the keyboard LEDs respond to CapsLock/NumLock — if they toggle, early POST likely ran and the problem is video/monitor related; if no LED response, the fault is earlier in power/POST. Also try the monitor’s on-screen menu/brightness to confirm the panel is actually receiving a signal.

Treat the noisy drive as the highest-risk item. Repeated clicking, grinding, or rhythmic seek noises often indicate mechanical failure. Powering a failing drive repeatedly increases the chance of permanent data loss; if the data matters, power down and remove the drive. Attach it to a working PC via SATA or a SATA-to-USB adapter in read-only mode if possible, run a SMART health check (CrystalDiskInfo/smartctl), and clone the drive immediately to a spare disk if it is readable. If the drive is unreadable or SMART reports catastrophic errors, stop further attempts and consult a professional recovery service.

If the drive proves OK but the system still has no video or POST, look at the PSU (fan spin, smell, voltages) and motherboard (bulging/leaking capacitors, POST beep codes via internal speaker). A minimal-boot test (one RAM module, onboard video only, no drives/peripherals) can reveal whether a peripheral/component is preventing POST. If component-level troubleshooting is uncomfortable, prioritize having a reputable repair shop handle the diagnostics—recovering data first remains the safest course.

Member Avatar for rubberman

The move probably damaged the computer. Either the vibrations and such that occurred during the move unseated some of the socketed circuits, or they damaged the hard drive. You need to take the cover off, press down into their connectors all the integrated circuit chips and memory sticks, and make sure all the connectors are properly connected, including to the disc drive(s). Also, remove and re-install all the PCI bus cards, such as the video card, et al.

If all that doesn't work, then find someone with a computer that works with a docking bay. Remove your hard drive, install it in the docking bay, and see if they can access the drive. If so, then the problem is the computer and not the drive, and your data should be recoverable.

FWIW, people pay me $100-$200 USD per hour to do this sort of thing... Care is needed to avoid causing additional damage. I have been trained in computer repair by IBM, Apple, Zenith, AT&T, Compaq, HP, and others (and have the paperwork to prove it - plus I am an electrical engineer), so it is something I know a little about. So, if you aren't certain that this is in your capability, take the system to a repair shop that specializes in PC repairs and service, and that has a good reputation. A lot of these may not be so good as their advertising would make you think. I have a small, local, PC shop that I use - they built my current workstation some years ago, to my specifications, and are very good.

Edited by rubberman
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