Emachines T3256 Problem Thread

Thousands of Emachines T3256 computers with identical configurations
are going to be turned on for the 1st time in the next couple of weeks.
So if you have a problem with your T3256, or have a solution to
someone else's T3256 problem, share the information with other T3256
owners here. Together, maybe we can save each other some time. If you
want to share but don't want to deal with the hassle of subscribing,
feel free to email me directly and I'll forward your input anonymously
to the thread. Thanks.

I'll start it off -
I've had my Emachines T3256 for 6 days and have a problem with the CF
slot of the media reader. It can't read a CF card from my Canon
camera. The green LED lights up but nothing is read. I did a couple
of tech support sessions with no resolution yet (see below):

12/9/04:
You are chatting to <TechRep> Contact Reason: model is actually T3256 -
problem: can't read CF card (CF1 from new Canon camera) - have XP SP2
installed - any driver issues you know of?
<TechRep>: Thank you for contacting eMachines Live Chat. My name is
<TechRep>. Please hold while I review your issue. <
TechRep>: Hi <Me>
<TechRep>: Good Morning
<Me>: Hi
<TechRep>: Uninstall / Install of Media Reader Drivers & Software You
must have the Last Restore CD Insert the Last Restore CD, in the CD ROM
drive Click Start Click My Computer, or if My Computer is on your
desktop then click on it there Double click the Drive which the restore
CD is in, usually D or E Click Drivers Click media reader Click
Setup.exe Click Remove Click OK Uninstall Process will begin, please
proceed with the instructions listed on your screen Once completed
click Yes, Restart Computer Click Finish Will Restart Computer, but
before restarting take out Restore CD Insert the disk, in the CD ROM
drive Click Start Click My Computer, or if My Computer is on your
desktop then click on it there Double click the Drive which the restore
CD is in, usually D or E Click Drivers Click Next Reinstallation
Process will begin
<TechRep>: Is there anything else I can assist you with?
<Me>: thanks - I'll give it a try - is this a common problem - i.e. is
this fix likely to work? <TechRep>: yes it will work
<TechRep>: not really a common problem but it happens
<Me>: ok - I'm good for now - thanks alot
<TechRep>: ok thanks too and good luck
<TechRep>: have a nice day
<TechRep>: In the event that you have future concerns, you may want to
login back to live chat and we will be glad to assist you.
<TechRep>: Once again thank you for contacting eMachines Live Chat. My
name is <TechRep>. Feel free to chat again and have a great day.
<TechRep>: have a merry Christmas


12/10/04
You are chatting to <TechRep>
Contact Reason: Actually T3256 (not a choice - please add). Tried to
reinstall Media Reader drivers using Restore CD. Setup.exe runs but
doesn't open a user interface where I can then proceed and "Click
*Remove*" as suggested by <TechRep> yesterday (transcript of chat
follows): <SNIP>
<TechRep>: Thank you for contacting eMachines Live Chat. My name is
<TechRep> and my badge number is #####. Please hold while I review your
issue.
<TechRep>: ok does it automatically reinstall the drivers
<Me>: Not sure - but drivers were dated 2001 both before and after I
ran setup.exe. If this is an XP SP2 issue I am willing to wait for you
guys to resolve it; I just need to know soon so I can return the
computer if it's a hardware problem
<TechRep>: what you can do if reinstalling the drivers doesnt work
<TechRep>: is you ca reinstall widows with the restore cd
<TechRep>: see if it works then
<TechRep>: if it still doesnt work
<TechRep>: and this is before running the updates
<TechRep>: then it would then be a hard drive issue
<Me>: I would prefer not to go through that - do you have a feel for if
this is happening alot after SP2 install? You guys are selling millions
of this exact same configuration - you must have some kind of feedback
by now
<TechRep>: with this model
<TechRep>: i havent seen any issues with sp2
<TechRep>: so i dont believe sp2 is causing it
<TechRep>: you can uninstall sp2 and see if the issue remains
<TechRep>: Method 1: Remove Windows XP SP2 by using the Add or Remove
Programs tool in Control Panel 1. Click Start, click Run, type
appwiz.cpl in the Open box, and then click OK. 2. In the list of
currently installed programs, click Windows XP SP2, and then click
Remove. 3. Click Next, and then follow the instructions that are
displayed on the screen to remove Windows XP SP2.
<Me>: going back one step, are the latest drivers dated 2001? If I
wanted to remove and reinstall the Media Reader drivers, how do I do
it, considering that drivers/setup.exe doesn't seem to work as
<TechRep> had suggested
<TechRep>: the previous instructionsa is the way to reinstall the
drivers
<TechRep>: the setup exe will reinstall it
<Me>: Are the latest drivers for the Media Reader dated 2001? if not,
then setup.exe didn't work
<TechRep>: if thats when they are dated
<TechRep>: you can check for updated drivers on our website
<Me>: ok - none up there yet for T3256 - thank you
<TechRep>: Your welcome.
<TechRep>: Once again thank you for contacting eMachines Live Chat. My
name is <TechRep> and my badge number is #####. Feel free to chat again
anytime and have a great day.
Your chat session has been stopped by agent

This message lists the system specs to facilitate finding this thread
when searching Google Groups:

Specifications
CPU: AMD Athlon XP 3200+ Processor
QuantiSpeed Architecture operates at 2.200 GHz
512KB L2 cache & 400MHz FSB
Operating System: Microsoft Windows XP Home Edition 1
Chipset: nVIDIA nForce2
Memory: 512 MB DDR (PC 2700)
Hard Drive: 160 GB HDD (7200 RPM) 2
Optical Drives: DVD +/- RW Drive (Write Max: 8x DVD+/-R, 4x DVD+/-RW,
32x CD-R, 16x CD-RW; Reads 40x CD, 12x DVD); 48x Max. CD-ROM Drive
Media Reader: 8-in-1 Digital Media Manager (USB 2.0, Secure Digital
(SD), Smart Media, Compact Flash, Memory Stick, Memory Stick PRO, Micro
Drive, Multimedia Card)
Video: nVIDIA GeForce4 MX graphics (1 AGP 8x slot available)
Sound: nForce 6-channel Audio
Modem: 56K ITU v.92 ready Fax/Modem
Network: 10/100Mbps built-in Ethernet
Peripherals: Premium Plus Multimedia Keyboard, 2-Button Wheel Mouse,
Amplified Stereo Speakers
Dimensions: 7.25"w x 14.125"h x 16"d
Internet: AOL Membership Included (Additional phone charges may apply.
Click here for details.)
Ports/Other: 5 USB 2.0 ports (4 in back; 1 in Media Reader), 1 Serial,
1 Parallel, 2 PS/2, Audio-In & Out
Pre-Installed Software: Microsoft Works 7.0 1, Microsoft Money 2004,
Microsoft Picture It! Standard Edition, Encarta Online, Adobe Acrobat
Reader, Microsoft Media Player, Real Player, Nero 6 Suite, PowerDVD,
Internet Explorer, CompuServe, Norton AntiVirus 2004 (90 day
complimentary subscription), BigFix

Other search phrases for exact matches: 3256 , flash card , DVD burner

I figured it out - the problem isn't with the T3256, it's with the
Canon CF Flash Card (FC-32MH) that came with the Powershot A75. It
works fine in the camera, but can't be read by the CF slot in the T3256
media reader. I bought a new PNY CF card, plugged it into the T3256
and it worked fine.