Q: can I get new start up and restore discs for an emac

Asuming your Optical is still good...

Tiger Requirements...

To use Mac OS X 10.4 Tiger, your Macintosh needs:

    * A PowerPC G3, G4, or G5 processor

    * Built-in FireWire

    * At least 256 MB of RAM (I recommend 1GB minimum)

    * DVD drive (DVD-ROM), Combo (CD-RW/DVD-ROM) or SuperDrive (DVD-R) for installation

    * At least 3 GB of free disk space; 4 GB if you install the XCode 2 Developer Tools  (I recommend 20GB minimum)

http://support.apple.com/kb/HT1514

http://www.ebay.com/sch/i.html?_nkw=mac+os+x+tiger+retail+10.4

See Tom's, (Texas Mac Man), great info on where/how to find/get Tiger...

https://discussions.apple.com/message/15305521#15305521

Or Ali Brown's great info on where/how to find/get Tiger...

http://discussions.apple.com/thread.jspa?messageID=10381710#10381710

Are you talking about the gray system install/restore disks? Although it's a long shot, you can call Apple at 1-800-MY-APPLE (assuming you are in N. America--you profile is lacking that important bit of info for "how to get" questions). When you get a live person, ask to speak to  an "operating system specialist."

Give them the serial number of your computer and they can see if they have disks. There is a handling charge of about US$16 per disk, but it is much less than a retail install set for OS 10.4. or 10.5.

As eMacs have been discontinued for 7 years, they may not be able to help, but it's always worth a try.