Help me: Why won’t my newly assembled PC start or boot?
Your PC won't boot and all you're left with a black screen? This is the post for you.
This is the last of three posts written specially for people who have built their computer but need help because it won’t power on or won’t boot.
- Friday, Jan. 8th: 10 Quick Tips for 1st Time PC Builders
- Saturday, Jan. 9th: FAQ: How to Build Your own Computer
- Sunday, Jan 10th: Help me: Why won’t my newly assembled PC start?
Help me: Why won’t my newly assembled PC start?
There are plenty of reasons why a newly PC won’t start. Resolving a problem is usually fairly simple, the problem is finding it, which can be either easy and fast or hard and a long process.
Here’s what to look for to find the main problems:
(Note this is not an extensive list of all the problems/solutions, but rather a simple quick guide for the most common ones)
If the PC doesn’t power on at first:
This is most probably due to you forgetting to plug in a power cable/cord.
- Is the power cord plugged into a wall outlet and into the power supply?
- Is the power supply switched on?
- Is the power lead cable (power SW) from the case plugged into the motherboard?
- Make sure that all the power cables are plugged in. The video card may require one or two PCI-Express power connectors and the motherboard requires the 24-pin ATX connector along with the 4/8-pin ATX power.
If the PC still doesn’t power on after that:
This might be due to a broken power SW switch (Try using the reset one instead to see if that one does work.)
If the PC still doesn’t on even while trying the reset switch instead, the problem is most likely due to a defective power supply. Try an ATX Power Supply Tester ($10)
If the PC doesn’t boot (Power up, but nothing is displayed on the monitor):
- Once again, make sure that all the power cables are plugged in. The video card may require one or two PCI-Express power connectors and the motherboard requires the 24-pin ATX connector along with the 4/8-pin ATX power. Other components such as hard drives and optical drives also require dedicated power.
- Make sure that memory modules are plugged where they should be, that is slot 1 and 3 (some motherboards work only with slot 2 and 4). Try one stick a time.
- Ensure that the motherboard stand-offs are installed correctly (including the insulation washers) and that the motherboard is not touching any part of the case.
- Check your CPU for proper seating, and possibly a bent pin.
- Think through everything you have done in the setup, even the heat sink and thermal paste.
- If you have a speaker for the mother/case, listen to the beep code and find out the problem with your manual. You didn’t get a speaker with your case? Use this kit from FrozenCPU ($12)
If the PC still won’t boot:
1- Clear the CMOS: This can be done either with the jumper (located close to the battery on the motherboard) or by removing the battery.
2-Remove one component at a time, until the PC boot. The last component that was removed before it booted is most likely the problem. Try using an alternative part if possible, otherwise consider a return (RMA).
3- I recommend that you do your build outside of the case at first, so if you have a problem, it’s easier to troubleshoot. I would take the motherboard out of the case and just set it on the foam pad that came with the box that the motherboard came in. You can also set the pad on the actual box. You should not have to take the PSU out of the case, just set the case near the board.
Hook up the following,
1. 24-pin main ATX power
2. 8-pin 12v CPU power
3. CPU cooler fan
4. 1 stick of RAM in the first slot
5. video card
6. 6-pin/8-pin PCIe video card power connector(s)
there can be up to 4 of these depending on the card
7. monitor
8. mouse
9. keyboard
10. 2-pin f_panel POWER SW connector
The power sw comes from the case power switch and the proper connector should be labeled. The motherboard manual will say where it goes, and there should be something like “PSW” or “Power SW” printed on the board with a color code for the proper header.
Plug in the PSU, turn on the power switch, and push the power button. You may have to hold the power button down for a few seconds.
If that works, add one part back in at the time, while booting the PC every time. If it stops booting, it is most likely due to the last part that you inserted.
Additional Guides:
Here are three other guides to help you out if you need them:
- Computer Won’t Turn On from About.com
- How to Figure out Why a Computer Won’t Boot: 12 Steps from Wikihow
- Problem: Your Computer Won’t boot from PC World
Conclusion
If you still have problems with your PC not powering or not booting after using this guide, leave a comment describing your problem and everything that you’ve tried and I’ll do my best to help you out.
I hope that this guide, and this series, was useful to you. Next week, I’ll start updating the Gaming PCs, so make sure to subscribe via RSS or E-mail for free to automatically receive the updated and new builds.
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Category: How to, Questions & Answers
