New computer won't start - no activity at all.

I just finished building my first home-built system, and I'm having a problem. When I go to turn the power on, nothing happens - absolutely nothing. If it were a board problem, I'd at least expect the PSU to kick on or something, but there is absolutely nothing happening. It's as if the PSU isn't getting any power at all. I've double-checked the connections with the motherboard power and the power switch, but it still persists.

Yes, I've made sure it's plugged in, and that my UPS is turned on.\

Any suggestions?

if even your PSU didn't start, surely something bad with it. If you can, just try an other PSU because if you got no activity at all (no psu fan turning) maybe you bought a defective PSU. TRy with an other one then you will be fix.

http://modtown.co.uk/mt/article2.php?id=psumod

Go to that site, and report back with the results.

Make absolutely sure that nothing is going to ground that shouldn't be. A lost screw stuck in the wrong place could cause those exact symptoms.

Also, did you try starting up the PSU outside of the system to make sure it works? and yes, make sure that you mounted the m/b right. If there is contact, I believe it could short itself out.

No lost screws...maybe my mobo ATX connector isn't in far enough? It seems firmly in place, but I don't think I heard a 'click' when I plugged it in.

On each of the case connectors, there is a color wire and a white wire - I'm guessing the white one goes to ground? In any case, I plugged the power switch connector in both possible ways it could go in, and it didn't have any effect.

Try jumpering your PSU like this;



If it fires up, you'll have eliminated the PSU as a source of your trouble.

Thanks for all the help!

It turned out that one (or more) of the metal standoffs I'd been using was shorting the mobo to ground. I removed the motherboard, replaced them with all plastic standoffs, and now the machine is running great.