How to install the Motherboard - Mounting - Part 2 of 2

In the steps below we are going to mount the motherboard. If you haven't done so, we recommend starting at part 1 of the motherboard installation guide.

NOTE: Before installing any components, always read users manual first. Not every component is the same and if you see words you do not understand, look them up. Understanding the component, key concepts and words are the key to avoiding a dumb mistake.

1. Put your case on its side. Take your case and find a desk or something waist high to put your case on while you work on it. This just makes it easier to work on plus it puts less stress on your back. You should find a desk near an outlet where a surge protector is hooked up so we can test it in the next step but DO NOT plug your power supply in just yet.

2. Test the motherboard. This step is crucial. We are testing to see if your motherboard is good or bad. If we don't test it now and we finish building the computer and it doesn't power up, then we have to take everything apart to figure out what the problem is which can be very time consuming!

First, find a place near or on the case to sit the motherboard. Keep the motherboard on the anti-static bag through the whole testing procedure.

Second, we need to plug in the power connector(s) to the motherboard. Your plug should look similar to the one in the images below but newer motherboards have slightly different connections or more than just one. Most new power supplies are universal so they will work for any setup.

Third, we need to hook up the power button from the case to the motherboard. There should be a wire coming from the front of the case labeled "Power SW" or something similar. Refer to your motherboard manual on where to plug this in.

Once everything is hooked up, plug in the power cord to the back of the power supply and plug it into a surge protector. If the power supply has an on/off switch on the back of it, turn it to the on " I " position. Now we are ready to test. Simply press the power button on the front of the case. You should see and hear the fan over the processor start to spin. If you have power go ahead and hit the power button again to turn it off. If it doesn't power down, reach around and turn the power supply off manually.

If it doesn't power up, don't panic! There's usually something simple that can fix it. Go through the list below to help you troubleshoot.

• Is the power cable plugged into the back of the power supply?

• Is the power supply turned on?

• Is the power plugged into a surge protector? If so, is the surge protector plugged into an outlet and turned on?

• Is the power supply plugged into the motherboard? Sometimes there is more than one connector that need to be plugged into the motherboard from the power supply. Again refer to your motherboard users manual.

• Is the plug for the power button plugged into the right pins?

• Is the fan for the heatsink plugged into the motherboard?

If you are still not getting any power then you might have a bad motherboard. You can always contact the maker of the motherboard and talk to someone in their tech department for further assistance.

3. Unplug the motherboard. If you powered up then we are ready to continue on. First make sure the power is off and unplug the cable from the back of the power supply. Once that is done go ahead and disconnect the power connectors from the motherboard.

4. Find all the screw holes on your motherboard. Every motherboard has holes for screws. In our example, we have circled the holes to easily locate them.

5. Screw in the mounting screws into the case. Sometimes they are called mounting screws, posts, studs, spacers. whatever you want to call them they look like the ones in the picture below.

Sometimes cases will have a few "beveled" areas for the motherboard to rest on. These places do not need a mounting screw. But before you go screwing in a mounting screw in every hole in the case, STOP! THIS IS VERY IMPORTANT! Only screw in mounting screws into the case where the screw holes are located on the motherboard. If you can't screw the motherboard into it, then don't put a mounting screw there. Please refer to our example below to see what we are talking about.

The reason for this is simple, since the motherboard is resting on these mounting screws they come in contact with the circuitry on the bottom of the motherboard. This will mess up the circuitry resulting in errors when powering up or completely frying the motherboard. To avoid this please double check the locations of the screw holes and mounting screws to make sure they match up.

6. Remove all necessary metal tabs. Pop out any temporary metal tabs on the back of the case so the motherboard can slide comfortably into place as shown below.

NOTE: Most new cases have an actual faceplate that is removed and replaced by a custom plate that comes with the motherboard. These look similar to the one in the image below.

They usually just pop in and out with ease so go ahead and snap the plate into the case. When you eventually put the motherboard in the case and the holes don't line up, just flip the plate around.

7. Align screw holes and mounts. After that is done, simply align the screw holes with the mounts and insert the screws.

8. Plug in case connectors (system light, power button, restart button and USB / Firewire, if supported on case.) This step can be confusing at first. Look for a big block of pins on your motherboard, usually located near the bottom right edge. Most boards label the pins, and most cases label the connectors. So simply match up the connectors with the appropriate pins. We highly recommend reading the motherboard users manual to ensure correct placement for each plug.

When complete it should look similar to the image below.

9. Plug in power connector(s). Since the actual computer is not plugged in, we can go ahead and plug the power supply into the motherboard. Your plug should look similar to the one in the images below but newer motherboards have slightly different connections or more than just one. Most new power supplies are universal so they will work for any setup.

10. Double check steps 4 through 9! Always double check your work to ensure you haven't forgotten anything.

11. Test the motherboard again! Similar to step 2, we are going to test the motherboard. It's best to go ahead and hook up your Mouse, Keyboard and Monitor. If your motherboard doesn't have an integrated video card go ahead and install a video card real quick then come back to this page. (the link will open into a new window so you can easily find your spot again)

Once your Mouse, Keyboard and Monitor are hooked up, plug the power cord into the back of the power supply and turn it on. Now just hit the power button on the front of the case. You should hear one beep and see some information on the screen about the bios and RAM. It should look similar to the screen you see whenever you turn on a computer.

If you see this screen then go ahead and turn the power off and disconnect the mouse, keyboard and monitor.

Congratulations, you have just successfully mounted and tested the motherboard in your new computer! Lets go ahead and install a floppy drive.