Initial Bootup

This is the moment we've all been waiting for, and is certainly the most stressful part of the whole process.

As mentioned in the previous article, make sure to check your work before turning on the power. If you haven't already done so, plug in your monitor and attach it to the appropriate port on your video card or motherboard. For now, you don't need to attach anything except the monitor, keyboard, mouse and power cords; don't even bother closing your computer case until after the operating system is installed and you have made sure everything's working as expected.

When you're ready, turn on the computer. If all is well, the fan should start spinning and you should see the BIOS ID as well as information about your memory and CPU appear onscreen. Be ready to turn off the computer right away if you hear any strange noises such as grinding, scraping or whining, or especially if you see smoke. If you don't see anything appear onscreen, don't panic; there could be one of several easily overcome problems.

First, if nothing happens at all when you press the power switch, then the wire from the switch probably isn't connected properly to the motherboard. If, after double-checking you are certain it is connected properly, make sure the power bar is on and plugged in, make sure your power supply is set at the correct voltage for your country and make sure that the power supply is turned on if it has a switch. Next, check that the power connector to your motherboard is properly inserted. If everything seems fine but you are still getting no power, there could be one of several things wrong. You might want to try removing the motherboard and power supply from the case (after removing the video card and any other cards you installed), laying them on a wooden table, re-installing the video card and hooking the power supply and power switch on the case back up to the motherboard. If it works now, then either you had something hooked up wrong the first time, or the motherboard is grounding improperly while in the case and you might have to use rubber washers between the screws and the motherboard. If it still doesn't work, there could be a problem with your power supply, motherboard or CPU; you can test these components in another system to determine where the problem lies. If you have not configured the motherboard for jumperless mode, make sure that you correctly configured the jumpers for your CPU settings.

If something happens when you hit the power switch but you don't see anything on your screen, listen for beeps from the internal speaker in the case (which you should ensure is plugged in correctly to the appropriate spot on the motherboard). If you hear any beeping, count the number of beeps and look up the beep codes for your BIOS version; most motherboard manuals will tell you what the beep codes mean but if not it should at least give you your BIOS version so you can look them up and troubleshoot the problem. If you don't hear any beeping, turn off the power and make sure the video card is correctly inserted and the monitor is properly connected and turned on. Also check that the CPU and memory modules are installed correctly. If you still don't get any video when you turn on the computer, you'll probably have to start replacing parts individually or testing them in another system to narrow down the problem. Start with the video card, then the CPU, then the motherboard.

If you see POST (Power On Selft Test) data onscreen, you have successfully completed this critical step and are ready to proceed with BIOS configuration.