Firing Up Your Homebuilt Computer
The moment of truth has arrived.
Before starting your computer for the first time, take a moment to check, yet again, that everything is properly connected and seated inside the box. We know, you did that already on the last page. Do it again anyway. Humor us.
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Now look on the back of the computer on the power supply. Chances are that you will see a little slider switch. Make sure that this switch is set to the correct voltage for your part of the world. In the United States, that will be 110 - 120 volts.
Plug the power cord into the power supply, and the other end into a surge-protected AC power source.
The CMOS Setup Screen
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Hook up the keyboard, monitor, and mouse to their appropriate connectors, and press the power button.
Hopefully, if you have done everything correctly, after a few seconds you will hear a beep and be greeted by a screen that looks something like the one on the right. (You may have to press DELETE, F2, or some other key to get to this screen, depending on your motherboard.)
Pat yourself on the back. And exhale. Your homebuilt computer is alive.
What you are seeing is something called the CMOS setup screen (or the BIOS setup screen). There are too many BIOS versions out there for us to really guide you along at this point. You'll simply have to read the motherboard manual. But here are a few basic suggestions:
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Start with the default settings. You can tweak them later if you like.
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If you don't know what something means, leave it alone. Use the default settings unless you know what you are doing.
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Make sure that all of your drives are showing up. If not, then shut down the machine, unplug it, and check all your drive connections and jumper settings again.
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Before installing your operating system, make sure that the CD-ROM drive is set as a bootable device (unless you will be booting from a floppy for the installation, in which case make sure the floppy drive is set as a bootable device). You can usually find the settings for the boot sequence in a section of the CMOS screen called, appropriately enough, Boot Sequence.
- Make sure the date and time are correct before installing the OS. Incorrect dates and times can cause all sorts of problems.
Once you've finished CMOS setup, saved the settings, and rebooted, you're ready to install the operating system.
What if it doesn't work?
Stay calm.
The most common reason why a new computer doesn't work is that something isn't connected or seated properly. Here are a few very general tips about where to start looking:
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If absolutely nothing happens when you push the power button, then chances are that the power supply isn't connected, the voltage switch is in the wrong position, or there is a toggle switch on the back of the power supply that is in the off position. (Check to make sure the computer is plugged into the AC power, as well. You wouldn't believe how often people forget to plug the machine in.)
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If the LED's light up and the fans start turning, but nothing else happens, then most likely either the processor or the video card is not properly seated. Power down, reseat them, and try again.
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If the computer begins to fire up, but then emits a shrill alarm, power down the computer and re-seat the RAM modules. If that doesn't work, then check the motherboard manual to see what the alarm means. (Different combinations of beeps mean different things, but the codes are different on different motherboards, just to keep us geeks on our toes.)
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Sometimes, two expansion cards sharing the same resources can prevent a computer from booting. If everything else checks out, remove all of the expansion cards except the video card, and try to boot up again. Then re-install the cards one-by-one, starting the machine after each card is installed to identify the problem card. Sometimes just moving the cards from one slot to another will make them work. Power down and unplug the computer every time you install or remove an expansion card.
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Most motherboard manuals include helpful diagnostic and troubleshooting information. Consult the manual before you get depressed. Most problems are simple ones that can be easily corrected.
We hope you've enjoyed building your own computer. It's been a lot of fun for us.
If you would like to see your computer-building experience documented on this site, please send an email to
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Thanks for letting us help you build your own computer!
