So I've finally got all of the pieces for my PC-of-Doom, and I set aside Saturday afternoon to get the sucker put together. I know that I've got a crap-load of stuff to do Sunday, but I figure that it shouldn't take more than the remainder of the day to get it together, right?

Bah. I start with just putting the MB, CPU, heatsink, PS, vid card and RAM in, so that if something goes wrong, I'm not pulling out *everything* to figure out what it is. Install the PS into the case, simple enough. Now here's where things probably start to go wrong. Having never worked this in-depth with a PC before, I followed the instructions on my new anti-static wrist strap to a T, making sure the PS is plugged in so as to "ensure the unit is grounded". Fasten the strap around my wrist and clip the alligator to the inside of the case.

Now, put the CPU on the MB. Check. I go ahead and put the heatsink on at this point, just to have it done with. Next, the RAM, making sure to put it in the 0 and 2 positions. Easy enough so far. I have a little trouble getting the MB into the case with the heatsink on it, so I take the sink off for the time being. I can't quite tell if I have trouble getting everything lined up or not, since I can't get the left panel off this particular case. (At least, I couldn't when I first tried, but I didn't try too hard.) Start screwing things in, careful not to over-tighten, and for some reason about half the screws won't actually grip, and they fall out when I right the case.

I figure I can deal with the screw issue in a bit, if I can at least get the video card in and make sure everything's working from this point. Get the heatsink back on and the video card in, then start making power connections. There's an odd blue flash when I put the first cord in for powering the motherboard, but it's so small and fast that I can't tell if it's an LED or what. I pull the cord on the PS just in case, since I figure it wouldn't hurt to do that. I get everything connected, find that I've got a 3-pin connector for a 2-pin power LED, so I have to leave that one disconnected until I get the gumption to pull the leads and re-work the connectors. Shouldn't be a problem, right?

I've finally got everything connected, plug the PS back in, and hit the switch to turn it on. Nothing happens. No fans, no lights, nothing. Try flipping the switch on the PS again, since I can never seem to remember if I or O is on, and still get nothing. There's no voltage switch, so I know that can't be it. For the next hour I try disconnecting, reconnecting, unplugging and replugging everything, more or less, and still wind up with a silent case.

At that point I got frustrated, and before I started slinging things, I decided to take a break and watch I, Robot. Towards the end of it, got a call from a friend who wanted to go out for sushi, and who's going to turn that down? So I skip out on my source of angst, enjoy some spicy tuna handrolls, and wind up back at her place to open my birthday presents (finally), mess with her Wii Fit, and watch 12 Monkeys. Get home a little before midnight, way too tired to work on the PC.

As suspected, between a migraine, doing Father's Day stuff for Dad, and having English homework to finish up, I get no time to try and figure things out. I've gotten to the point that I'll probably just take it all out and apart, then start from the beginning again, but I'm not sure if I'll be able to get to it tonight. More English homework to turn in. And if I don't get to it tonight, it won't be tomorrow, either, since my gaming group is getting together. So far Wednesday is clear, so if worse comes to worse, I'll go after it Wednesday and hope to have a happy update for m'blog.