[SOLVED] Unsure of where to put front panel wires

[Jameslfc1892]

Hi, I recently finished my PC build and have all the parts in apart from the wires on the front of the case that consist of USB ports, Power Button and more. The problem is the instructions are so confusing that I have no idea what I'm doing and as it's the last hurdle, I've kinda grown a short fuse with this particular piece. My Motherboard is an ASRock B365M-HDV and the case is a Kolink Stronghold Mid Tower. Any help on where these wires go would be a huge help as the instructions and videos just don't make sense to a newbie.

 

[DrummerManSpike]

Your motherboard's manual on page 11 (of the PDF itself, not the printed page numbers) shows that there are two USB 2.0 headers and one USB 3.1 header. Two of the headers (USB 2.0 and USB 3.1) are on the right side of the board, between the 24-pin ATX connector and the SATA connectors, and the 3rd header (2.0) is on the bottom, middle/right area. Keep in mind where the blank spot is on both the mobo header and the plug, as they indicate which direction to plug into. They can only go in one way.

The front panel connectors for the power/HDD LEDs, power button, and reset button are on the bottom right, labeled as PANEL1. Page 23 of the manual shows where exactly each wire connects. For some connections, the polarity (+/-) doesn't matter, however it's recommended to place them all in their matching parts anyways to rule out any possible problems.

The front panel audio header is located on the bottom left of the mobo. It will most likely be a single 9-10 pin connector, not separated like the power/LED connectors are. If not, page 25 shows which pins go where.

 

[Jameslfc1892]

Your motherboard's manual on page 11 (of the PDF itself, not the printed page numbers) shows that there are two USB 2.0 headers and one USB 3.1 header. Two of the headers (USB 2.0 and USB 3.1) are on the right side of the board, between the 24-pin ATX connector and the SATA connectors, and the 3rd header (2.0) is on the bottom, middle/right area. Keep in mind where the blank spot is on both the mobo header and the plug, as they indicate which direction to plug into. They can only go in one way.

The front panel connectors for the power/HDD LEDs, power button, and reset button are on the bottom right, labeled as PANEL1. Page 23 of the manual shows where exactly each wire connects. For some connections, the polarity (+/-) doesn't matter, however it's recommended to place them all in their matching parts anyways to rule out any possible problems.

The front panel audio header is located on the bottom left of the mobo. It will most likely be a single 9-10 pin connector, not separated like the power/LED connectors are. If not, page 25 shows which pins go where.

I see what you mean but I'm a bit concerned over the GPU. As you could probably see it is directly above the headers you've mentioned (such as the power) and I can barely see the headers when it's on.

 

[gondo]

Here's a hint when plugging the front case wires for the Hard Drive HDD LED, Power LED, Power Button, and Reset Button. I'm not sure how familiar you are with this so I'll assume your a complete noob. Some of those wires will be together on a block and some seperated. If seperated just install them side by side as indicated in the manual.

Remember, the power button and reset button are just switches. Open or Closed. So it doesn't matter the orientation of the wires, because the button just makes the wires touch together or open up. The 2 LED wires on the other hand are case sensitive. It matters where you put the negative or positive. If you put it backwards the LED won't work but you won't damage anything, just flip it around. Also look at each set of wires, there will be a common color either black or white. If all the LEDs and power buttons have a black wire those are the negatives. If they all have a white wire that is the negative. On the motherboard all the negative (black/white) wires will be pointing in the same direction either to the right or left. It's usually black.

On the motherboard you will see a spot for a HDD LED (hard disk drive LED), PWR (power button), RSW (reset switch), and PWR LED (power LED). There will also be a spot for a SPKR (speaker) if your case has one. SOme motherboards come with a block you can plug all the wires into in mid air where it's easy to see and then reach in and plug the block into the motherboard.....very simple. If you don't have this you need to reach into the case with a flashlight and try to read the pins and plug the wires in the proper spot. It's a pain in the butt.

Most of your wire pairs will be red/black and white/black meaning the black is negative or common. Your caase will also have USB and Audio connectors that go on your motherboard, but not in the same location as the case header (LED and buttons). These are optional and case dependant. You may have USB 2.0, blue usb 3.0, audio, etc... Just follow the book and plug those in where they go.

 

[Jameslfc1892]

Here's a hint when plugging the front case wires for the Hard Drive HDD LED, Power LED, Power Button, and Reset Button. I'm not sure how familiar you are with this so I'll assume your a complete noob. Some of those wires will be together on a block and some seperated. If seperated just install them side by side as indicated in the manual.

Remember, the power button and reset button are just switches. Open or Closed. So it doesn't matter the orientation of the wires, because the button just makes the wires touch together or open up. The 2 LED wires on the other hand are case sensitive. It matters where you put the negative or positive. If you put it backwards the LED won't work but you won't damage anything, just flip it around. Also look at each set of wires, there will be a common color either black or white. If all the LEDs and power buttons have a black wire those are the negatives. If they all have a white wire that is the negative. On the motherboard all the negative (black/white) wires will be pointing in the same direction either to the right or left. It's usually black.

On the motherboard you will see a spot for a HDD LED (hard disk drive LED), PWR (power button), RSW (reset switch), and PWR LED (power LED). There will also be a spot for a SPKR (speaker) if your case has one. SOme motherboards come with a block you can plug all the wires into in mid air where it's easy to see and then reach in and plug the block into the motherboard.....very simple. If you don't have this you need to reach into the case with a flashlight and try to read the pins and plug the wires in the proper spot. It's a pain in the butt.

Most of your wire pairs will be red/black and white/black meaning the black is negative or common. Your caase will also have USB and Audio connectors that go on your motherboard, but not in the same location as the case header (LED and buttons). These are optional and case dependant. You may have USB 2.0, blue usb 3.0, audio, etc... Just follow the book and plug those in where they go.

I have found where the power needs to go and it's at the bottom right of the motherboard but I'm a bit worried as the GPU I have covers them slots almost entirely so I cant get to them unless I take it off. Not sure what to do.

 

[MadsModsat]

I have found where the power needs to go and it's at the bottom right of the motherboard but I'm a bit worried as the GPU I have covers them slots almost entirely so I cant get to them unless I take it off. Not sure what to do.

It is perfectly safe to remove the graphics card for easy access to the front panel connectors, and putting the graphics card back in its place, once the front panel connections has been correctly attached to the motherboard.

The front panel connectors are not too tall to fit between the graphics card and the motherboard, once everyting is in the right place.

Remember to re-attach any PCI-e connectors for the graphics card afterwards, if required

 

[Jameslfc1892]

It is perfectly safe to remove the graphics card for easy access to the front panel connectors, and putting the graphics card back in its place, once the front panel connections has been correctly attached to the motherboard.

The front panel connectors are not too tall to fit between the graphics card and the motherboard, once everyting is in the right place.

Remember to re-attach any PCI-e connectors for the graphics card afterwards, if required

Okay, thankyou. I will take the GPU out and pray with everything that I have for the wires to fit and allow the GPU to be placed back properly at the same time.

 

[MadsModsat]

Okay, thankyou. I will take the GPU out and pray with everything that I have for the wires to fit and allow the GPU to be placed back properly at the same time.

Don't worry too much. Just take your time, don't rush the process, if you feel a little unsure, take a second look at the instructions and proceed from there. It is better to take a little extra time, rather than having to do it all over or feeling stressed out.

You'll be fine, and you are well on your way to begin enjoying your new build

 

[gondo]

Just remember to pull the power from the psu before proceding

 

[Jameslfc1892]

Don't worry too much. Just take your time, don't rush the process, if you feel a little unsure, take a second look at the instructions and proceed from there. It is better to take a little extra time, rather than having to do it all over or feeling stressed out.

You'll be fine, and you are well on your way to begin enjoying your new build

So I managed to get it all done and up and running until I hit yet ANOTHER snag. It's now telling me to "reboot and select proper boot device". I honestly have no idea how to proceed with this as I'm trying everything.

 

[Jameslfc1892]

Just remember to pull the power from the psu before proceding

Oh trust me, I'm super careful. But this "reboot and select proper boot device" thing has me puzzled.

 

[gondo]

In your BIOS you have to select the boot order. So #1 would be a USB drive or DVD drive depending on how your installing your operating system. Next would be the hard drive your installing windows on. It can't find a drive that is bootable is why.

 

[Jameslfc1892]

In your BIOS you have to select the boot order. So #1 would be a USB drive or DVD drive depending on how your installing your operating system. Next would be the hard drive your installing windows on. It can't find a drive that is bootable is why.

Well I dont have a DVD drive on my new build so USB is the only option and yet I dont know where to get that. Could you give me a step by step guide to getting everything I need please?

 

[DrummerManSpike]

Here's a link to a guide detailing the Windows 10 download and installation process. This will show you step-by-step, with pictures, how to do it. You will need an empty USB drive with at least 8GB of storage space.

Keep in mind, a Windows activation key is not required to use Windows. However, a watermark will appear on the lower right of your screen telling you to activate Windows, and you will not be able to customize the OS color schemes or most other visual settings. Setting the background wallpaper is about the most it will let you do without a key. Keys can range from $100 - $130 depending on where you get it. Windows is the most reliable, but also usually the most expensive. Some trustworthy retailers will sell OEM activation keys occasionally, at slightly lower prices. I'd recommend holding off on buying a key, and using your PC without it for a while to see if it's something you're okay going without. I've been going without one for a couple months now and it's not an issue for me.

When you download the Windows Installation Media Tool, try to save it on your desktop somewhere and not the USB itself. Once you start the program, you'll be able to choose the USB as the installation location.

Ideally, once you have the Windows installation media downloaded to the USB, you should be able to just plug it into your PC while it's off, and when you boot it up, it should automatically take you to the installation process. It's also possible that, upon finishing the installation, the BIOS boot order will automatically change itself to priority, which is what happened with my build.

If the process doesn't start automatically, refer to your motherboard's manual (linked in my first reply). The 2nd half of it deals with all the BIOS settings and tabs, and page 73 details the Boot section and how to configure it.