First Build - No Idea Where I'm Going Wrong

[JSM12345]

Hi, new member here.

Trying my first build:
i7 2600
Gigabyte Z68XP-UD3P
Coolermaster Silencio 550 case + pre-fitted PSU
Samsung Spinpoint F3 1TB HDD
Corsair 8GB (2x4GB) DDR3 1600MHz Vengeance
AUS GTX560 1GB

I put the PC together a while ago, it didn't boot. The power light comes on once, for a split second, but otherwise I get no sort of action anywhere from any components. So, assuming it was down to faulty parts, I listened to the advice of two "experienced" friends. A bad idea instead of just paying someone to put it together; I returned the Silencio and got a new one like they suggested. The problem persisted and they told me it was the Motherboard this time. I returned the Motherboard for a new one, and the problem is still there. Luckily I have not wasted any money because I've been able to return the items.

I got power *once* - which was when I powered it up with only the following connected: CPU, RAM, and then the power/all the other essential connections. I've tried again with this set-up, but I get no power. I have tried resetting the cmos, I have double and triple checked the small connections (HDD LED etc.), I have tried without the GPU, without the RAM, multiple power leads, multiple sockets, but still no luck.

I put the PC together with an anti-static wrist strap and made sure I was very pre-cautious with it being my first build.

I'm hoping that somewhere out there, someone can suggest what I'm doing wrong! As I said luckily I have not wasted any money on this, merely time and effort. I am probably making a very stupid beginners mistake and hopefully someone who's done a similar build can help me out here.

Thanks in advance.

 

[Slaymate]

Try assembling the components outside of the case to see if the problem is grounding related.

 

[JSM12345]

Try assembling the components outside of the case to see if the problem is grounding related.

What would you recommend putting the components on? Just a desk?

 

[Slaymate]

Something non-conductive like a wood desk or a large piece of cardboard, DON'T assemble it on the carpet.

 

[JSM12345]

Something non-conductive like a wood desk or a large piece of cardboard, DON'T assemble it on the carpet.

It worked, excellent, thank you!

Now for another noob question...I'm trying to install Win 7 but it just says "Loading operating system..." and doesn't seem to be doing anything. Is there something I need to do previously with the BIOS or one of those menus?

 

[jasonalwaysready]

how long did it say "Loading operating system..." for? installing an operating system will take several hours. you should see something after a few minutes though...

in the bios, is the dvd drive set to boot first?

what exactly does the screen look like that it looks like it is hanging on?

 

[JSM12345]

Ok, got it all working now.

Thanks a lot guys!

 

[MindoverMaster]

Mind telling us what fixed it? For any other person looking on here for an answer.

 

[JSM12345]

Mind telling us what fixed it? For any other person looking on here for an answer.

I built the system on a large piece of cardboard on top of my desk. Then in the bios I changed it to drive to boot first and it loaded straight away. So exactly what was recommended!

I may as well put my other question in here instead of making new topics.

I want to either get files from my old HDD to my new one, or (ideally) move the old HDD to my new PC as a second HDD

The old HDD has Vista installed on it. The new one has Win 7. Is there a way I can move it without erasing files?

 

[Slaymate]

@ JSM12345, please don't double post, if you have something else to add to the conversation and no one has posted a reply since your last post (within a 24 hr. period), please use the edit button (looks like a pencil) to add it to your previous post.

Clone your old drive to the new drive, then you can run a upgrade from Vista to Win7.