Hardware & Power

PC Won't Start

PSU LED check, reseat GPU/RAM, monitor 'no signal' fixes.

Transport vibration often loosens components. Don’t panic, it’s probably just a loose cable.

First, check Known Issues.

What do you see? Find your symptom and jump to the relevant section.

SymptomMost likely causeGo to
Nothing at all — no lights, no fansPSU off or unpluggedPSU
Motherboard LED on, but no fans spinFront-panel power button headerPSU
Fans spin, screen black / no signalMonitor plugged into motherboard instead of GPUMonitor
Fans spin briefly, then stop (loop)RAM not seatedReseating
Beeps on startupRAM (continuous) or GPU (1 long + 2 short)Reseating
BIOS loads, Windows won’t bootBoot order or loose drive cablePower Supply section 3

1. Power Supply (PSU)

  • Switch: Check the switch on the back of your PSU. Is it set to “I”?
  • Cable: Push it in firmly. Try a different outlet (or ask your neighbor to test theirs).
  • LED: If the motherboard LED is on, it has power. If not, check the PSU or the cable.

2. Monitor “No Signal”

Fans are spinning, but the screen is black?

  1. Input: Press the “Source” or “Input” button on your monitor. It might be waiting for HDMI while you are using DisplayPort.
  2. Cable: Unplug and replug both ends.
  3. GPU: Did you plug the monitor into the graphics card, or the motherboard? (Classic mistake.)

3. Reseating Components

If the PC beeps or loops on startup:

  1. Power off. Unplug the power cable.
  2. RAM: Remove the memory sticks and snap them back in firmly. You must hear the click.
  3. GPU: Remove the graphics card and put it back. Check the PCIe power cables too.

4. If nothing works

Ask a neighbor to test with their power cable or monitor. If it still fails, find an organizer. We have some spare parts for testing, but we can’t promise miracles.

Still stuck?

  1. Check Known Issues first -- if it's listed, we already know.
  2. Post in #support on Discord with this info:
    • Seat number (e.g. Row 4, Seat 12)
    • What's broken, one sentence
    • What you already tried
    • Screenshot or error message
  3. If no reply in 15 minutes, come to the organizer desk.