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Home » Motherboard
How to Install a Motherboard
Author: Gabriel Torres
Type: Tutorials Last Updated: May 25, 2005
Page: 5 of 7
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Installing the Front Panel Wires

Locate on your motherboard the front panel connectors (see Figure 15). You will install the corresponding wires that come from the case's front panel to these connectors (see Figure 16).

How to Install a Motherboard
click to enlarge
Figure 15: Front panel connectors from the motherboard.

How to Install a Motherboard
click to enlarge
Figure 16: Wires from the case's front panel.

You will find the following wires:

  • Reset switch (no polarity required)
  • Power switch (no polarity required), sometimes also called Standby switch
  • Power LED (polarity required), sometimes also called Message LED
  • HDD LED (polarity required)
  • Speaker (polarity required)

Just install these wires to the connector with the same name on the motherboard. On the wires we marked "polarity required" you will need to match the positive (+) and negative (-) markings on the motherboard. The white (or black) wire should be installed to the pin marked as negative (-) on the board.

Also, sometimes the connectors are colored, as it occurs in our example on Figure 15, but the colors on the connectors rarely match the colors of the wires. So, don't follow the color scheme from the motherboard for installing the front panel wires.

How to Install a Motherboard
click to enlarge
Figure 17: Wires from the front panel correctly installed on the motherboard.

If your case also has front USB ports and front audio jacks, you will need to read our tutorials on how to install these features: Installing Frontal Audio Plugs and Installing Frontal USB Ports.

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