# took off front of computer case



## caroln242 (Dec 8, 2009)

Re: Acer Aspire X1920 desktop computer. Bought 9/12. Well, to make a long story short, I took apart my computer to get out a stuck CD and got it put back together okay except for the front of the case where the start button is. There's a cord coming down from the light and it fell out of whatever it was plugged into before I could catch it. I can't find anything it might plug into. :uhoh: Any computer "mechanics" out there that have any ideas?? Thanks in advance!


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## Bill_Bright (Dec 17, 2004)

It will connect to the same motherboard header (set of pins) as other case wires do. The wires should be labeled and so will the motherboard connector (though they may not say exactly the same thing).


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## caroln242 (Dec 8, 2009)

I'll take it apart again and see what I missed. It's kind of a weird plug so I should be able to find it. If not, I'll be back! Thanks!


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## Bill_Bright (Dec 17, 2004)

Weird plug? You said it came from a light. That suggests to me the Power On LED, or the Hard drive "activity" LED and those typically are just two wires, a twisted pair, with individual plugs that slip over one motherboard pin each.

If you mean a case light to make the case look fancy, then it probably connects directly to the power supply. That said, I am not a fan of case lights as they do nothing for performance, add a little heat, consume some power, and do nothing for performance (worth repeating).


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## caroln242 (Dec 8, 2009)

I'm going to try to send you a pic of the plug, connector I guess you'd call it, before I go tearing into it again. I know it lights up the power button but it has something to do with physically turning it on too, because when I turn the computer completely off, I have to push that start button to start it up again.


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## Bill_Bright (Dec 17, 2004)

It looks like acer consolidated the front panel connections into one plug. There should be a header (group of pins) on the motherboard with same configuration. 

Typically a case has a pair of wires for the HD activity LED, Power LED, Power button, and computer Reset button. The motherboard header should be labeled like those functions. The same motherboard header often as connections for a case speaker - even though most cases don't come with speakers these days.


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## caroln242 (Dec 8, 2009)

:smile: Success! I took the cover off again, found the connector, plugged it in, and voila! Thanks so much for pointing me in the right direction. (Not too bad for a 67 year old lady with no tech training...just gutsy!)


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## WereBo (Apr 5, 2008)

Hi caroln242 :wave:

Congratulations on your successful fix :thumb:

For future reference, if the CD-tray won't open, look for a small pin-hole near the front of the tray, then use a straightened paper-clip to push in the 'emergency-release'. The tray should open fractionally, allowing you to pull it open :wink:

How to open a stuck CD/DVD drive - YouTube


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## caroln242 (Dec 8, 2009)

Thanks for the tip! I had heard about the emergency release but for some reason I didn't find it until after I took the whole computer apart. I guess I didn't know exactly what I was looking for at the time. I should have come to the forum first! Oh, well, at least I know what the inside of my computer looks like now.


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## Bill_Bright (Dec 17, 2004)

caroln242 said:


> :smile: Success! I took the cover off again, found the connector, plugged it in, and voila! Thanks so much for pointing me in the right direction. (Not too bad for a 67 year old lady with no tech training...just gutsy!)


Super! I am glad you got it sorted out and thanks for posting the followup.


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