2011 21" iMac won't turn on after replacing HDD with a SSD

[cenzo989]

Hey all,
I am new here, so I hope to get some answers.
i took off the glass and then the LCD panel off my imac in order to get to the HDD.
i proceed to replace the existing hard-drive with a SSD to make it faster.
after replacing with SSD, i put everything back and plugged in the power.
i press the power button, and nothing happens...no fan noise and nothing.... nothing happens.

so i unplug and take everything apart again. i double check everything and all seems normal.
i plug the power back in and all that comes on is the green motherboard LED.
then i press the power button and still nothing happens.
i even tried resetting the ram slots and putting back the original HDD.

still no fans or activity.... just the green motherboard LED......

what did i do wrong?

 

[dtravis7]

Is there any chance when you took it apart and unplugged the cables from the Display you might have unplugged another one of the small plugs? I don't know what model iMac you have but some have the power button cable close to where the display Temp sensor plugs in. Check very carefully.

Also please if you will tell us what Model and basic specs your iMac is. It will help us help you.

 

[MacInWin]

You might also look at ifixit.com for your model Mac to see the steps they say to use to swap an internal drive. Follow along and make sure you have done all of the re-assembly steps properly.

 

[cenzo989]

its a 2011 i mac - 21.5" display - 16gb ram installed - 2.5 ghz intel i5

attached are photos of the green light i get when connecting power

 

[chscag]

We had another thread some years ago similar to yours with almost the same thing happening - won't turn on. If I'm remembering correctly the answer was that one of the cables or connectors to the display panel was damaged and that prevents the machine from turning on. The answer was given by one of our more knowledgeable members.

You need to double check all those cables and connectors to the display panel to determine if they're okay.

 

[cenzo989]

You need to double check all those cables and connectors to the display panel to determine if they're okay.

hmmm...
maybe i can buy replacement parts

do you guys know of a replacement part shop?

 

[Slydude]

One place to check is ifixit. They have repair diagrams and parts for a wide varuety of Macs. Haven't checked for this specific Mac but that would be my first place to start.

 

[gsahli]

iFixit is the best, but another source for Mac parts is dvwarehouse.com