Fucked up computer problem, need geek help

[Cheeto]

Yeah so I'm building a closet server. I have built many a computer before and this was no different. Installed PSU, risers, and then motherboard, hooked in all my drives and cards, plugged in the front panel headers and hit the button. Nothing. Jiggled the button, nothing. Checked the PSU but there's no killswitch back there to be killed or unkilled. Tried all the diagnostics I could, including manually shorting both the mobo pins (no joy) and the PSU molex pins (fired right up).

Took the mobo out, checked for shorts, none. Set it on a piece of plastic and hooked it into the PSU, hit the power button and it booted. Okay...odd. Was moving to reinstall it when it brushed the back of the mobo against the case...and it booted straight away. Finished installing the mobo and it wouldn't boot again.

Now here's where I got frustrated crazy. Removed the mobo and all the standoff risers and set it bare-metal (told you, crazy). Fucker booted and POSTed.

So I cannot get the mobo to power on unless it's on a non-conductive surface, or bare metal on it's back. WTF is this shit? When it's on the risers I KNOW it's getting power because the ethernet jack's light is active. But it refuses to power on.

[El Capitan]

You sooo shouldn't have started it on a bare metal surface! Sounds like an earthing issue somewhere, are you sure that ALL the risers were screwed in to the case/board? Usually it earths back through the power supply, but in some cases it requires the motherboard to be earthed too...checked the manual?!

[HS the Wasp]

right?

[Dman]

It's just a little wierd how it likes to be grounded. Idk. as long as it doesn't fry you're good.

[PrivateParts]

Im not sure why it would be having grounding issues while its on hex stand off screws. Unless there is one on the tray that isnt where its suppose to be (like not a screw hole in the board). Personally i would replace the board if its on warrenty.

[Cheeto]

You sooo shouldn't have started it on a bare metal surface! Sounds like an earthing issue somewhere, are you sure that ALL the risers were screwed in to the case/board? Usually it earths back through the power supply, but in some cases it requires the motherboard to be earthed too...checked the manual?!

All risers were screwed in properly, and there is no other grounding point on the board, I looked.

It's just a little wierd how it likes to be grounded. Idk. as long as it doesn't fry you're good.

Well it needs to be grounded to work, that's what all the black wires are for, but as to why it's not grounded until I touch it to metal...*shrugs* I'd rather not just run it on bare metal, though. According to all that I know about electricity, that should have killed it, so I'd rather not chance that the motherboard might one day figure that out and die.

Im not sure why it would be having grounding issues while its on hex stand off screws. Unless there is one on the tray that isnt where its suppose to be (like not a screw hole in the board). Personally i would replace the board if its on warrenty.

Checked the alignment of the standoffs first thing, all of them lined up onto the holes on the mobo. Probably will RMA the board if I can't find the problem, but motherboard manufacturers are notorious pricks.

[El Capitan]

Well it needs to be grounded to work, that's what all the black wires are for

Black wires, where? What motherboard is it? May have to get on to google and check some details out...

[Mr. Burns]

Weird problem. Maybe the screws you're using to hold the board are touching other components. Make sure the screws aren't touching anything but the metal rings around the screw holes.

[Cheeto]

Well it needs to be grounded to work, that's what all the black wires are for

Black wires, where? What motherboard is it? May have to get on to google and check some details out...

The black ground wires on the molex power plug that provides the mobo with power.