GM-GMC: alternator probs still, what a bummer, gauge wire

Question
my problem seems to be a ground problem i think... m y truck is a 1997 Chevrolet s-10 2.2 4 cyl. i had to replace the alternator adn battery, and now, after all is hooked up, absolutley no power at all.... no headlights, no starter... nothing... what a bummer... i have tried cleaning the wires... making sure they are co nnected properly.. and yet i still cant seem to get it to work at all... swear i have drained all of my brain power on trying to figure it out... also... hehe, this is my first time doing an alternator replacement... so i have to say i kind of... just went for it.. took it off as best as i knew... luckily found all of the bolts.... who knows... probably a problem that I created for myself.. Anyways... any idea what i could have done wrong could you explain where each wire is supposed to be hooked?

Answer
If your vehicle was running before you replaced the alternator, then it is likely you did something wrong.  However, sometimes a battery becomes defective.  If you find nothing amiss from my following description, you should have the battery tested.

On the alternator, there should be one or two wires attached to a single stud with a rubber boot or plastic cover over them.  There should also be a molded plug that fits into a socket on the alternator.

The battery should have a positive and negative terminal connector.  There are sometimes smaller wires running out of the battery connectors.  If there any on the black (negative) connection to the battery, be sure that they are connected to the engine, frame, or body.

If the wires on the back of the alternator touched any part of the engine or the alfternator bracket after you reconnected the battery, you could have shorted and blown the fusible links in the wiring harness.  These are hard to find and have to be replaced with either the same gauge wire or with new ones from a dealer.