I took a GFCI outlet out that was cream colored and in my bathroom and replaced it with a new one that's white. I put tape on the ends of the white and black line wires and replaced them in the line area on the new outlet. Now no light comes on on the new outlet and the test/reset button won't depress. I've tried two different outlets and got the same result. I believe that down stream of the GFCI are the switches for my exhaust fan and ceiling light, but of which aren't working either. Any suggestions?

The Newer GFI's will not reset if voltage is not present. Maybe a Breaker or a second GFI on same circuit tripped.

I'm not really sure why this worked, but I solved the problem. Instead of having the line on the line side and the load (which consists of a light and a fan) on the load side. I put everything on the line side -consistent with a wiring diagram that I found at the following site: http://www.thecircuitdetective.com/gfis.htm. Now everything works. I'm really glad I tackled this myself and didn't call anyone.

It worked because the fan and light are no longer GFI protected (and do not need to be). It also means that there is some kind of fault in that wiring.