Hi--Built a new PC using:

ECS NFORCE3-A motherboard
AMD Sempron 3100+ processor with Coolmaster heatsink
Corsair memory (DDR 1GB PC-3200)-single module
ATI Radeon 9200 video card (128M)
Raidmax Scorpio 868 case - 420W power supply
6GB Maxtor hard drive
LG CRD-8400B CD-ROM
Phoenix-Award BIOS v6.00PG

Eventually got everything working perfectly (loaded Win98SE, upgraded to XP Pro, got wireless internet access going, etc.)

Then, I tried to see if the 180GB Hitachi hard drive I had in another XP Pro computer would work on the new system, so I disconnected the Maxtor and inserted the Hitachi. Since then, I've had nothing but trouble.

Even though I've restored the original configuration (Maxtor as master on the primary IDE with the CD-ROM as slave), the computer always freezes during POST. I see the following:

Main processor: AMD 3100+
Memory Testing: 1048576K OK
Memory Information: DDR 333, 2T

Then--NOTHING (except "press DEL to enter setup." Doing so only causes it to say "entering setup" at the bottom of the screen, but it never does). No beeps, no error message. Fans work, drives spin, but can't load from CD, floppy, or hard drive.

Tried the "bare bones" setup, shorting the CMOS jumper, removing the battery, altering drive configurations, changing/removing IDE cables, tearing everything apart and reseting everything, but nothing has helped. I get to the same exact place in the POST noted above (memory information) and everything freezes.

Any suggestions would be greatly appreciated.

Here you go.

MAJOR BUG in NFORCE3A MB - hangs due to SATA even if nothing plugged into SATA. Probably due to termination issue.

PULL ALL SATA CABLES, reboot then hit DEL to enter setup.

ahha