I'm back! I've just installed a used motherboard in a used case, attached all the cables, wires, components etc, and attempted a bootup. I get thru the first two windows of boot, see all the drives, etc, but then I get the following message: "Sis 730 OnChip IDE device 9 (plus several strange symbols)". Anyone got a clue? Thanx

Try Clearing the CMOS with the jumper while unplugged. Then when rebooting immediately enter the BIOS screens to reset valuses as needed. FYI, you should always bench test a board outside the case.

if clearing cmos does not help, i might go into the bios and disable all extras eg. sound, usb, com ports , paralell port, Smart,DMA etc.etc. - see if then works ok, if so, i would then re-enable one at a time to identify which one of the extras causes the problem. This might not help, but it's certainly something i would try if mine. (some BIOS have an option of 'fail safe' settings which is the bare minimum setting to help with trouble shooting like this)

If that doesn't help.... It is common to un-intentionally damage IDE data cables, especially while removing them - the 80 wire ones are more likely to be damaged. What usually happens is the cable is ripped at either edge and the wires there are either damaged or severed, often right at a connector or under it's cable clamp there, where it's hard to see - if a wire is severed but it's ends are touching, the connection is intermittant, rather than being reliable. Another common thing is for the data cable to be separated from the connector contacts a bit after you have removed a cable - there should be no gap between the data cable and the connector - if there is press the cable against the connector to eliminate the gap. 80 wire data cables are also easily damaged at either edge if the cable is sharply creased at a fold in the cable. Try another data cable if in doubt.

Othehill - I tried clearing CMOS, but guess what? The jumper is already in the clear (1-2) position and that's the only way it will even boot. When I put it in the 2-3 open position per the manual it does nothing. I was given this mobo (K7SEM) and don't know its history but its been partially booting in the clear CMOS position all this time. I also notice when it starts to boot it doesn't run memory check and it will not go into BIOS when delete is selected. When I put the jumper into 2-3 and back to 1-2 and try a re-boot I get a "CMOS checksum error" message. One final note, this is the third mobo I've installed in the case and none of them worked!

I've worked with the K7SEM before. 1-2 is the normal position, 2-3 is the clear position. It's a misprint in the manual. You can damage the board if you try to boot with the jumper in the clear position. BTW, you should ALWAYS benchtest a board before installing it in a case. "If my answers frighten you then you should cease asking scary questions" - Jules Winnfield (Samuel L. Jackson) in Pulp Fiction

There are a lot of little details you probably don't know yet. "when it starts to boot it doesn't run memory check" There are lots of bioses that you not run the memory check when you reboot (warm boot), but all bioses run a memory check when you boot after Shutting Down Windows, or after the computer has been off (cold boot). Some bioses enable Quick boot or similar by default, which performs a much shorter memory test - if you are using a CRT monitor that memory check may be done before the monitor has warmed up enough that it starts producing a display - you can usually disable that in the bios Setup, but that's not necessary with modern ram. The "CMOS checksum error" or similar message is a perfectly normal message after you have cleared the cmos, or after you have flashed the bios, or after you have removed the mboard battery - you need to go into the bios Setup and set at least the date and time OR If you correct the time and date in Windows, that will accomplish the same thing. In some bioses, e.g. that can use either PC100 or PC133 ram, they may default to the lesser settings - e.g. if you have ram that is PC133, and/or a cpu that can use a 133mhz bus, you may have to change that to the higher setting manually after having cleared the cmos. Older bioses often set the "Initialize video first" or "default video" or similar setting to PCI by default, or to onboard video if you have onboard video, even if you have an AGP (or PCI-E) video card installed. If you have an AGP (or PCI-E) video card, make sure that setting is set to the type of video you have after clearing the cmos - if that setting is wrong the video drivers in Windows will not be able to use the enhanced AGP (or PCI-E) capabilities of the video card. Rarely, a bios will beep an extra beep while booting if that setting is wrong. It doesn't matter to the bios whether the time and date are actually correct, as long as they are not the same as the defaults. Once at least the time and date are corrected, you won't get the CMOS checksum error or similar message after that while booting unless the mboard battery is dead, too weak, upside down, or has a poor connection to it's contacts. "it will not go into BIOS when delete is selected." Are you SURE the key you press is Del? That's a common mboard manufacturer's one, but it's not the only one, and if the bios on the mboard is a brand name bios version. it's often NOT Del - it's something else - e.g. For HP and Compaq bioses it's often F2 or F1. The bios version can specify any not so commonly used key, or any key combo to get into Setup. In older bioses the ability to get into the bios with a USB keyboard is often disabled by default. If you want to get into the bios with a USB keyboard, you have to go into the bios with a PS/2 keyboard, and enable Legacy USB, or USB keyboard or similar. Using a simple adapter to adapt the usb connector on a keyboord (or mouse) cable to PS/2 use, or visa versa, will NOT work unless the keyboard (or mouse) is a "combo" device that was designed and wired up to be used with both types of ports. A "combo" keyboard or mouse always comes with a simple adapter when new, and it is often obvious on it's labelling that it can be used with both types of ports. USB (female) to PS/2 (male) simple adapters are probably always wired the same way - PS/2 (female) to USB (male) simple adpter wiring varies, so one keyboard's simple adapter may not work with another brand's keyboard. Some mboards are somewhat picky about when you press the key to get into Setup. Try tapping the key repeatedly - do not hold it down, right after the mboard beeps. If the key to get into the bios is an Fn key, e.g., F1 or F2, some keyboards with extra buttons boot with the Fn keys on the keyboard disabled - in that case there is a led for the Fn keys - you have to press the key to activate the Fn keys, then press the Fn key, early enough in the boot sequence. ....... All mboard bioses MUST run a memory check, even if it is just a Quick boot memory check, at least when they are "cold booted". All mboards are supposed to produce one beep when the intial POST (Power on Self Test) has completed successfully (there must be a speaker or sound producing device connected to the mboard in order for you to be able to hear the beep). If you hear no beep at all, at least while "cold" booting, the most common reason for that, if nothing else is wrong, is you have installed ram that is not compatible with the mboard. Ram that works in another mboard , or any ram you buy or have lying around, may not work properly, or sometimes, not at all - even if it physically fits and is the right overall type (e.g. SDram, DDR, DDR2, etc.; PCxxxx, xxx mhz) for your mboard. In the worst cases of incompatibilty your mboard WILL NOT BOOT with it installed, and the mboard may not even beep - the ram has to be compatible with the mboard and it's chipset. See response 5 in this for some info about ram compatibilty, and some places where you can find out what will work in your mboard for sure: http://www.computing.net/hardware/w... Correction to that: Mushkin www.mushkin.com Once you know which module ID strings work in your mboard, you can get them from anywhere you like that has ram with those ID strings. If you have brand name ram, it is usually easy to look up whether it's ID string is in a list of compatible modules found by using your mboard or brand name system model number. If the ram is generic, that may be difficult or impossible. It is easy to test for whether incompatible ram has caused your mboard to fail to boot, or it's caused by another problem. Make sure you have a speaker or speakers connected to the mboard so you can hear mboard beeps (see your mboard manual). Remove the AC power to the case/power supply. Remove all the ram. Restore AC power. Try to boot. If nothing else is wrong, you will hear a pattern of beeps that indicate no ram is installed, or a ram problem. E.g. for an Award bios or a bios based on one, that's often a beep of about a half second, silence for a half second, a beep of about a half second, silence for a half second, continuously.