Quattro- Thanks. Booting problem solved...after swapping out the IDE cable. I came to realize that the power plug into the hdd had a lose pin. I'm happy it works great now.
Dapure- thanks...i'll try that soon as I get a chance
Ha! I remember that version of CF... as a matter of fact, I think I still have the installer somewhere... think I might install it for nostalgia's sake...