Abit IS7-E2 - power but no signs of life?

[Retrograde]

I am building a new system and using a A-Bit IS7-E2 mobo. Upon initial installation, I got no post, no beeps, but everything powered up (harddrive, fans, graphics card fan lights and starts, etc). I replaced each of the other components to rule them out as the cause. None of these fixed the problem, so I RMA'd the board. When i received the new one, I got the same issue. Once again tried replacing all the components with no luck. I have a hard time believing they sent me two bad boards. I even tried unmounting the board to make sure it wasn't shorting against the case. Any suggestions would be appreciated.

one strange thing though, if the data cable is connected to the board and the dvd writer drive then the drive does not show any signs of life, but if the data cable is removed then the drive light flashes for a few seconds.

Here is my setup:
mobo: A-Bit IS7-E2
processor: Intel Pentium 4 3.0E Ghz 800Mhz FSB
memory: Samsung 184 Pin 512MB DDR PC-3200
harddrive: 160 GB Hitatchi Sata
sound: onboard
video: Sapphire Radeon 9550

Thanks.