The symptom is that the BIOS hangs when trying to detect the HDD. If I use a different computer to detect the HDD and enter the correct settings my BIOS still hangs. The HDD works fine in a newer computer - detected properly and formats fine.
I obtained a spare FLASH chip and tried the BIOS updates from http://support.enlightcorp.com.tw/ftp/BIOS/ENPC/ however none of them solve the problem. From this site the kb2115.bin is my original BIOS, however I prefer the KB2118.BIN as it has some minor enhancements.
I've tested some BIOS from other computers with i440BX-W977TF chipset but they do not work on my machine. A 20GB hard drive was used before and was properly detected on the same motherboard with the same BIOS. FYI
Thank you VERY MUCH for your help!!

Ben