Thanks for the response, but the mobo is in the hands of USPS now. I replaced it with an MSI K7T Pro 2A (say that 3 times quick) and all works happy now.
Just FYI, the modem was an external USB modem, and so was the scanner. I actually reinstalled windows and had just the modem and video card installed and was still having problems. The company I bought from had me call ABit (what a treat) and they decided the USB controller was defective.
Thanks again for the responses...