Thanks again for advice.

Yes, it is a WD drive... I'll try the old 4GB next...

No, I did not zap PRAM again - I had one that prior to installing a fresh OS9.2 and Panther...

I'll post an update on pragress as soon as time allows - probably during the weekend.

I have tinkered with several old Macs in the past (Plus, SE, cx, ci, fx, Q630/700/800/900, and a slew of 7300s or above. None has been as finicky as these old G3 motherboards - not even my DA G4.