CStroman,  I just RMA'ed an 8KHA+ back to Newegg.   DOA.    It would not post, never accessed the floppy, or anything else.  Just laid there like a dead fish!
It displayed FF.  That's all it ever did - FF.  Maybe your theory IS correct!
I swapped it with a fully working 1.4 system, and it acted the same.  The mobo from the fully working system (DFI AK76-SN) worked fine in the system where the 8KHA+ came from.  Did lots of reading, tried lots of things, then I quit messing with it!
If FF really meant everything's normal and it's through POSTing, I'd be a bit happier now, and this computer would be running with an 8KHA+, also.