AVR-Chat

Well, I have now tried everything... Including trying to use parallel
high voltage programing, all to no avail... When I use the high voltage
mode, I can at least enter programing mode, but I can't program (and
reading the signature results in 0xff 0xff 0xff 0xff  which is of course
wrong).  I was starting to think that my STK500 might have gone bad, so
I stuck a mega8 dip packaged chip in and it programed perfectly.  I even
pulled my last new (untouch from digikey) smd packaged mega8 out today
and tried it on a new smd to dip adaptor board (that I made last night
that maps ALL pins) and it gives the same results.  At this point I am
just going to have to call the 5 smd mega8 chips a loss for now and
redesign my pcb for the dip package (and order more mega8's as all my
dip packaged ones are ATMEGA8-16PC and my smds were ATMEGA8L-8AC so that
I could use them with a single lithium cell).  Thanks for everyone's
help,
Daniel