A series of novel N(4)-(hetero)arylsulfonylquinoxalinone derivatives were prepared in a straight and efficient way. Of all the synthesized compounds, five compounds exhibited potent anti-HIV-1 replication activities with IC(50) value at the level of 10(-7) mol/L. Preliminary structure-activity relationships were studied in details and that will shed light on the discovery of more potent non-nucleoside reverse-transcriptase inhibitors.