In addition to Bryan's excellent suggestions, you can also use the <A HREF="http://www.maxtor.com/softwaredownload/default.htm" target="_new">MaxBlast Plus II v1.30</A> utility to partition the new Maxtor drive. This can be helpful if your current BIOS has difficulty detecting the entire size of the drive.
I would suggest re-checking the <A HREF="http://maxtor.custhelp.com/cgi-bin/maxtor.cfg/php/enduser/std_adp.php?p_sid=mO8syOgg&p_lva=&p_faqid=887&p_created=1011383315&p_sp=cF9ncmlkc29ydD0mcF9yb3dfY250PTUyNSZwX3BhZ2U9MQ**&p_li=" target="_new">jumper</A> settings, and you should look in the BIOS and make sure the drive has been correctly identified. If the drive cannot be detected, even with a new cable, you may need to flash your mainboard BIOS to a newer version, and/or purchase an <A HREF="http://www.maxtor.com/products/UltraATA133/default.htm" target="_new">ATA/133</A> controller card.
If you ran into this problem with a previous hard drive on the same cable ... swap out the cable, and be sure the blue end of the connector goes into the primary IDE controller port on the mainboard. If you are attempting to connect the drive using an older ATA/33 cable ... get a new one.
Another option would be to temporarily install the drive on another system for testing purposes. Check to see: #1 ... if the drive can be detected, and #2 ... if the drive can be partitioned and formatted. If this is successful, and you receive a similar error on your system while attempting to install the operating system on the new drive, the mainboard itself may be at fault.
It's also possible that the error is due to faulty RAM, and/or incorrect memory timing settings in the BIOS. RAM issues are often responsible for errors while attempting to detect/install new hardware or install an operating system. Make sure these settings are on the BIOS defaults, and if you have more than one RAM module, try partitioning the drive with only one stick at a time, until you locate the dodgy component.
Finally, be sure that the first bootable device listed in the BIOS is A, or the floppy drive when partitioning from a floppy disk, and CD-ROM when booting from the operating system CD. The hard drive should be listed as the second bootable device during this process, and it can be listed as the first bootable device after the OS installation for a faster boot.
If none of the above works that either of us have detailed, your mainboard might have sustained some damage, like a bad capacitor, and you should have it checked out at a local shop, or by the manufacturer.
Toejam31
<font color=red>First Rig:</font color=red> <A HREF="http://www.anandtech.com/mysystemrig.html?rigid=17935" target="_new"><font color=green>Toejam31's Devastating Dalek Destroyer</font color=green></A>
<font color=red>Second Rig:</font color=red> <A HREF="http://www.anandtech.com/mysystemrig.html?rigid=15942" target="_new"><font color=green>Toey's Dynamite DDR Duron</font color=green></A>
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<font color=purple>"Some push the envelope. Some just lick it. And some can't find the flap."</font color=purple>