Thing is Puppet, we'd like it fixed!
Is it a SATA drive by any chance? I have had the EXACT same problem as you. I believe this occured when I tried to format my SATA the first time, but windows couldn't because the drive needs initialising, before ANYTHING can be done with it.
I proceeded to install windows onto my old IDE and using the disk manager FROM THE IDE, I formatted the SATA with a QUICK FORMAT, dividing it into two partitions. Strangely I was left with a lonely 2Gb partition, which I swear I hadn't created. Bemused by this partition appearing, I formatted the sucker.
It did not rejoin the rest of the deleted partitions when I deleted them all, to make them into one again.
Anyway, I then installed windows to the smaller partition on the SATA(system only), and installed windows. GREAT! It worked. Or did it? After the installation of some basic drivers for the chipset & motherboard, I installed the video card drivers for my XFX6800. During the last part of that installation (i.e. the bit where it says "you need to reboot") it spontaneously rebooted (crashed tbh).
After this, I have THE problem. I reckon I haven't done the right way to set the drive up and screwed the MBR of the disk by deleting its partition.
Someone mentioned FDISK, I can believe it, but dude how do I get the FDISK up? I cant remember.