Guys I took both drives back to Maplin for a full refund. I bought a WD 320gb from another supplier dropped it in and hey presto Vista install saw it no problems. :D Model no is WD3200AAJS Maplins information that this machine only support up to 250gb drives is also rubbish! I guess it serves us all...

don't hold your breath waiting for help from Maplin tech support! They don't have a clue at the moment. It appears that the MB on this system doesn't like the Hitachi drive. People are reporting some success with Seagate and Western Digital drives. I bought a WD drive from Maplin last night or so I ...