i've got a strange problem. my new hard drive, when i plug it in, won't work; my computer also starts making these really, really loud beeping noises. the hard drive is a Western Digital; model: WD1600JBRTL. my specs are
AMD Athlon 64 3000
512MB RAM
Lite-On 52x32x52 cd-rw
nvidia geforce 5700LE 256MB
sony floppy
Abit Kv8 Pro mobo

is there a compatibility issue? any suggestions are welcome.

I have several questions

1) Is this a boot device or a secondary device?

2) Is it jumpered correctly?

3) Describe the process of how you installed the drive.

Loud beeping noises sounds like you could have made non-hdd components come loose when you were inside the case. Ensure the heat sink fan is working and try reseating the RAM. The more info you provide the better.

ok, for classic software: i can't get to BIOS, it IS jumpered/cabled correctly, and the process for installation:
got the hard drive, went to my computer, took out my old hard drive from a 5" slot, then put in the new one into one of two 3 1/2" slots, above my floppy drive. Following the directions, i put the drive shunt into the drive correctly, for the cabling. I set it for single, since its the only device on the cable the Western Digital provided me with. I made sure to plug in that four prong power cord thingy, then i made sure that everything else was set. I then put the case back onto the PC, plugged it in, put in the monitor, mouse, etc. and turned it on. It turned on, but the monitor screen was black. I waited for about.... 20-30 seconds, then turned it off. Then, just in case, i turned it on again. then that infernal beeping started, and i turned it off. again. I've tried wiping the CMOS jumpers, changing the cabling, checking the RAM, and i'm now pretty confused. Any other suggestions?

Remove the new drive and and check that all components are seated correctly.

Install the old drive and see if the pc boots up ok.

Let us know and we can go from there.

Download a copy of my diagnostic flowcharts from here
www.erniek.eclipse.co.uk/downloads/sylvanderdiags.zip
and print them to leaf through.
Begin on the STARTUP chart.

"It turned on, but the monitor screen was black."
That's a NO POST situation. The video card is only enabled IF and WHEN the POST completes successfully.

"i turned it on again. then that infernal beeping started"
See beepcodes here www.computerhope.com/beep.htm
The BIOS is indicating the cause of a problem.

Do you have all your drives set to "Auto" in the BIOS Setup?

hey guys, i got it working. i replaced the ram, changed the connections, and then it all worked. thanx for the advice.