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I did my own little reseach, and according to this Western Digital manual: http://www.wdc.com/en/library/sata/2779-001006.pdf

you can download the dos version of their Data Lifeguard Tools, make a floppy with the necessary drivers and load it by pressing F6. do you think that'll work? If yes, all I need is a USB floopy drive

I can't find any chipset drivers for your board which is strange.

Hmmm I have never used Data Lifeguard Tools but after reading the manual you posted I think it may work.

It says you can parition and format the drive and once you have done this windows will recognise the drive when you run install.

You can actually download a bootable CD version of the software, this means you don't have to buy a floppy drive :
http://support.wdc.com/download/?cxml=n&pid=999&swid=30

Thanks, I tried using their diagnostic tool for DOS in a bootable CD but unfortunately, it's just that: diagnostics! There's no option to format or install or anything like that. IT only can be used to check your drive for errors, etc.

However, their Data Lifeguard Tools application gives those options so I can easily format and install a clean copy of XP on my PC. The only thing I'm "affraid" of is, if I buy a USB floppy drive, will it get recognised by my PC before windows loads, ie will it work if I boot with a floppy using it?

also, I just found out my HD model number is WD3200JS = 2nd Gen. Serial ATA WD Caviar?SE - 7200 RPM. is that going to make any difference?

The USB floppy drive will work when the computer starts up, all other USB devices work fine e.g keyboards.
Thanks for posting the model of your drive, I will try doing some extra research on it.

thanks a lot for your help. I appreciate!