RH7.3 & Mandrake 9.0b4 checking partitions lock up

[damusic2me]

ok, so i try to install either mandrake 9.0b4 or Redhat 7.3 in both cases it's the same: the install cd boots, finds all mij ahrd disks and cdroms and then it wants to check the partitions.. my second hard disk : hdb is an 18GB 7200rpm Western Digital (WDC AC418000D ) disk with an 18GB FAT32 partition where i keep all my multimedia stuff
When the install starts to check this partition, it keeps going and going, and going etc.. i've waited for 3 hours and still nothing.
At the moment i'm running redhat 7.2.. it never had that problem, and mounted it right from the start.

Does anyone know how to go around the partition checking, or how to fix this without killing all my data?

thnx.

[damusic2me]

Ok, since no one seems to know a solution for this i kept trying of course, now i have wiped the disk clean, nothing on it, and put ext3 filesystem on there.
still nothing.
In case ppl have similar problems: in most cases it's about file systems which linux can read.
F.I. ntfs, but in my case it might be a bad harddisk, so i think it about time to buy a new one, since this is the only hard disk which i have problems with.To check ie added a similar one.. doesnt give a single problem.
The only thing i can think of now, is a low level format, but i doubt that there are any pc left which can do that on an ide disk
thnx anyway to anyone who spent a sec or more thinking about this ;)

[mdwatts]

Try installing Linux on hda and then after a successful install, reformat hdb (the WD drive) as fat32 and see if you can mount the fat32 partition in Linux.

[damusic2me]

Already tried that, also deleted the mbr, partitioned it in all fat16, tried erasing everything that had anything to do with partitions, nothing worked.
i going to try to find an old 486 and do a low level format, but that's about it i think

most probably it just a rotton disk, too bnad.. theye expensive :(
thnx anyway