winXP re-install, lost large HDD

[john doe 2nd]

I've got an ASUS K8V-MX motherboard.
One 250 GB matrox diamond and one IBM deskstar 40 GB hdd.
Both worked fine, booting from the IBM with data on the Maxtor


after Re-installing WinXP from CD, incuding SP1
Windows tels me it has no partition on either disk.
It recognizes the matrox as no larger than 137 GB, the IBM as 40 GB.
After telling windows to use the 40 GB one, it creates a partition thereand
formats is as NTFS.
Then it boots.
It tells me that it can't use the 40 GB unit to copy files to, I should use
the 137 GB one as it is device 0.
It take the big one off the ribon and the power and set the jumpers for the
40 GB one to make it master.
Then I install windows.
After reconnecting the big hdd it is recognized as 137GB, not initialized.
I install SP2, still 137 GB.
I install the patch from Matrox: big_drive_enabler
Now Windows will see it as 250 GB, but still insists on finding it 'not
initialized'
I put it in an externat USB drive holder.
My laptop allso indicates it as not initialized
That is the stat of this moment.

What now?

How can I get my data back?

 

[john doe 2nd]

used Active@ Partition Recovery to fullfillment: all data saved

 

[Charles...]

If I remember rightly, Dont you need SP2 installed to recognize drives above
137gb...