HDD Chkdsk errors with vista install

hi all I have a really frusterating Hard Drive problem. Essentially XP will install but when it comes time to reboot to finish the install i get a flashing prompt with a black screen. The hard drive is able to format and can be seen by the setup disk but it will boot to no avail. I'll admit i havn't done fixboot or chkdsk /p, but essentially this drive is not leting me access jack. I get two different results for chkdsk on xp and on vista setup cd. when chkdsk /r on xp setup it says that the volume appears to contain one or more unrecoverable problems.

When i try to install vista it actually fails and tells me a file is currupt and to run chkdsk on the HDD.

for vista when i go into cmd prompt from the install cd and enter C: it says cannot access specified drive. when i try to do chkdsk c: /r /x or chkdsk c: /r or chkdsk c: /f it says the volume is locked and write protected.

I'm not trying to retrieve any data here i'm simply trying to install a windows OS
when i try to install vista it says that a file is currupt and tells me to run chkdsk. Now i know that no file is currupt because i've used this disk on other computers to install vista.

currently i am running the hitachi advanced HD test, this will hopefully tell me if the drive is dead or not.

overall just a really frusterating problem

*as a strange side note theres another HD in the computer and it is behaving almost exactly the same. When it tries to reboot the first time after the xp intall it goes to black screen with prompt, and the vista install fails telling me to do chkdsk.
I havn't been messing with the other drive since i've been hooking up only the larger of the two. The bios are set to default. I'm at wits end here and completely confused as what to do..plzzz help me

Hi GnubbyaBush

Try scanning your ram as well.

Memtest86 - Download Page

thanks for the reply theog. So the situation keeps getting worse, the hitachi test finished and gave me 0x72 saying the drive is dead. I honnestly can't believe it, this drive was working in this exact computer a few weeks ago and i did nothing. So after that i focused on the smaller hard drive which does fully install win vista, but i wake up today to a black screen, can't load the HDD. this is crazy awefull.

I'm going to run the memtest, and i'm thinking about calling the ram company. In the meantime I will try to install ubuntu as well and see if that boots....