I'd agree that it looks like the partition table, or maybe even the master boot record, has gone walkabout.

I'd suggest using FDISK (say Y to "Large Disc support?" then create a single DOS Partition to span the entire disc) then FORMAT using an MSDOS boot disc on a standard PC with the notebook hard disc installed as the only hard disc in the PC and attached to the primary IDE channel; this will avoid any possible confusion that might occur if there is more than one disc available.

You will need an adapter to allow you to install your notebook hard disc onto a "normal size" IDE cable (which has a bigger connector); the adapter should also have a connector for a "normal" PC hard disc power connector.

There are various places on the internet from which you can download bootbable floppy disc images. Alternatively you can create a bootable MSDOS disc from XP which (I think) has FDSIK on it.

It you can't find FDSIK there's a freeware partition table manager call FPART out there that can be copied onto the bootable floppy.

If you haven't got a PC with a floppy disc then you'll need to create a bootable CD or USB stick instead. I've not managed to build a bootable USB stick yet, but I've recently had to rebuild a notebook PC after a catastrophic disc crash and I discovered "BartPE" which allows you to build a bootable XP CD. It is a process only suitable for those of us at the "technerd" end of the PC market but it does work pretty well with it's default utilities, which does include a partition table manager.