Are the drives set correctly, some older drives can be a real pig setting for master/slave operation

Tried only the CD-ROM?

I guess that controller isn't ATAPI compatible.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/ATA_Packet_Interface

Of course it is compatible, you mess up protocol and interface.

The correct question would be if the controller is compatible to the ATA interface specification. And the answer is yes.
So software like the CD-ROM driver can also run ATAPI protocol over the ATA interface.

Just make sure the HDD is really ATA compatible and not just AT.
Also the jumpers have to be set correctly, usually it is for the HDD: MASTER/SLAVE present and for the CD-ROM SLAVE.
HDD must be at the end of the cable and CD-ROM on the connector in between.

Problems may occur when jumpered wrong, like HDD to MASTER only and CD-ROM to slave or when jumpered to Cable Select when one device does not support CS.

Thanks for clearing that up elianda.

I do have a atapi cd rom driver floppy and i found the problem, it was apearently a bad idea cable with a tear in it and saw i had somehow bend the hdd controller cabel, so i tesdted and it works fine.

What im actually haveing trouble on are that the drive will be found by dos and window's, but it will keep saying there is no disk in the drive even if i have inserted a cd into it with data burnt onto it.

Try a regular commercial CD first. Older drives may have problems with current CD-Rs. This is due to changes in the AZO layer, they work typically with the older green AZO CD-Rs (Cyanine).
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/CD-R#Physical_characteristics

What i treid was a CD-RW, shouldnt they work in a standart cd drive to?
or would i need a cd-rw drive?