yeah. Microsoft are still wondering what the hell multimedia is, they havent got around to working out why people need large hard drives as well
, BIOS settings sound probable, often theres a setting to enable ATA detection in the BIOS iirc, was a while back now but I helped install an ATA drive and it wasn`t all that plug and play (I think there was a winderz patch too, but you should have that if you are patched up to date), I think as ATA become more common it should become more simple to install em, for example I remember the early/first CD writers, whole host of does and don`ts (must be first device on cable, must be master, dma must be on, turn off background tasks while writing, don`t use PC while writing, disable screensaver etc), and even then you often got "coasters" (dud writes) about 25% of the time, modern DVD/CD rw`s are a breeze compared to the original devices (and cost a lot less too), just plug em in and off you go
Windows: 32 bit extension/graphical shell for a 16bit patch to an 8bit OS originally coded for a 4bit CPU, written by a 2bit company that can't stand 1bit of competition, now available in 64bits.
