Not so sure

Hi guys -

John, I tried eSupport for my BIOS update previously, but they referred me back to Gateway, saying it was a proprietary setup & they couldn't provide it.

Nicholas, yes, the SATA ports are there, with my drive cable plugged in to one quite securely!

I flashed my BIOS with the update I got from Gateway, and STILL no SATA controller in BIOS!

I emailed Gateway tech support via their website, specifically asking for a supervisor/manager to contact me; I got a reply from the same tier 1 support guy I've dealt with before, saying "we need some time to research this." In other words, it's a holiday weekend and all managers are on vacation!

Given my prior experience with Gateway tech support, I am not optomistic. I definitely need somebody besides their first line tech folks, because all they have ever done is plug my serial # into their website's search utility & send me links to the updates I've already found myself! When I've done live chat with them, they just keep trying to sell me hardware upgrades, often insisting that this is the "best choice" for my system. One told me I couldn't use a PSU over 350 watts because it would burn up my mobo; another tried to sell me a PCI (not PCI-e) graphics card even though I kept telling him I have an AGP slot. I have never owned anything but Gateway; this is my 3rd or 4th, and will be my LAST. Sad to see how far they've fallen from grace.

Anyway, thanks for all the guidance so far - looks like I'll have to wait until after Christmas to get any kind of answer from Gateway. "Patience, Grasshopper!"

Happy Holidays to you & yours, and I'll keep you posted!