eSATA not detected

[athlon1.2]

After a frustrating experience trying to write a dual layer DVD with a cheap slimline USB drive I purchased a real 5.25 DVD burner along with a eSATA + USB 2.0 enclosure. However when I attach the eSATA cable to my laptop it is not detected. I further reboot the machine and enter the BIOS and ensure eSATA and AHCI are both turned on. I do not see the external drive listed in the boot menu, either. What steps normally need to be taken to use an eSATA drive?

 

[fantabulous]

That should be everything you need to do, perhaps enabling hot swap if that's an option. You might try putting a hard drive into your enclosure to see if it's an issue with the eSATA controller not supporting optical drives. Supposedly some SATA controllers are like this, but take it as hearsay from me.