ModdIt
Hi Irina, my comments were intended to inform not accuse.
Having had interesting experiences with adaptersboth donated and purchased, IDE SATA, SATA IDE, IDE to MSATA, it is easier to
understand (hopefuly) issues knowing what is in use.
Some adapters never work, some worked sometimes on some devices, and some, in particular the more expensive powered type
have proved really good. But getting stable 5 Volts safely in a laptop can be quite involved.
As caprea pointed out if you have a setting legacy boot, sata ahci do try the different options. Caveat. Not just windoze will
get a problem if changes are made after installation, linux can also break.
What makes me suspect the adapter might be problematic is that you also had issues with the athlon device and same setup.
Do you have details for the adapter, searching with specific details can yield helpful information.
That it is possible to boot from USB-CD is good, quite a feat for such an old device, and your perseverance is indeed admirable.