Switch from IDE Emulation Mode to SATA Mode?

I recently did a fresh install of Windows XP SP2 on a Seagate SATA hard drive. Prior to installing XP I went into my BIOS and selected the "IDE Mode" setting for my SATA controller (the only other option was "RAID Mode" ). There were no other SATA-related settings in my BIOS. I then proceeded to install XP without using the F6 option to install additional drivers.

The installation proceeded with no problems, and my computer is working fine. However, when I look in Device Manager, I see that there is no listing for a SATA controller under "IDE ATA/ATAPI controllers," and there is no entry category called "SCSI and RAID controllers" either. Under "IDE ATA/ATAPI controllers" there is a Primary IDE Channel that has a current transfer mode of Ultra DMA Mode 6 for Device 0. I'm assuming this is my SATA drive, and that it appears here because it is operating in IDE emulation mode. Am I correct about this? If so, how much of a performance gain, if any, would I get if switched from IDE emulation mode to true SATA mode by installing the SATA controller and drivers (keep in mind that although my drive is SATA II, my mobo only supports SATA I; also, Roadkil's Disk Speed indicates that the drive as currently configured is giving me Linear Reads of 72MB/sec.)? Can I even switch to SATA mode since my only BIOS options were IDE mode and RAID mode? Finally, if I do decide to install the SATA controller and drivers, can I do so without reinstalling XP and/or reactivating my version of XP with a phone call to Microsoft? If so, how?

Thanks in advance for your help. This is my first build and I truly need it.

Damon