SSD Not detected by BIOS

Hello,
I have a DM1-3020US Hp laptop, with BIOS updated to F.13 version.

I just bought a 120GB SSD (Sandisk Extreme) and used it to replace the original SATA HDD.

Problem is that the SSD doesn't get recognized by the BIOS. That is I get a "boot device missing" message (error 3F0) and running an HDD test I get a "Disk not exist" message.

The BIOS doesn't offer options to change SATA mode, for example, so I don't even know if I'm in AHCI or IDE mode or whatever.

The SSD drive is working if connected via an USB adapter (in fact I used this procedure to restore a system image on it, before connecting it to the motherboard).

Does anyone know of possible workaround for this issues?

The DM1 laptop DOES have SSD as upgrade options (on the HP website) so the board MUST be able to support SSD disks.

Thanks for any help