the final word: after waiting for adaptec4 and it not coming free from HP i called back. very poor service indeed. it had not been sent! speak to the "next level?" they will call me back in 2-3 days.
finally got a supe to talk to and here's the scoop:
as per the supe hp cdrwriters are now going to be shipped with HP MY CD which does not support making bootable cd's. you can purchase apdaptec software ver.4 for only $9.95 as an upgrade, and they say that will make bootable cd's.
After pitching a bitch(can i use that word?) they will send it to me free in about 7-10 days.(you mean you expect this car to come with BRAKES? sorry that is not supported, however we will gladly sell you some some brakes)
BTW-getting the latest free updates on my adaptec ver3 lets me use ezcd creator, but directcd still says "no supported cdrom found"

[This message has been edited by techs (edited September 06, 2000).]