Trying to install a SSD on a 775Dual-VSTA

Double check the SSD's data and power connections, trying a different cable, particularly for the data cable. Sometimes it takes a restart or two for a new SSD to be recognized.

If the SSD is detected with a USB connection, then the SSD is not defective.

If you are using Win 7, then you will have TRIM, even in IDE mode.

I suppose it is possible the VIA chipset only supports a very early version of SATA, so a SSD might not be recognized.

I wonder what the SATA mode actually is, and where the SATA controller appears in Device Manager, and what driver that controller is using. That information is NOT the Properties of the SSD itself, it should be shown under IDE ATA/ATAPI controllers in Device Manager.

IMO, it's the VIA chipset that is not up to working with a SSD. It's a ten year old board, a lot has changed in that time.

What version of Windows are you using?

It seems you have a new Samsung SSD, never used before, correct?

Is the SSD seen in the BIOS? What is the SATA Operation Mode option set to?

Any new drive must be initialized and formatted before it can be used, or recognized by Windows. That is still true today with Windows 10.

Normally to initialize a new drive, you start Windows Disk Management, which should immediately recognize that the new drive(s) must be initialized and prompt you to do so. After that is complete, you will need to format the drive in Disk Management.

Your board's VIA VT8237A chipset provides two SATA I ports. The only SATA mode options are RAID and non-RAID. What little I could find about this chipset said it did not support NCQ, so no support for AHCI, even in RAID mode. Whether or not this chipset will pass TRIM commands to a SSD, or if your OS supports TRIM, are both unknowns. Don't expect to get anywhere near the rated read and write speed performance of your SSD.