FCP7 Quad i7 imac from Canon hv20
No Device Control…
only little box that starts capturing everything immediately
using 800 firewire
(should I be using Sata, by the way?)

Some additional info:

(Yes, there is no sata)
using 800 firewire / g-tech 1T
prores timeline
hdv firewire basic / apple firewire
a tiny box comes up that says "hdv capture" and I can hit capture
but can't monitor anything ~ no full screen
didn't have this problem on an earlier intel.

and a viewing screen does come up DURING capture
but no controls whatever

You should see a "device control" tab in your log & capture window.

Bring up your L & C window and on the upper right side you should see 3 tabs (logging, clip settings, and capture settings.)

In Capture Settings, you should see a menu for Device Control. Select the One that conforms to your input device. Also, select the proper option in the Capture/Input menu.