Will MS Sidewinder 2 work with COD, System 7 Home Premium?

[ktodack]

It would be great if my Sidewinder FF2 stick will work with COD. I'm running System 7 Home Premium-- stick works with IL2 1946, but not Rise of Flight or Birds of Prey. Do I need to run System 7 professional with XP mode to recognize the old Sidewinder stick? Otherwise I may have to invest in new CD controls. I've read in forums of a number of people using the Sidewinder FF2 stick in System 7 but most are running in 64 bit systems, I'm running 32 bit. Does bit lever make a difference?