Dragon Age 2 for PC won't recognize Xbox controller; I can't move in the game

I JUST got the computer, and the game and controller. And I can't play Origins or DAII because they won't recognize the XBox controller I bought SPECIFICALLY so I wouldn't have to fiddle with a keyboard and mouse just to play a game. That is the OPPOSITE of my idea of fun. It didn't occur to me that there'd be some problem where I couldn't use the controller. I've been scouring the internet to find a way to make it work and I've got nothing that allows me to do more than move the cursor-arrow and select on a menu, but not actually play the game. If I'd known I'd spend over four hours trying to fix this and other weirdness I probably wouldn't have bothered getting the DA games for PC. If I'd known that the controller would not be usable at all with those games, I CERTAINLY wouldn't have bothered. Is there a way to play with the controller--or ANY controller--rather than with a keyboard and mouse? Or did I just spend money it's too late to get back on games I can't play? And why doesn't there seem to be an easy way to get to EA customer service? If it's easy for me to spend money on the site--and it is--why isn't it easy for me to get professional, company-based tech support for the thing on which I've spent money? Overall, this has been the most disappointing gaming experience I've ever had.