Enable AHCI on Intel chipsets

[loc[a]lhost]

Some of you might know that AHCI enables Native Command Queuing support and Hot Plugging for SATA drives. Unfortunately it can usually be enabled only when installing Windows, by using a floppy drive.

Spported southbridges: ICH6R, ICH6M, ICH7R, ICH7DH, ICH7M

Instructions:

1) Make sure AHCI is not enabled in your BIOS, otherwise this guide is pointless for you.

2) Back up your Windows folder and prepare a boot disk in case this guide fails!

3) Download 79im05ww.exe from http://www-307.ibm.com/pc/support/site.wss...ocid=MIGR-62909

4) Extract the file to C:\DRIVERS\WIN\SATA.

5) If you have the ICH7M southbridge, go to step 8.

5) Open C:\DRIVERS\WIN\SATA\PREPARE\IMSM_PRE.inf in Notepad.

6) Replace any instance of DEV_27C5 with the following, according to your southbridge:

ICH6R - DEV_2652

ICH6M - DEV_2653

ICH7R - DEV_27C1

ICH7DH - DEV_27C1

ICH7M - DEV_27C5

7) Save the file and close Notepad.

8) Click Start, select Run.

9) In the Open field type C:\DRIVERS\WIN\SATA\PREPARE\INSTALL.CMD and click OK.

10) Restart your computer, and enable AHCI on in your BIOS Setup.

11) Start Windows XP or Windows 2000. The Found New Hardware wizard will start automatically.

12) If running Windows XP:

1. Click No, not this time then click Next.

2. Select Install from a list or specific location (Advanced), then click Next.

3. Select Search for the best driver in these locations.

4. Select Include this location in the search: and specify the path, C:\DRIVERS\WIN\SATA, and click Next.

13) If running Windows 2000:

1. Click Next.

2. Select Search for a suitable driver for my device (recommended), then click Next.

3. Select Specify a location, then click Next.

4. Specify the path, C:\DRIVERS\WIN\SATA, and click OK, then click Next.

14) Click Finish.

15) When the System Settings Change window appears, click Yes. The computer restarts.

[Nelsinho]

yep, very useful this info dude thanks for the good job (Y)

[mercury_rising]

Confused here. I'm running a single SATA 250GB drive as my primary boot disk. (Well, I've partitioned it into two, but it's one physical drive.) Intel ICH7R southbridge.

No RAID for me, as I've only got one drive, but what advantages will I get if I run my drive in AHCI mode rather than in IDE mode? Can this even be done - this IS the drive I'm booting from...

[alpha_omega]

No RAID for me, as I've only got one drive, but what advantages will I get if I run my drive in AHCI mode rather than in IDE mode?

You're running SATA devices in the mode they're supposed to be run in...

[6785077276]

This is really useful.

Thanks!

[loc[a]lhost]

Confused here. I'm running a single SATA 250GB drive as my primary boot disk. (Well, I've partitioned it into two, but it's one physical drive.) Intel ICH7R southbridge.

No RAID for me, as I've only got one drive, but what advantages will I get if I run my drive in AHCI mode rather than in IDE mode? Can this even be done - this IS the drive I'm booting from...

As I said in the first post:

AHCI enables Native Command Queuing support and Hot Plugging for SATA drives

[MBBM]

:no: I am not able to set the BIOS in AHCI mode

I use a Asus P5PL2 mobo with Intel ICH7DH southbridge

I can see in BIOS that the SATA controller use IDE mode for my Seagate Barracuda disk

It is a sata2 disk,and my mobo support sata2 up to 300Mb/s,so I would realy like the sata

controllers to work in AHCI mode.

When I enter BIOS,under IDE configuration,there is a line called:Configur SATA As..,but the only option

is: Standard IDE.As a discription to this option it says:"When in AHCI/RAID mode,controller is forced to

Native mode".

Can anybody please tell me how to configur my SATA drive for best preformence?

Is there a way to configur it to AHCI mode?

I hope somebody has time to help me!

[Room101]

lhost' date='May 3 2006, 09:26' post='587471595']

Some of you might know that AHCI enables Native Command Queuing support and Hot Plugging for SATA drives. Unfortunately it can usually be enabled only when installing Windows, by using a floppy drive.

Can't you enable AHCI by just installing Intel's Matrix Storage Manager/Technology?:

http://www.intel.com/support/chipsets/imsm/

http://www.intel.com/support/chipsets/imst/

[Room101]

OK, nevermind. Now I finally found it in the Intel documenation that you can't install unless you enable BIOS functions before and/or during Windows installation. The support pages on their website made it sound like you just run the .exe installer and reboot.

[xpgeek]

I can't figure out what southbridge I have. Just says ICH7 Family. Anyone know which setting I would use?

[xpgeek]

Nevermind. I ran the Intel Chipset Identification Utility, and it said ICH7DH SATA Controller found in AHCI mode, so its already in that mode, which I realized when I checked the BIOS too.

[Nathanael]

Tried this on XP x64 - blue screen when loading XP.

Wen't back to native mode, works fine. I'll go AHCI on next reinstall.

[loc[a]lhost]

Of course, the driver I posted is for 32-bit Windows.

[Alexandrus]

Any way of making AHCI work on ICH8R based chipsets ?

The driver is only for mobile chipsets.

[Anarion]

Is it possible to do this for Asus P5B motherboard?

[6785077276]

Download the Intel Matrix Storage Manager and it will install the ACHI driver. Just reboot and enable ACHI in the BIOS.

[Anarion]

I did that but it didn't work but I solved that problem by plug in my main hdd to Jmicron controller and then installing ahci driver manually. Ahci work really well now. :)

[NINRocket]

I literally spent a DAY trying to get AHCI to work. I was trying to load WMCE and after pressing F6, loading the drivers, and watching Windows install....my PC would crash and reboot at the Loading Windows screen (the one you see right after post with the animated bar).

I tried everything I could think of (believe me....that is a lot of stuff....I'm 39 and been building PC's since I was 12)

THIS WORKED LIKE A CHAMP!!!!!!!!!!!!!

THANK YOU, THANK YOU, AND THANKS A HECK OF A LOT!!!!!!

:D :) :laugh: :rofl: :woot: :yes:

One note for anyone attempting this procedure. In step 6 the instructions say REPLACE. Notepad has a REPLACE feature. USE IT! It will keep you from making a typo like another poster did.

[TimB.]

Any solution for an ICH8R southbridge? I'm stumped.

TIA,

Tim

[ScottFern]

Sounds like us guys with the ICH8R are stuck with reformatting and then setting AHCI mode? When installing windows xp on a AHCI sata hard drive are any intel drivers required via floppy?

[Zlatan]

hi to all! i'm Ruben from italy. I have a p5b deluxe and two 250gb sata2. I would like to know where to connect those hd. I know that there are difference between red and black connector. I would like to know also how to set sata on bios and which driver install. i have read of ahci but i don't understand very well what is it. thank you for your help and sorry for my bad english

[Ropera]

Here is the solution (it worked fine for me)

With the BIOS on IDE open Regedit and go to:

HKLM\System\CurrentControlSet\Services\msahci\Start

and change whatever you have on DWORD to '0'

Raboot

Reboot again, enter BIOS

Change IDE to AHCI, Save

Let the OS redetect your drives

Reboot

That's it, hope it helps

[orion23]

Any news regarding this guide but with the ICH9 chipset?

[Labtec]

Any news regarding this guide but with the ICH9 chipset?

I have the P35 chipset w/ ICH9 (Gigabyte P35-DS3R)... with an existing Vista installation I did this:

HKLM\System\CurrentControlSet\Services\msahci\Start

and change whatever you have on DWORD to '0' (default value was 4)

like Ropera mentioned, I installed the Intel Matrix Program/Drivers, rebooted went into Bios... changed from RAID/IDE to AHCI save and everything went fine...

[FabricioGS]

I used that method originally on my Asus P5W DH Deluxe for both Windows XP 32 bits and Vista 32 bits but now I have a double problem:

Now I have a Asus P5K Deluxe with ICH9 and I'm with both Windows XP and Vista x64 edition.

So instead of this drivers version on the firts post (http://www-307.ibm.com/pc/support/site.wss/document.do?lndocid=MIGR-62909), I'll have to get another one right?

I have the P35 chipset w/ ICH9 (Gigabyte P35-DS3R)... with an existing Vista installation I did this:

HKLM\System\CurrentControlSet\Services\msahci\Start

and change whatever you have on DWORD to '0' (default value was 4)

like Ropera mentioned, I installed the Intel Matrix Program/Drivers, rebooted went into Bios... changed from RAID/IDE to AHCI save and everything went fine...

Can you post a print screen of all DWORD keys you have under \Start forlder? Inside mine HKLM\System\CurrentControlSet\Services\ it doesn't even have a \msahci or \msahci\Start forlders, I'm confused :wacko:

Please help me, I'm desperate.