Enabling AHCI - what am I doing wrong?

[Tim Colwill]

Hello friends,

Back in April I reviewed the Lite-On 128GB SSD. I pointed out then that I couldn't get AHCI working because my computer just wouldn't boot. Many of you recommended that I reinstall Windows with the AHCI drivers ready to load in, and do it that way. I didn't have time, so I put it off - but now I've got another SSD to review, and I'm trying to go the whole hog on this one.

So here's what I've done:

1) Installed Windows 7 on the new SSD, with the AHCI drivers from Gigabyte loaded in on a USB. Check.

2) Enabled AHCI in the BIOS. Check.

3) Followed the steps here and changed my registry values at HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\System\CurrentControlSet\Services\Msahci and HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\System\CurrentControlSet\Services\IastorV. Check.

Yet despite all this, when I fire up the AS SSD benchmarking tool, it still tells me I'm using PCIIDE and tells me I'm 'bad'.

So I'm a little bit at my wit's end here. Is there anything else I could possibly be doing to fix this?

Appreciate any and all help you can give!

[Bek]

Pretty sure you only do the registry edit IF you've installed windows on the driver under PCI mode and want to switch to AHCI?

Just to get this right, did you install the SSD, put the BIOS mode for that drive to AHCI, then install windows?

[Tim Colwill]

Hrm, no - I installed the SSD, then installed Windows, then switched the BIOS to AHCI for that drive.

Maybe that is what I am doing wrong! You think I should have done it the other way around?

[Fireslide]

I'd always enable AHCI in bios first after putting in SSD. Then install windows.

[Bek]

Yeah, if you have to switch to AHCI from IDE then windows has a cry and you have to do the reg edit to get it to work again. I can't remember but I think there are some other reasons why it's better to begin on AHCI other than not having to do a regedit.. might google this out of curiosity since I've switched to AHCI.

Before you do anything, is there another way to check if its currently IDE or AHCI other than your benchmarking tool? Because the regedit + changing the SSD to AHCI in bios SHOULD be putting it in AHCI.

[Tim Colwill]

Alrighty, well I'll give that a shot then and see how it goes.

As for there being another way to do it, I'm not sure. If anybody knows of one, let me know!

[lee.]

http://www.overclock.net/t/1227636/how- ... t_16684674

That's all I know about it :>

[Bek]

Interestingly enough my bios is in AHCI, although every reference in the SSD's properties mentions IDE. (Drive > Properties > Hardware > Properties > Details tab "Enumerator" from drop down box = 'ide' despite registry being edited).

Tim does it say AHCI mode in the POST screen? Because if the bios is definitely running ahci mode than I guess you can confidently conclude that the benchmark program is wrong?

[Tim Colwill]

Well, when I boot up it loads the AHCI drivers and has a lengthy screen showing me a listing of connected drives, so I am pretty sure that it's in AHCI mode, I just thought a benchmarking tool would pick it up :/

I guess I should just conclude that if it boots in AHCI, AHCI drivers are installed, I'm probably using AHCI?!

For my next trick: setting my drive mode to AHCI in the BIOS means that I can't boot from CD apparently, so I can't install Windows. Hurrr. *headdesk*

[-Slayer-]

Alrighty, well I'll give that a shot then and see how it goes.

As for there being another way to do it, I'm not sure. If anybody knows of one, let me know!

Not sure if its been covered Tim, but I run IDE and SATA and in the process of getting an SSD and just changed my system to run the AHCI yesterday, I never could in the past as I'd get an error at windows bootup.

I ran the little fix program from microsoft and it's changed it over successfully.
http://support.microsoft.com/kb/922976

You'll see part way down the page this section.
Fix this problem
Microsoft Fix it 50470
http://go.microsoft.com/?linkid=9741862

To check it's done it properly go into control panel and click Device Manager open the IDE ATA/ATAPI controllers, if you have changed over to AHCI it should be showing a reference to AHCI in there, confirming it has been done properly.

Edit: bugga to late, Tim seems to have got it fixed.

Well, when I boot up it loads the AHCI drivers and has a lengthy screen showing me a listing of connected drives, so I am pretty sure that it's in AHCI mode,

Yes mine does that now as well.

[Bek]

I think it was Shinnanigans who suggested or was asking about the long POST times with AHCI, I think the fix was to remove CD drives from the bootable media list? Afaik you SHOULD be able to boot from disks in AHCI mode though? Unless boot devices are set up to not include AHCI cd drives? Might want to check that.

[Nightstaar]

Well, when I boot up it loads the AHCI drivers and has a lengthy screen showing me a listing of connected drives, so I am pretty sure that it's in AHCI mode, I just thought a benchmarking tool would pick it up :/

I guess I should just conclude that if it boots in AHCI, AHCI drivers are installed, I'm probably using AHCI?!

For my next trick: setting my drive mode to AHCI in the BIOS means that I can't boot from CD apparently, so I can't install Windows. Hurrr. *headdesk*

Install Windows from a USB key. Very quick and easy to do!

[Tim Colwill]

I ran the little fix program from microsoft and it's changed it over successfully.
http://support.microsoft.com/kb/922976

You'll see part way down the page this section.
Fix this problem
Microsoft Fix it 50470
http://go.microsoft.com/?linkid=9741862

To check it's done it properly go into control panel and click Device Manager open the IDE ATA/ATAPI controllers, if you have changed over to AHCI it should be showing a reference to AHCI in there, confirming it has been done properly

I reinstalled again and ran this program, but it doesn't seem to have done anything As far as I can tell, it just edited the registry values that I mentioned above. When I head into the device manager, there's no reference to AHCI under the IDE ATA/ATAPI controllers. Cheers though

I guess I should somehow image my Windows 7 CD onto my USB key and create a bootable key so I can switch to AHCI mode before installing Windows? Any pro-tips on this, chaps? Strictly legit, natch.

[Nightstaar]

http://wintoflash.com/home/en/

[Tim Colwill]

Hotness, thanks Colsey! I'll do that now