HOWTO: enable AHCI mode after installing Windows

[Ratman907]

trust me ahci on a SB600 chipset is a no no , been their done that . Why ? The hard drive will run slower then using IDE mode

I wish I could stay in IDE emulation mode. It would save me a lot of headache. But it seems that means I can't use any exsting IDE drives now.

[JohannesM]

Hi.

first a BIG thank you to Ned Slider. I worked for a day for the solution itself. But my Problem was that I needed RAID, not AHCI. I was lucky, because i had a similiar Computer with the same type of RAID allready working. So i took the informations from the running system with RAID, and recreated the registry file of Ned Slider

AHCI.reg (Original of Ned Slider)

Windows Registry Editor Version 5.00
[HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SYSTEM\ControlSet001\Control\CriticalDeviceDatabase\pci#ven_8086&dev_2922&cc_0106]
"Service"="iaStor"
"ClassGUID"="{4D36E96A-E325-11CE-BFC1-08002BE10318}"
[HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SYSTEM\CurrentControlSet\Services\iaStor]
"Type"=dword:00000001
"Start"=dword:00000000
"Group"="SCSI miniport"
"ErrorControl"=dword:00000001
"ImagePath"="system32\\drivers\\iaStor.sys"
"tag"=dword:00000019
"DisplayName"="Intel AHCI Controller"
[HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SYSTEM\CurrentControlSet\Services\iaStor\Parameters]
"queuePriorityEnable"=dword:00000000
[HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SYSTEM\CurrentControlSet\Services\iaStor\Enum]
"0"="PCI\\VEN_8086&DEV_2922&SUBSYS_B0051458&REV_02\\3&13c0b0c5&0&FA"
"Count"=dword:00000001
"NextInstance"=dword:00000001

RAID.reg (recreated)

Windows Registry Editor Version 5.00
[HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SYSTEM\ControlSet001\Control\CriticalDeviceDatabase\pci#ven_8086&dev_2822&cc_0104]
"Service"="iaStor"
"ClassGUID"="{4D36E97B-E325-11CE-BFC1-08002BE10318}"
[HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SYSTEM\CurrentControlSet\Services\iaStor]
"Type"=dword:00000001
"Start"=dword:00000000
"Group"="SCSI miniport"
"ErrorControl"=dword:00000001
"ImagePath"="system32\\drivers\\iaStor.sys"
"tag"=dword:00000019
"DisplayName"="Intel RAID Controller"
[HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SYSTEM\CurrentControlSet\Services\iaStor\Parameters]
"queuePriorityEnable"=dword:00000000
[HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SYSTEM\CurrentControlSet\Services\iaStor\Enum]
"0"="PCI\\VEN_8086&DEV_2822&SUBSYS_4F4A8086&REV_02\\3&61aaa01&0&FA"
"Count"=dword:00000001
"NextInstance"=dword:00000001

U need to delete the reg key HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SYSTEM\CurrentControlSet\Services\iaStor first, before u install the raid.reg

Oh, and the Hardware Information: a intel DQ35JO Mainboard, with a ICH9DO

So Far
- Johannes M.

[scopitony]

Ned,
Great set of instructions. After following the instructions. I see ICH9 enabled under device manager. However, when I boot with AHCI enabled BSOD!

The sata drive was created from an IDE using Acronis TrueImage 10 of XP SP2.
The MB is an EP35 DS3L. What can I do at this point? Uninstall the ICH9 and try reinstalling?
I need AHCI enabled to dual boot with Linux and also have secondary sata drives that xp is not seeing.

Thanks.

I'm guessing it could be one of the two following, but I'm hoping that someone with more expertise has a better idea of how to fix it: 1. Also, I may not have installed Intel iacp files correctly. "using installer with -a switch was a bit vague I tried it from command line, and by double clicking on it at first before using the installer application. Not sure if this made something worse? 2. Could the registry file need changes for the ep35 board?... Not sure what else it could be.

[BLACkNDBLUE]

If neither of the registries work, and the system still reboots after my failure, can i just delete those registries and remove that sys file? im hopping the reg file didnt overwrite something else of importance. because this doesnt work it wont cause anything out of the ordinary will it? like OS corruption. my OS still starts.

[210]

Hi everybody!

I'm runin' Windows XP Professional (SP3 via update from SP2, 32 bit) on this system:
MB: Asus PQ5L-E (Intel P43/ICH10R --- Storage - Southbridge: 6 xSATA 3 Gb/s ports, Intel Matrix Storage Technology Support RAID 0,1,5,10, PCIe Storage Controller, 1 x UltraDMA 133/100/66 for up to 2 PATA devices, 1 x eSATA 3 Gb/s)
CPU: P4 3,2 GHz HT 1Mb L2 Cache / 800 MHz FSB (540)
RAM: 4x1GB Kingston Hyper Dualchanell @ 1066MHz (reduced @800MHz because of CPU's FSB and 3,25GB only available in WXP 32bit)
HDD: 320GB WD SATA II, 200GB Seagate SATA I, 80GB Seagate SATA I, 80GB WD IDE
Optical: Nec DVD-RW IDE, Asus DVD-RW SATA

Latest Updates on everything, including BIOS.

Of course my XP install was done under IDE mode in BIOS... I had no clue at that time that the system would not see all my drives.

I need to enable AHCI in order to be able to access the IDE - 80GB WD HDD.

With IDE mode in BIOS Windows only sees ALL my other drives. Including the IDE DVD-RW.

If i connect the 80GB IDE HDD (IDE mode in BIOS, with or without the IDE DVD-RW connected on the same cable as slave or cable select) the system boots but instead of the password screen it's just a BLACK screen (no mouse pointer) and i have to hard restart it (using the button on the case).

I've followed the instructions but if i try to boot with AHCI mode activated in BIOS i still get the bluescreen and restart. Note: I just found this forum and it looks much more serious than the one i've found yesterday and used the regfile from there (it said there that it works for ICH10 and the instructions were the same as here).

WHAT IS THE CORRECT REGFILE for my P43/ICH10R chipsets? Or what else should I do?! Please help!

Thanks.


PS: Please excuse any mistakes that may have slipped in my post.
Not a native English speaker. Thanks again!

[brothergc]

Hi everybody!

I'm runin' Windows XP Professional (SP3 via update from SP2, 32 bit) on this system:
MB: Asus PQ5L-E (Intel P43/ICH10R --- Storage - Southbridge: 6 xSATA 3 Gb/s ports, Intel Matrix Storage Technology Support RAID 0,1,5,10, PCIe Storage Controller, 1 x UltraDMA 133/100/66 for up to 2 PATA devices, 1 x eSATA 3 Gb/s)
CPU: P4 3,2 GHz HT 1Mb L2 Cache / 800 MHz FSB (540)
RAM: 4x1GB Kingston Hyper Dualchanell @ 1066MHz (reduced @800MHz because of CPU's FSB and 3,25GB only available in WXP 32bit)
HDD: 320GB WD SATA II, 200GB Seagate SATA I, 80GB Seagate SATA I, 80GB WD IDE
Optical: Nec DVD-RW IDE, Asus DVD-RW SATA

Latest Updates on everything, including BIOS.

Of course my XP install was done under IDE mode in BIOS... I had no clue at that time that the system would not see all my drives.

I need to enable AHCI in order to be able to access the IDE - 80GB WD HDD.

With IDE mode in BIOS Windows only sees ALL my other drives. Including the IDE DVD-RW.

If i connect the 80GB IDE HDD (IDE mode in BIOS, with or without the IDE DVD-RW connected on the same cable as slave or cable select) the system boots but instead of the password screen it's just a BLACK screen (no mouse pointer) and i have to hard restart it (using the button on the case).

I've followed the instructions but if i try to boot with AHCI mode activated in BIOS i still get the bluescreen and restart. Note: I just found this forum and it looks much more serious than the one i've found yesterday and used the regfile from there (it said there that it works for ICH10 and the instructions were the same as here).

WHAT IS THE CORRECT REGFILE for my P43/ICH10R chipsets? Or what else should I do?! Please help!

Thanks.


PS: Please excuse any mistakes that may have slipped in my post.
Not a native English speaker. Thanks again!

The IHC10R is not supported in windows xp , I have tryed see this thread
http://forums.pcper.com/showthread.php?t=459609
That is why I bought a X48 chipset board becasue it has the IHC9R chip
hope some one can figure this out but I had no luck

[210]

Are you sure man?!

As far as I know the chipset ICH10 has no support for AHCI but ICH10R
has.

Check out these links:
http://www.intel.com/support/chipset.../CS-012304.htm

http://www.asus.com/products.aspx?l1...72&modelmenu=2 <--- this is my MB with P43/ICH10R.

[bobburney]

I was able to switch to AHCI after an IDE XP install using the drivers in my P5Q Premium DVD. I did a new install then copied the new registry entries to the old hard drive.

[failurbydesign]

This is a great guide, but after i setup AHCI, features on my dvdrw drive will no longer work unless its in IDE mode, so after going back to IDE mode, i get the BSOD! Is there anyway to make this work both ways, or is it one way or the highway?

Thanks

[pcsupp999]

i called up my vendor and said, hey, what does your company sell
me?

AHCI still on many boards like still the DP35DP from Intel
not working with XP64.

By the way, what means "BSOD"? Black screen on display?
B*ll Sh*t Overdose?

I get "Error loading operating system", that'll be "ELOS", then, ey?


I'm a pro supporter fro 12 years now and this AHCI on my ICH9 board
as well as the mass usb media issue bugs me. can't walk around not
being able to get chipset, sata and mass usb drivers to work on 64bit
OSs.


It's not my fault. Non est mea culpa, in latinum.


Did all the steps told here and elsewhere, googled it all. Nada, yada,
yada.

Symptoms, for anyone who cares or has the same/similar prob:


- When I connect more than one sata drive to the board and
start the PC even in the "old" native or legacy mode, I have
a funny black screen with RANDOM NUMBERS on it applied randomly
over the text screen!
Then, the PC hangs. Well, my other drive is a non-windows-native
truecrypt safe. Haven't tried a normal HD, will buy tomorrow and
try to get AHCI to start FROM THE START of the installation
and hereby tagging the disk with the AHCI-Bootblock (!) either
with nLite or with a diskette drive dug out of some weboverwoven box.

- On the Intel DP35DP board, SATA integration is fussy and messy.
As well as with my expensive 18-inch Acer Laptop, one buys expensive
stuff and gets... BS, PURE BS!

When I fuss around too much with Native and Legacy it can happen
that the WHOLE bootblock is erased (!) and so no more windows
bootscreen, but even in LEGACY IDE mode "error loading operating
system".

There, only a Bios-reset with the yellow now well-made jumper
helps.

- On another now broken (!) XP64 installation, I deactivated all
other USB ports than the one for my USB mouse and keyboard.
They worked fine.

I never deactivated my own keyboard and mouse, how could I.

But after I updated my BIOS (it had no more bios reset option
afterwards, sadly, and no more "PNP OS installed" option, either!)
and after I installed the new intel software from their site,
this XP64-installation would load fine, but no mouse and keyboard
movement. IRQs are locked when before the update of BIOS and software
from intel, some usb devices were deactivated. How stupid.
One should always make at least two hardware profiles. that way,
one can choose them before booting. or have an acronis backup with
no deactivated devices or at least a running one.

- Ipod on XP64 on an intel ICH9 DP35DP board? Forget it. NAda. Ole!

- so also no usb-converters leading to external sata or ide drives.
how superbe.

one buys a quadcore and then this.

- a tinyvista would help here, or a crystal vista. or an nlited
xp64 weith ahci and mass usb driver support.

- or go away now from Micro"schrott", as we say in german (meaning
trash) and on to linux. problem here: no gaming of native windows
games, a hard one. then: no windows software. oops.

- I still ask myself why my PC goes into berserk mode when in legacy
or native IDE mode, I connect more than one harddisk. It should
translate more than one drive into the corresponding IDE device
driver.
As I wrote, clean drives help a lot here. Already intialized
harddisks may be unsuitable to boot into XP64 in AHCI mode,
succesfully.

When that happens, my day will be made.

- AND I ask myself why XP64 doesn't recognize any drive anymore
when in AHCI mode. "Error loading operating System", and not "BSOD".
(Dunno what that means, anyway, "BSOD". "Bloody Superman on Daisy"?

For many people it must have worked, the change to AHCI in XP64
after installation. For many NOT.

Simply adding those indicated reg files and copying iastor.sys
to the driver folder in system32 doesn't work.

Also, the author DOESN'T explain how to copy that file, where to,
when one has XP64.

Do I have to put iastor.sys from the 64-folder into the WoWsystem64\
drivers folder AND also the 64 OR 32 bit iastor.sys to the normal
system32 folder?

Badly explained! "Respectively" doesn't help, not even me, and I'm
a pro Supporter more experienced than many except in THIS stupid
case!!!

EDIT: I had two devices with question marks in a fresh xp64 install:
Some "PCI Simple Device" and some "SM BUS".

I downloaded the new ICH9 DO drivers and selected them, dunno wether ME
or DO is the right choice for my intel DP35DP ICH9 board.

I installed the DO driver of ICH9 for BOTH of those devices, and they work, at least
no question mark anymore and two same devices installed.

But somehow for sure, I think that's not quite the right way. Putting the same
driver for two diffrent devices.

I even before, on the now locked up old xp64 installation, got it to run that windows
at least SEES the second harrdisk - that was on the native version of the board BIOS
bought some year ago. But still, there was a question mark. I should have put that device
to the right driver, but that was all still in native or legacy IDE mode.

How it's done that there's no more "error loading operating system"-message, is a hard,
but necessary one.

all folks, please help. thank you so much. where is the intelligencia that was here some
years ago. Free info and entertainment and education for evry human being.

EDIT (on second day after post): Hey, no stress, folks, may thee rejoice in relaxation and building up your own dreams against the owerpower from aobve. But please, someone come and REALLY solve the AHCI and mass USB issue on XP64. Thank you. Gonna check here once a week from now on, would be thankful if this thread's question was answered for all once and for all. Make it so, energize, number one.

[sturdy]

I was able to switch to AHCI after an IDE XP install using the drivers in my P5Q Premium DVD. I did a new install then copied the new registry entries to the old hard drive.

Hi Bob,

I have a dual boot P5Q-E running XP Pro and ubuntu 8.1 linux, both installed in IDE mode. I'm told linux prefers AHCI so am considering the change. Can you give me the details of your retrofit?

I assume you changed BIOS to AHCI then idid second XP install with F6 drivers. Then copied which reg entries to first XP install? Copy drivers, too?

Much thanks...

Sturdy

[electro77]

So if you install WinXP in AHCI mode it will work automatically?

[ShivianD]

The IHC10R is not supported in windows xp , I have tryed see this thread
http://forums.pcper.com/showthread.php?t=459609
That is why I bought a X48 chipset board becasue it has the IHC9R chip
hope some one can figure this out but I had no luck

I had the exact same experience as you with F6 for the AHCI drivers but followed the steps in this thread to solve my problem.

The reg file I used for my ICH10R was this:

Windows Registry Editor Version 5.00

[HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SYSTEM\ControlSet001\Control\CriticalDeviceDatabase\pci#ven_8086&dev_3A22&cc_0106]
"Service"="iaStor"
"ClassGUID"="{4D36E96A-E325-11CE-BFC1-08002BE10318}"

[HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SYSTEM\CurrentControlSet\Services\iaStor]
"Type"=dword:00000001
"Start"=dword:00000000
"Group"="SCSI miniport"
"ErrorControl"=dword:00000001
"ImagePath"="system32\\drivers\\iaStor.sys"
"tag"=dword:00000019
"DisplayName"="Intel AHCI Controller"

[HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SYSTEM\CurrentControlSet\Services\iaStor\Parameters]
"queuePriorityEnable"=dword:00000000

[HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SYSTEM\CurrentControlSet\Services\iaStor\Enum]
"0"="PCI\\VEN_8086&DEV_3A22&SUBSYS_B0051458&REV_02\\3&13c0b0c5&0&FA"
"Count"=dword:00000001
"NextInstance"=dword:00000001

Just followed the other steps the OP listed and everything worked great. I'm one happy chappy!

[reapher]

I can confirm that this works for Gigabyte EP45 P45/ICH10R boards

[bobburney]

Hi Bob,

I have a dual boot P5Q-E running XP Pro and ubuntu 8.1 linux, both installed in IDE mode. I'm told linux prefers AHCI so am considering the change. Can you give me the details of your retrofit?

I assume you changed BIOS to AHCI then idid second XP install with F6 drivers. Then copied which reg entries to first XP install? Copy drivers, too?

Much thanks...

Sturdy

I used the procedure from the beginning of this forum. The drivers are available on the Asus download page.