Just a quick heads up... Intel released new drivers yesterday and it seems as if they have changed some things inside the .inf files. Has anyone had a chance to look into this? I'd really like to try this out, but I'd also prefer to use the latest drivers if possible.

I will install system onto other HDD with these in few mins. What exactly do you want to know?

Well, I can tell you that the steps listed in the first post are no longer valid for the latest drivers. I'm sure I could figure out how to achieve the same results based on the previous instructions, but I was just wondering if anyone was already working on that. I'm sort of hoping that Intel changes their minds and incorporates AHCI support into their driver, but I can tell you I tried to slipstream these into my last Windows install and it didnt work.

Just to note:
The line that was originally supposed to be replaced in the .inf file is no longer present.

Hm, well, I just installed the system with help of a diskette with the driver so I can't really comment on this. Didn't work otherwise.
But once installed, it works perfectly. I even have an impression it's a bit faster.

Perhaps I should clarify...
I'm running a Gigabyte GA-EP35-DS3L (with ICH9)
I would like to enable AHCI in Windows XP
The initial post by puntomx described how to do that on a current installation after some minor modifications.
On page 3 of this topic, a method for doing this on a fresh install is also listed by Vascoman
Both methods are basically the same, with the only real exception being a registry edit

What I'm saying is that the instructions listed in both of those posts are no longer valid for the latest chipset drivers, posted on June 2nd, because the line that needs to be replaced is not present. I was just wondering if the original poster or anyone else has had a chance to look into this yet. I have not tried anything yet myself, other than seeing if Intel had incorporated support for AHCI on ICH9 in those drivers. Unless I messed up when I slipstreamed the drivers into my Windows install cd, the answer is no.

Oh, shame on me, not installation, but messing about with already installed system. Nevermind then

I would like to look into it but I have my system now up and running with Vista. If you have time and you like to contribute I would be very pleased with it. Sure you will get the credits .

Hi puntoMX
We had some private testers going at the "beta", and now that the official AHCI is released by intel, we put up a driverpack for mass storage including that new driver.

I will eventually be able to personally test all BIOS settings in a ICH7, an ICH9 and an ICH9R.
XP live tests take time, and I wish I had 46 hours in a day.

What I am saying is that driverpack.net have a testpack with the latest, ready for integration, and we are interested about comparatives and (also) on how it does without us hacking into files. (you know that when it works well without a hack, you don't want to break it.)

I promised we would not forget you people, and I hope intel made the right choice for you.
You see, IF it can be done by F6, it can be done by driverpacks.
(I will also soon look at adding USB drives to driverpacks, so that ...)

EDIT.. my personal tests so far were on a hi end gigabyte mobo, ICH9R, in a raid5 array. (blot in that HW is a Jmicron duplicate for tertiary controller. mobo has 8 sata rails.).
other testplank is an abit with ICH9 (which does not offer AHCI in BIOS mobo has six sata rails.)

I am saying I've got some freaks to test. (I have stored 7 issue rich testplanks).
Some of these boards should not have been sold to public. I kept these as litmus test.

Hi

Just updated to the new 8.2.0.1001 drivers. I was previously using 7.8 installed with the instructions provided here. All I did to update was change the inf file on the new drivers, and update using device manager. Everything good so far.

Using Gigabyte GA-P35-S3L with bios F6 and Win XP Pro SP2

Thanks

Can I second the request for post 1 and the page 3 alternative to be updated. I downloaded latest and got confused as hell. BTW, its Ctrl-H not Ctrl-R for Search/Replace... that got me confused before I even found out that there is no 2923 to search for in first place!!!

Giea sas friends,
I tried an Abit IX38 GuardGT with the following controllers:

Intel® ICH9 2 port Serial ATA Storage Controller 2 - 2926
Intel® ICH9 4 port Serial ATA Storage Controller 1 - 2920
JMicron JMB363 Sata / Pata Controller.


In step 2 and 3 I replaced “2923” to “2920” in all needed places
also in registry file but bsod and restart...

Any advise?

PS: If things were gone ok I could add all other lines for 2926 but...

Things went ok!

1) download intel AHCI drivers version 8.2.0.1001
1) copy iastor.sys to windows\system32\drivers\
2) install modified iaAHCI.inf (*)
3) reboot
4) change in bios from IDE to AHCI
5) and vouala! AHCI ENABLED!

(*) Change line 44 from:
44 : %PCI\VEN_8086&DEV_2922&CC_0106.DeviceDesc% = iaStor_Inst, PCI\VEN_8086&DEV_2922&CC_0106

to:
44 : %PCI\VEN_8086&DEV_2920&CC_0106.DeviceDesc% = iaStor_Inst, PCI\VEN_8086&DEV_2920&CC_0106
44b: %PCI\VEN_8086&DEV_2926&CC_0106.DeviceDesc% = iaStor_Inst, PCI\VEN_8086&DEV_2926&CC_0106

line 54 from:
54 :%PCI\VEN_8086&DEV_2922&CC_0106.DeviceDesc% = iaStor_Inst, PCI\VEN_8086&DEV_2922&CC_0106

to:
54 :%PCI\VEN_8086&DEV_2920&CC_0106.DeviceDesc% = iaStor_Inst, PCI\VEN_8086&DEV_2920&CC_0106
54b :%PCI\VEN_8086&DEV_2926&CC_0106.DeviceDesc% = iaStor_Inst, PCI\VEN_8086&DEV_2926&CC_0106

line 214 from:
214 :PCI\VEN_8086&DEV_2922&CC_0106.DeviceDesc = "Intel® ICH9R/DO/DH SATA AHCI Controller"

to:
214 :PCI\VEN_8086&DEV_2920&CC_0106.DeviceDesc = "Intel® ICH9R/DO/DH SATA AHCI Controller"
214b:PCI\VEN_8086&DEV_2926&CC_0106.DeviceDesc = "Intel® ICH9R/DO/DH SATA AHCI Controller"._

PuntoMX,

THANKS for this. It worked like a champ for my Asus P5K-DLX, though it took a little bit of sleuthing to realize that in skipping part 2 of your instructions, I also had to adjust the registry tweak.

I also tried it on my son's PC, which has the P5E3 board, and it worked fine, but his Samsung 203N drives do NOT like it and freeze up. my plextor 760a had no issue.

Did anyone else have an issue with a Samsung DVD?

thanks again for the guide.

take care
George

No issues here so far, it must be the AHCI BIOS version of the P5E3 board in combination with that drive, check out this topic too.

You´re welcome, and again welcome to be on the board .

Hi, thanks for the nice guide.

Hi wz1012, welcome to the forum. So you found no problems of what so ever?

Hi, Punto.

This is what brought me to this site. Great guide.

Hi, thanks for this great guide, but I followed these instructions and tried to enable achi, and it's not working for me.

I tried both the iaStor that was linked to in this article, as well as the latest one from Intel. I did try to right click install the driver(before I found this article) and also tried the older set of registry changes.

I'm running windows xp pro (32) sp3. In Event Viewer, I see an event: The following boot-start or system-start driver(s) failed to load: iaStor.
In C:\WINDOWS\system32\drivers I have iaStor.sys size 301kb (304kb on disk) version 7.8.0.1012 (when right clicking it)

What can I do to trouble shoot this and what can i look for? Thanks very much!

Update: I don't know if it was the driver version I used or what, but I was transcoding some video today and got a BSOD.
Driver IRQ less then equal, I think it was. I switched back to IDE mode and all is good.

I successfully changed to AHCI after installing XP x64 SP1, but now I need to change it back to IDE because of some performance issues (freezing and stuttering) when copying files between two drives (Samsung F1 1TB and WD Raptor 150GB).

I assume I have to force install the IDE driver instead, but I can't figure out which one it is. I'm using a Asus P5Q Deluxe board with Intel ICH10R chipset.

Hi,
You mention 64bits.

It has been quite a while I last ran XP64 and cannot say for sure it uses same registry entries.
(( but, I doubt the procedure described applies to X64 ))

Just set it to IDE in the BIOS and all should be back to where it was (besides some REG entries and files that will not be used but are present on the hard disk ).

It´s the same, but some 32bit drivers would not work 100% on a 64bit system...

Hi.

I have an ICH8M sata controller and I was wondering is this guide applies to that one too. Specifically, those numbers in iaahci.inf -- changing "2821" to "2923" -- are those the right numbers for ICH8M too?

Thanks

You'll have to check the INF file, but
2821 = 82801 (ICH8R) SATA AHCI Controller
2923 = 82801IB/IR/IH (ICH9 Family) 4 port SATA AHCI Controller

I think you need to look for:-
2828 = 82801 (ICH8M) 3 port SATA Controller

.

I looked for 2828 in iaahci.inf and got 0 matches.
There is this line but as you can see it's 2829.

Here's what I did:
- I followed step 2 of this guide, only I replaced 2821 with 2828
- I followed step 3, only I modified it with data taken from Device Manager:

- I saved the .reg file, added it to the registry and rebooted
- I enabled Sata native mode in my bios and rebooted again
The result was the same STOP error on a BSoD

Can someone please point out what I'm doing wrong?

I am not really an expert on this, but I do know you should not change the class (CC_nnnn)

from CC_0106 (= AHCI)
to CC_0101 (= IDE)

I can't advise you on the subsystem values as that is beyond me.

And, yes 2829 (and 282A) are also ICH8 mobile as well as 2828. But they should already be in the .INF

.

James_A, thanks for the tips. I changed 0101 to 0106 but still no joy. Anything else I could try?

Never mind, it's working now

Thanks to Linux I managed to get it to work.

Turns out it was 2829, Device Manager only reported 2828 because it was emulating an IDE controller. I enabled Sata native mode, booted Kubuntu 8.04 (installed alongside XP) and issued an command. Here's the relevant part of its output:


So I modified that registry file:

I added it to the registry, rebooted, enabled Sata native mode again, and this time XP started without a glitch. The "Found new hardware" popped up. When it asked for the driver for the Ahci controller I pointed it to the folder containing iaahci.inf, etc. It was not necessary to modify iaahci.inf at all.

I hope someone finds this useful.

Certainly it's useful to me: I already have Ubuntu 8.04, just never thought to use it to solve a Windows chip ID problem.

That's going in my "on-site" toolbox right now. Thanks for the info.

.

How do I roll back to IDE by the way? AHCI is only giving me random BSOD so I want to get back to IDE without reinstalling. Thanks.

Just switch to IDE in the BIOS, Windows will then use Microsoft drivers for IDE mode.

doesn't work, I get BSOD

http://support.microsoft.com/kb/314082/
Import mergeide.reg and extract files Atapi.sys, Intelide.sys, Pciide.sys, and Pciidex.sys.

Normaly that should work. Try the Microsoft way like cdob says.

List of needed files and driver packs:
MagicISO (Only needed when you don’t want or can not use a floppy disk.)
32-bit Floppy Configuration Utility for Intel® Matrix Storage Manager



32-bit floppy... link is not working and you talk about exe file. what exe file? can u add here another link? i try to solve this problem but stopped here. Link broken (notfound) and about exe file. I need help with 1. and 1.1

Yes, the link is down for real but its intel fail

Below links to the latest version of the tool:

32-bit Floppy Configuration Utility for Intel® Matrix Storage Manager
64-bit Floppy Configuration Utility for Intel® Matrix Storage Manager

I did this step. I attached my iaahci.inf here


I did this file too and launched it.

And enabled AHCI in bios
But i still get that blue screen.
Can you help me to fix it?

I can't really help, have a X48 board which comes with a ICH9R (RAID+AHCI support by default). I use the same driver package for my unattended setup and everything works fine - but i have a divverent northbridge which supports ahci by default.

Try the following:
1) download the 32-bit Floppy Configuration Utility for Intel® Matrix Storage Manager, open the zip file and extract it to c:\tempdrv
2) open your device manager and open the properties for your controller. on the details tab you can get the VEN- and DEV-IDs we need. Your VEN-ID should be VEN_8086.
3) open iaAHCI.inf with notepad, press Ctrl+H, enter in the first field "DEV_2821" and in the second your own DEV-ID (e.g. DEV_3445), then click on "Replace all". Press Ctrl+S and then Alt+F4.
4) install the new driver using the device manager (update/install driver)

If this does not help, begin from scratch again but at step 3) enter "DEV_2922" instead of "DEV_2821" into the first field.

If this does not help too, try if the driver is working for your device:
1) do the steps above except 4) but now with "DEV_2821" again
2) open TXTSETUP.OEM with notepad, press Ctrl+H, enter in the first field "DEV_2821" and in the second your own DEV-ID (e.g. DEV_3445), then click on "Replace all". Press Ctrl+S and then Alt+F4.
3) copy the files iaStor.sys, iaAHCI.inf, iaahci.cat, TXTSETUP.OEM to a floppy.
4) boot from a windows setup cd, press F6 at the beginning and insert the floppy. continue the setup until you are asked to select a partition on which you want to install windows. at this point you can eject your setup cd and reboot your pc (reboot-switch is advised instead of ctrl+alt+del).

if you have sucessfully arrived the "select partition" thingy, you can reboot your pc, the driver is working then. If not, try steps above but now with "DEV_2922".

DEV_2821 is Intel ICH8R/DH/DO
DEV_2922 is Intel ICH9R/DH/DO
what is DEV_2923 ??

attached i've the latest modified drivers (replaced DEV_2821 with DEV_2923).

ICR9 with 4 ports, non-RAID.

By the way, thank you for the updated links, it´s added to the first post with credits to you .

Guys,

I have GIGABYTE GA-EP45-DS3L mainboard and similar problem installing fresh XP with AHCI enabled.
Do you know what should be changed in IAAHCI.INF and OEMTEXT files to enable ICH10 (NOT ICHI10R!). I would like to install using F6 method and do not want to go with nLite preparing integrated distribution.

BTW, that is GREAT thread. Finally I was able to understand what is root of the problem, which is not explained by Gigabyte and Intel.

For "Intel® ICH9R/DO/DH SATA AHCI Controller" this reg file should work with the latest drivers (not necessary to edit the .inf file >http://downloadcenter.intel.com/T8Clearance.aspx?url=/17061/eng/f6flpy3286.zip&agr=Y&ProductID=2842&DwnldID=17061&lang=eng)

Windows Registry Editor Version 5.00

[HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SYSTEM\CurrentControlSet\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_30D8103C&REV_03\\3&B1BFB68&0&FA"
"Count"=dword:00000001
"NextInstance"=dword:00000001

I have a very similar issue and after much searching this is the closest to what I'm trying to accomplish. I'm hoping someone can tell me what I need to do in my case.

I have the Intel ICH9R raid controller. I'm trying to bring my old drive with XP Pro to my new PC. When I set the BIOS to IDE mode Windows starts fine but if I change it to RAID, I get the BSOD b/c Windows can't find the drivers. So in essence, I am trying to activate RAID under my existing XP installation. I have the ICH9R driver files already, but need help in getting Windows to find them at boot-up.

Can't you select AHCI at BIOS?

As for ICH9R use HardwareId PCI\VEN_8086&DEV_2822&CC_0104 or compatible ID PCI\VEN_8086&CC_0104

Try add settings too

Interestingly, I've managed to get AHCI mode to work by forcing a driver install from device manager. But no such luck with RAID mode b/c windows can't see it unless it's on in BIOS first. I'll give your suggestion a try when I get a chance. One question though, is the hardware device id different for different modes? A prior post mentioned id=2922 for ICH9R in AHCI mode I believe.

You cannot activate RAID after installing Windows on one HDD - RAID always need at least two drives and there are special informations required on the drives for a working raid.

If you want to use RAID you have to reformat and install windows again.


Yes, there are different DeviceIDs for different modes.

ICH9R AHCI: VEN_8086&DEV_2922
ICH9R RAID: VEN_8086&DEV_2822

If you want to enable AHCI for ICH9R in an existing windows installation, you don't have to edit any file since ICH9R already supports AHCI officially, only for ICH9 (and other "AHCI-less" chipsets) you have to modify!

What I plan to do is use imaging software to copy back my Windows after I set up RAID using two new drives. Hopefully, that'll work.

Hi.

There's something changed in the inf file from the 32bit storage driver that I downloaded by the link given in the first post .
I can't find the first line as quoted here:
Replace the line:

To:

These are the new lines in Iaaci.inf



Does someone know what to do now, I want to enable ICH9 at a Gigabyte p35-ds3 motherboard.

Thanks

Yes, in the latest driver package the description or the name of some devices are changed.

It is not important that you change the line you mentioned. You can even write "some Intel ICH chipset RAID" and windows will show that name in device manager.

If you want to follow the guide in first post, here it is partwise with the correct information:

Enable AHCI mode without having to reinstall Win XP

1- Extract Toshiba A300 WindowsXP 32bit ICH9M.zip
2- Copy the iaStor.sys File into the \Windows\System32\Drivers\
3- Run ich9m.reg
4- Reboot end enter BIOS and switch to AHCI-mode
5- Use the downloaded driver to install manually the driver when windows detect it.



Before:


After: