[computer_techie]

Ah, solved my own problem!! The solution was instead of choosing both Intel ICH7R controllers, I just chose one. I chose to use the Intel ICH7R/DH SATA AHCI Controller.

[Fernando 1]

computer_techie, on Jun 5 2009, 09:14 PM, said:

Ah, solved my own problem!! The solution was instead of choosing both Intel ICH7R controllers, I just chose one. I chose to use the Intel ICH7R/DH SATA AHCI Controller.

Thanks for your feedback.
By the way: I doubt, that the installation failed because you integrated both ICH7R Controllers. Usually it is not a problem, if you choose all listed Controllers, but it fails, if you miss the needed one.

Regards
Fernando

[hosch]

deleted by myself - problem solved.

This post has been edited by hosch: 20 June 2009 - 08:58 PM

[Bls]

Hello and welcome everyone,

I'm having an issue with my ASUS G1 laptop (full specs here http://en.gentoo-wik...m/wiki/Asus_G1). I'm kinda desperate as no one seems to find any suitable solution. I asked for help on many forums already, so let's say I MSFN's are my last hope
So here is my issue :

I've been using Vista for a long time, being pre-installed on my ASUS notebook, till I decided to install Windows XP aside. The main purpose of that dual boot system was to set a clean & french install of Windows XP only to run my games and get a real performance boost compared to Vista.
My problem is that I'm getting awful performance under Windows XP. For instance, everytime the hard drive is working, mouse movement stutters ; it also takes an unusual time to run not so heavy applications such as Firefox web browser (takes under 20 seconds on Windows XP compared to 3 seconds on Vista). I know that I shouldn't get such a low performance, especially on Windows XP, so there is definitely something wrong here.
I immediatly thought about drivers ; so far, when I was done with the XP installation & Windows Updates, I installed the intel chipset drivers, ACPI drivers and last, Nvidia drivers. Nothing helped, the overall performance is still slow, and mouse movement is anything but smooth whenever I run applications. Of course, I tried different drivers (first I've been downloading Windows XP drivers from Asus Website, then the newest versions of Intel's, etc), but nothing helped.
I should add that I didn't install any specific driver on my Vista partition and the performance is okay there (no matter how many applications I run, it goes blazing fast and mouse movement remains perfectly smooth and precise).

Some people from the official ASUS forums told me about the integration of SATA drivers within my XP installation CD ;I've already tried that, but maybe I did it wrong.
Just in case you might need to know, these are all the informations I could gather about my Chipset, on my Vista installation (which works perfectly fine and has no lag at all) :
http://img14.imagesh...i/22719399.jpg/

I've already burned a custom Windows XP CD, with the following configuration :
Under Nlite, I've chose to integrate drivers and make it a bootable CD. On the next step, I hit the Insert button, Single Driver, hit iaAHCI.inf (from the unpacked floppy disk that you mentioned, though I already had it before), and selected the chipset that seemed to match the most :
http://img14.imagesh...i/79663077.jpg/
Still, the issue ain't gone ...

Is there anything I did wrong ?

Thanks in advance for your help, and sorry for this long & annoying story

[Fernando 1]

@ Bls:

Welcome at MSFN Forums!

As far as I have read your post, you have done everything the right way. I have no idea about the real reason for your performance issues while running Windows XP.

This is what I would do, if I were you: I would not waste any further time with Windows XP, but install the latest available pre-RTM version of Windows 7 as a second OS for testing purposes. I am pretty sure, that you will forget Windows XP and probably even Vista after having worked and played with this upcoming OS.

If you want to stick with Windows XP, you may try the following:
1. Prepare a new Windows XP CD with integrated SP3 and integrated 32bit Intel textmode driver according to my guide by enabling the device named "Intel® ICH7M/MDH SATA AHCI Controller". Don't integrate anything else and don't remove or tweak anything.
2. After having completed the Windows XP installation, run the installer of the actual Intel Matrix Storage Manager and the Intel Chipset Driver Software ("INF Update Utility").
3. Install the other needed device drivers (take only actual WHQL signed ones).
4. Check the performance of your fresh XP system.
5. If you are not satisfied, open the "Disk Drives" section of the Device Manager, do a right click onte the listed hdd > "Properties" > search for the options to enable/disable the write cashing.
6. Disable the write cashing option.
7. Check the performance again.
Maybe you are able to solve your XP problems this way.

Good luck!
Fernando

[Bls]

Thank you for your quick reply.

The reason why I'm not switching to Windows 7, yet, is that I've been getting used for years to XP's mouse sensitivity (I've been using the same for years as a gamer within my favorite game). Also I'd rather wait for the Final version of the OS, which might be released in October.

About your solution ; if you take a look at my screenshot this is exactly what I've done before !
When I tried to install Intel Matrix Storage Manager, it would say my hardware ain't supported ...

[Fernando 1]

Bls, on Jun 21 2009, 03:04 PM, said:

When I tried to install Intel Matrix Storage Manager, it would say my hardware ain't supported ...

Then you either don't have enabled the AHCI Mode of your Intel SATA Controller (BIOS setting) or you have chosen the wrong version of the Intel Matrix Storage Manager. The v8.8.0.1009 should work with your Intel ICH7M SATA AHCI system.

[Bls]

I've download that correct version (8.8.0.1009).
Someone mentioned already the BIOS settings to be changed, thus I couldn't find it (and I looked everywhere already), maybe I should downgrade my BIOS (as I'm using the latest version ...).
Thing is, that BIOS settings cannot be responsible of that mouse stuttering & overall small performance as everything works fine under Vista ...

Edit: Write caching is enabled on Vista so that can't be the problem neither :/

This post has been edited by Bls: 21 June 2009 - 07:42 AM

[Fernando 1]

Bls, on Jun 21 2009, 03:26 PM, said:

Someone mentioned already the BIOS settings to be changed, thus I couldn't find it (and I looked everywhere already), maybe I should downgrade my BIOS (as I'm using the latest version ...).

Some laptop manufacturers do not implement the BIOS option to disabe the "AHCI Mode".
You can verify the SATA mode (AHCI or IDE) of your laptop by opening the XP Device Manager and looking into the "IDE ATA/ATAPI Controllers" and - if present - the "SCSI and RAID Controllers" sections. If you are running your SATA hdd in "AHCI Mode", you should see a device named "Intel® ICH7M/MDH SATA AHCI Controller". The non-AHCI system just shows the "Standard Dual Channel PCI IDE Controller".

This post has been edited by Fernando 1: 21 June 2009 - 09:54 AM

[Bls]

Yes. I've downgraded my BIOS and still couldn't find that option to switch between "Compatible" and "Enhanced" mode.
I took a screenshot from my XP device manager :
http://img523.images...i/33477218.jpg/

Hope it helps :S

[Fernando 1]

@ Bls:
Thanks for the screenshot, which really helps.
The listed device named "Intel® 82801GBM/GHM (ICH7-M Family) Serial ATA Storage Controller - 27C4" does not support AHCI. You got this device by integrating the Intel chipset device "drivers" or by running the installer of the "INF Update Utility". It has nothing to do with the drivers of the Intel Matrix Storage Manager. That is why you got the message, that no compatible device has been detected, when you tried to run the installer of the Matrix Storage Manager.
Since there is no "Intel ICH7M/MDH SATA AHCI Controller", the SATA hdd obviously is running in IDE Mode and not in AHCI Mode.
Conclusion:
1. You will be able to get Windows XP installed and running without loading or integrating any driver.
2. Ask the vendor of your laptop for the option to enable the AHCI Mode of the SATA Controller. Since your system has an ICH7M chipset southbridge, it should fully support this SATA feature.

[Bls]

Well on Vista it works (if you take a look at my vista's device manager screenshot) ...
Anyway, maybe the problem is just something else ... What could be causing such mouse lag/stutters when CPU or HD is working ?

[Fernando 1]

Bls, on Jun 21 2009, 07:06 PM, said:

Well on Vista it works (if you take a look at my vista's device manager screenshot) ...

Vista works for you, but you don't know, if it would run even better in AHCI Mode.

Quote

Anyway, maybe the problem is just something else ...

You are right: The fact, that your laptop is working without AHCI support, is not responsable for your mouse problems. Nevetheless you should try to get the option to enable AHCI.

Quote

What could be causing such mouse lag/stutters when CPU or HD is working?

That can be caused by the mouse itself or the mouse settings, but the mouse behaviour may be influenced by other things too (special software with high CPU usage like Antivirus running in the background, wrong CPU voltage, unstable BIOS timing settings etc.).

[jaclaz]

Out of the blue, for no apparent reason, and possibly slightly (but not much ) OFF-TOPIC , a couple of possibly interesting links :
AHCI vs. IDE mode benchmarks:
http://expertester.wordpress.com/2008/07/2...mark-advantage/

How to enable AHCI on Vista:
http://expertester.wordpress.com/2008/07/1...ut-reformating/

jaclaz

[Bls]

Thanks to both of you for your replies.

Well on Vista I have no particular problem, no matter how many applications I run at the same time, even heavy ones, wouldn't affect mouse movement at all. There is definitely something wrong under Windows XP.
The mouse itself isn't the issue ; it's a very old microsoft one, even supported by windows 98 default drivers. I'm using it everyday on an old desktop machine running Windows XP and there's no issue at all, even if run X applications at once =)
I'd like to add that I did a disk format several times, tried different versions of Windows XP, different drivers ; nothing can be causing this lag as I wanted the system to be as fast as possible ; as a habit, I disabled running services eating memory and didn't install any antivirus/firewall (as I won't even use this XP partition to browse or anything, I will just install games and play).

[Fernando 1]

@ Bls:

You are the first laptop user, from whom I have heard, that he had a much better performance with Vista than with Windows XP.
Since I cannot help you more than I tried to do and since your mouse stuttering phenomenon has nothing to do with the topic of this thread, we should stop the discussion about your problem at this point.
If you should ever find the reason for your XP issues, please let us/me know it.

Regards
Fernando

[Fernando 1]

@ all users of my guide (first post of this thread):

Yesterday I found a new official version of Intel's Matrix Storage Manager. The package contains the brandnew and WHQL certified 32/64bit Intel textmode drivers v8.9.1023 dated 06/04/2009 and the appropriate version of Intel's Matrix Storage Manager Console.

Since these new drivers and the Console are working fine with my own ICH9M AHCI and ICH10R RAID systems, I have updated my guide and added the links to these official drivers and to the new Intel Matrix Storage Manager Console application.
Additionally I have created brandnew modded 32/64bit versions of these just released textmode drivers v8.9.0.1023. They now additionally will support even Intel ICH10 (without R or M) SATA AHCI Controllers.

Any feedback is much appreciated.

Have fun!
Fernando

This post has been edited by Fernando 1: 25 June 2009 - 01:30 PM

[donpham]

I updated this new AHCI driver in Windows mode via "Device Manager", it worked fine.

[ritter_devil]

Thanks a lot... Now id*** like me can integrate this drivers
Seriously, great work...

[lama]

My question, Have you removed WHQL lines out of the unofficial INFs? or is it WHQL + modded?