New User Question Switching from IDE Mode to AHCI

[Photobossman]

Is it possible to switch from IDE Mode to AHCI after installing windows 7  (64 bit)?

also will switching to AHCI speed up the Hard Drive?

GA-Z68X-UD3H-B3
Western Digital  WD5000AAKX 500 gb

Thanks

Gary

[Dark Mantis]

Hi and welcome.

The answer to that is yes you can. You will have to make some changes to the registry though to enable it to run without the BSOD on startup. In general the drive should be faster or at least the data should be accessed faster although a lot depends on the hard drive you are using.

Follow these instructions to change the modes.

1.Exit all Windows-based programs.

2.Click Start, type regedit in the Start Search box, and then press ENTER.

3.If you receive the User Account Control dialog box, click Continue.

4.Locate and then click the following registry subkey:
HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINESystemCurrentControlSetServicesMsahci

5.In the right pane, right-click Start in the Name column, and then click Modify.

6.In the Value data box, type 0, and then click OK.

7.On the File menu, click Exit to close Registry Editor.

After this you’ll have to restart your computer, go to BIOS and enable AHCI. When you log in to Windows again, you’ll notice the installation of drivers for AHCI. Another restart will be required to finish the driver installation.

[Vapperhiir]

By the way I found a littlebit better solution for it.

On Microsoft offiacial help site there is  exactly sayd also how to do it and its same way as Dark Mantis said but with a one little tweak to all that process
All that changeing in system registry can be done by Microsoft oficial tool Fix IT.
You just click on the FixIt button in the site and it will download and run a small oficial file that will do that MSahci Valua data change for you.
So all you have to do is let the program do its thing, change Sata Controller Mode to AHCI nad install drivers.
Here is the link to that FixIt thingi: http://support.microsoft.com/kb/922976


I'm running Win7 64bit. Z68X-UD3-B3 mobo.
I let the FixIt do the job, went straight in to the TouchBios (lovely thing) and changed Sata controller to AHCI and made restart.
After restart Win. automatically installed AHCI drivers and rebooted again. And it was done!
Simple as that.

[Dark Mantis]

Yes I forgot that there was a utility on the Micro$oft site. Well spotted and noted for everyone concerned.

+1

[Beau]

So will switching from IDE mode to AHCI speed up a single SATA hard drive and is it worth the switch?
I've read some opinions elsewhere and they are mixed. Thanks.

[Dark Mantis]

Generally yes it will. Obviously it depends on what drive it is, what type of files you are reading or writing, what speed of ports are on your motherboard, etc, etc. It is also handy if you have external SATA drives or hotswappable drive internally.

[Beau]

Thanks. I'll give it a test.

[Tinker]

An added question on this Dark Mantis, as you recomended this to me. I did try the setting change but did
not find out about registry change so of course PC didn't fully boot. Is there a problem if you switch back to
IDE Mode & will I still be able to run my IDE drives as well as SATA. That is would I have to reverse registry change.


Regards tinker.

[Dark Mantis]

Hi

No there should nmot be any problem with reverting back to IDE mode until you run the registry hack. If you go on Microsoft's site it has a little program that will do it all for you automatically, or follow their instructions here :


MICROSOFT GUIDE

1.Exit all Windows-based programs.
2.Click Start, type regedit in the Start Search box, and then press ENTER.
3.If you receive the User Account Control dialog box, click Continue.
4.Locate and then click the following registry subkey:
HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINESystemCurrentControlSetServicesMsahci
5.In the right pane, right-click Start in the Name column, and then click Modify.
6.In the Value data box, type 0, and then click OK.
7.On the File menu, click Exit to close Registry Editor.

[Tinker]

Thanks for the reply Dark Mantis but...think we are at cross purposes here. I am running in IDE mode at
present. Also plug in at times older IDE drives. Should I alter to AHCI mode & it doesn't suit would I have to
reset registry to original value. Will have to check registry for existing value. I know I could alter bios to suit
a particular drive as it has it's own OS on but inconvenient.


Regards tinker.

[Dark Mantis]

Hi Tinker

I would imagine that the registry hack would have to be undone if you wanted to revert back to your IDE mode setting afterwards, it's just that I have never known anyone do so and so it is conjecture. That would be easy enough though as you could just take a registry backup before you make the change and then apply it if you wanted to revert to the original.

[absic]

Hi there,

I can confirm that if you switch from IDE to AHCI using the registry hack then you need to alter the registry again to switch back to IDE. I know 'cos I have done this many times whilst testing things.  

EDIT: And just so that you know, if you install in AHCI Mode you can switch to IDE by using the same registry hack but changing the 3 to a 0 and then setting the controller in BIOS. 

I really ought to get myself a life! 

[Dark Mantis]

Hi absic

Thanks for confirming that, it was as I thought. I just don't remember ever having to do it that way round.

[Vapperhiir]

Here is a little nice link to different tweaks in Win 7.
Lot of interesting stuff.
And there is also written manual change from IDE to AHCI and back from AHCI to IDE.

http://www.ocztechnologyforum.com/forum/showthread.php?63273-*-Windows-7-Ultimate-Tweaks-amp-Utilities-*

Enjoy

Edit: typo

[Tinker]

Took a look in registry today on test drive & found it was set to 0. It may be from when I tried to
change bios & could only boot OS part way. Shut down OS rebooted into Bios changed to AHCI
closed & it rebooted loading driver & Win 7 loaded OK. Will have to check on another clean
install after rechanging back to IDE. Am running Manhatten add on card on one drive so
their driver could have altered registry. Seems to run OK at "0" in IDE mode.

Regards tinker.

PS: use TuneUp Utilitys that does most of Win 7 tweaks.