I have my AMD system running Windows 7 using AHCI mode. I installed that by first, installing in regular SATA mode, then changing the BIOS to configure other SATA ports as AHCI, rebooting the PC -- with a drive plugged into one of those SATA ports. Windows 7 saw the device and installed the AHCI drivers. I then switched the SATA connectors so the Win7 drive was connected to the AHCI port -- and it booted and ran OK. So far, so good.
So, I downloaded the Windows 8 Preview, loaded it to USB stick, booted from it -- and it complains about not being able to find any devices.
I had already downloaded the AMD AHCI SATA preinstall drivers from the Gigabyte site and saved them to the drive -- so I pointed Win8 to those drivers -- and the circle spun and spun ... and spun ... eventually, claiming that it had not discovered any new devices.
So, apparently, Win8 32-bit Preview can not work with the AMD Preinstall AHCI 32-bit drivers.
And while I could go through the BIOS setting games I played before and MAYBE that would work again, this time, for Win8, since the MS AHCI drivers appear to be working OK in Win7, is there any way to download or transfer them -- so I can point Win8 to them?
UPDATE: Since I have the HDD plugged into SATA port 4, I switched that in the BIOS to IDE -- hoping that Win7 would THEN see the drive, and once installed, I could reboot with the other HDD plugged into a SATA AHCI port and Windows would then, like in Win7, install the AHCI driver.
But alas, it still saw no drives, and when I pointed it to the AMD SATA Preinstall driver, it didn't display it as selectable.
So, at this point, I'm unable to install Win8 on this system.
Thanks in advance for any help on this.