GA-EP35C-DS3R - Installing AHCI Driver

[KobiMaru]

Any help on this matter would be appreciated.
I wanted to install XP PRO (64bit) to a SSD. Did a little reading up first and discovered a couple of guides here and elsewhere regarding
installation of the ACHI Driver. I use a gigabyte board and went the relevant driver section on their website.

Windows XP 64bit
http://www.gigabyte.com/products/product-page.aspx?pid=2740#dl

I have two queries.

1) Under SATA Raid section there are four drivers to pick from. Im not actually sure which to select for installation during xp setup (F6)
Not only that but you can pick from Intel or gigabyte drivers?

2) In device manager under "IDE ATA / ACHI Controllers" you have two controllers (refer to image). Which one would i set to update if
decide to apply driver post installation of XP.




Just need to be 100% before i proceed with the update and purchase of a SSD. Thanks In advance.

[Lsdmeasap]

You want the x64 F6 Pre-install SATA drivers, Intel based as you should have your drive connected to the first Intel SATA Port (SATA2_0)

None of those you would update once windows is installed, you would want to install the Intel RST program which will automatically install and update the drivers.

Once windows is installed, install these Chipset INF drivers first (You want first link EXE)
http://downloadcenter.intel.com/Product_Filter.aspx?ProductID=816

Then install the Intel RST program (Third link)
http://downloadcenter.intel.com/SearchResult.aspx?lang=eng&ProductFamily=Chipsets&ProductLine=Chipset+Software&ProductProduct=Intel%C2%AE+Rapid+Storage+Technology

XP is not ideal AT ALL for SSD's, why are you wanting to use this OS anyway?  It would be best to use Vista or Windows 7 for SSD's, XP does not have TRIM

[KobiMaru]

Thanks for the reply.
I have no use for Vista or Windows7. XP does everything i need it to. So long as security updates keep rolling, i ll stick with it.
Your statement regarding SSD apparently doesnt really apply to 2/3rd gen drives whose latest firmware do a decent job of maintanence in absence of TRIM. From what i read, Drive alignment and performance (via IDE/Sata) are probelms that can be dealt with on XP.

My biggest concern was enabling ACHI drivers (as aligning the drive is easy). While waiting for a reply i went ahead and read up on
whatever i could find. You were right about which driver to use from that selection. I was confused because there were both intel and gigabyte drivers.Having looked at my manual, turns out that sata controllers have both intel (six) and gigabyte (two) connectors. Still not sure what the reasoning for this is?

Since i dont have a floppy disk i thought there wasnt much i could do.
Having found nlite, i was able to slipstream the ACHI driver with the rest of my windows installation. Before you can do that
you have extract them from the execute file via 7zip. Nlite wont accept exe.

Plan to see if it worked tomorrow as i ran out of time today. Will update.

Thanks for the links. Didnt realise that intel had a utility that informs you of latest updates. Been over a year since i last checked
the gigabyte driver section. BOth my LAN and Audio are out of date. And my bios but woulnt dare update that lol

[Lsdmeasap]

Yes, you are correct, many newer SSD's do a better job at GC, so you will probably be ok there.   You will need to align the partition first before you install though, otherwise you'll have to pay later or go through a bunch of hassles to do it manually.

The board has all those ports so you can connect a bunch of drives!

Hope your Nlite setup goes smoothly for you!  BIOS updating is fine, it's quick and easy too!   Just be sure you use Qflash or DOS and don't flash while it's storming and you'll be fine!

[KobiMaru]

Damn! Couldnt get it to work. Have some theories but a confirmation would be really helpful.
Even after slip steaming the ACHI Driver via nlite, i still get blue screen just as windows status bar starts to load.

Those gigabyte drivers from their website, didnt realise but all this time ive been using the XP x64 ones. Seems like i actually
have XP Pro 2003 x64 versions (which is based on Xp  Server 2003 x64). Was never a problem in the past for LAN and audio drivers as they worked.Now assume they are mostly interchangeable. Surely ACHI Would be too or do i really need to start over?

Might not even be the driver. The part where you change from IDE to ACHI, i think its in bios under
Intergrated peripherals. You either have "Sata Raid ACHI Mode (disabled)" or "Onboard Sata/IDE Ctrl mode (IDE)."
Which is the one i need to change? I tried switching each to ACHI then both in combination with little success. DO i
need to change anything else in that section to support?

Typical error note when windows tries to load is "Serial Port ACHI bios version.... Only supports Hardrives and cdroms."
Then lists my HDD followed by selecton of Sata/IDE ports. Last line says "ACHI bios Installed."

Got the latest intel chipset installed and bios version F3. F4 is latest but does not seem like it would make
difference given its change log.

[KobiMaru]

I think i did it. Installation of ACHI via nlite didnt seem to work.
Adding ACHI post windows installation via the guide in the Gigabyte FAQ seemed to do the job
http://www.bootbeta.com/blog/guide-enable-ahci-in-windows-xp-after-installation.html

I also used the 2003 Server x64 driver this time, so possible this maybe made all the difference.
In bios, I set "Sata Raid ACHI Mode" in Integrated Perhipheral section to ACHI, restarted, did a
second restart and my controller now reads "Intel....SATA ACHI Controller"

Looks like its time to buy that SSD Now

[Lsdmeasap]

Nice to hear you finally got it installed via AHCI.   I've had hassles with Nlite myself too, so I know how you feel.   I can't remember how I finally got it to work, but I have successfully slipstreamed AHCI drivers with XP using it, but it was long ago.

And yes, using the correct drive may have been the solution, and the incorrect driver could have been the reason the skipstream was failing for you.

Anyway, nice to hear you got it all installed and sorted out now!   Time to upgrade those drivers to Intel AHCI ones, you want the third link EXE!
http://downloadcenter.intel.com/SearchResult.aspx?lang=eng&ProductFamily=Chipsets&ProductLine=Chipset+Software&ProductProduct=Intel%C2%AE+Rapid+Storage+Technology

And yes, I checked for you, it's compatible with that OS
http://www.intel.com/support/chipsets/imsm/sb/cs-020648.htm

Enjoy the SSD when it arrives!

[KobiMaru]

Time to upgrade those drivers to Intel AHCI ones, you want the third link EXE!
http://downloadcenter.intel.com/SearchResult.aspx?lang=eng&ProductFamily=Chipsets&ProductLine=Chipset+Software&ProductProduct=Intel%C2%AE+Rapid+Storage+Technology

Have to ask but whats wrong with the AHCI driver from gigabyte? I extracted files from the intel exe. out of curiousity but couldnt find a seperate AHCI driver. So guessing the exe. will udate the chipset and replace the GB driver automatically? Have i gone the long way round. Why even bother with the GB driver to begin with?

Yeah its a relief to make some progress after spending 4 hours reading up, testing and restesting stuff. It funny as well because
writing out your problems in a forum post sometimes helps you see things differently (even if no one replies). The other gaps get filled in by helpful people like you

Last of all, could staff please edit my post title and correct the spelling for "AHCI"

[absic]

Last of all, could staff please edit my post title and correct the spelling for "AHCI"

Too answer your question about drivers on the Gigabyte site, there is nothing wrong with them. However, sometimes they are not always updated to the latest version, hence the advice given by Lsdmeasap.

[Lsdmeasap]

I just linked to the latest drivers, that's all.  I get all my drivers directly from the source (Such as Intel, Realtek, ect)

Yes, just run the EXE and it will install all needed drivers.   

Here are the latest INF Chipset drivers, you want the first link EXE
http://downloadcenter.intel.com/Product_Filter.aspx?ProductID=816

Glad we could help!    Post back anytime if you need more help with anything, we'll always be here to listen and try to help!