AHCI not accepted on windows XP

[Daak12]

I installed winXP via USB on an asus netbook by turning off AHCI in the bios.
Once xp was installed, I installed the chipset drivers and now have:
"Intel ICH7 Serial ATA storage controller" showing in my Device manager.

So I read I also have to set a registry value to zero. ATAIDE > Start > 0
Well it was already set to zero curiously enough.
So then I set my bios to ahci and windows wont boot.

I also have separate drivers listed as "Sata" from the company website. But when I go to install it, I'm told my PC doesn't meet minimum specs.

I did this whole process with windows 7 but then I changed my mind and wanted XP instead. But somehow I got stuck. Kinda annoyed winXP doesnt just include generic drivers. Any Ideas?

 

[bgunner]

I believe AHCI is not supported by windows XP, Also any time you install any windows once it is set to IDE or AHCI you need to keep using that or you need to do registry changes to force the other option.

set the BIOS back to IDE and leave it alone for XP.

 

[Daak12]

I believe AHCI is not supported by windows XP, Also any time you install any windows once it is set to IDE or AHCI you need to keep using that or you need to do registry changes to force the other option.

set the BIOS back to IDE and leave it alone for XP.

Thanks for the reply but isn't AHCI needed for sata transfer rates?
Also, I did try and set the registry to what I was told but it was already set to that value and I still couldn't use AHCI.

 

[bgunner]

No it has nothing to do with speed of the sata devices or the sata controller.

here is a brief explanation of AHCI from WIKI :http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Advanced_Host_Controller_Interface

The Advanced Host Controller Interface (AHCI) is a technical standard defined by Intel that specifies the operation of Serial ATA (SATA) host bus adapters in a non-implementation-specific manner.

The specification describes a system memory structure for computer hardware vendors to exchange data between host system memory and attached storage devices. AHCI gives software developers and hardware designers a standard method for detecting, configuring, and programming SATA/AHCI adapters. AHCI is separate from the SATA 3 Gbit/s standard, although it exposes SATA's advanced capabilities (such as hot swapping and native command queuing) such that host systems can utilize them.

As of March 2014, the current version of the specification is 1.3.1.

 

[bgunner]

you "Also, I did try and set the registry to what I was told but it was already set to that value and I still couldn't use AHCI."

Me before "I believe AHCI is not supported by windows XP"

me now: hence XP does not use AHCI.

 

[cin19]

I installed winXP via USB on an asus netbook by turning off AHCI in the bios.
Once xp was installed, I installed the chipset drivers and now have:
"Intel ICH7 Serial ATA storage controller" showing in my Device manager.

So I read I also have to set a registry value to zero. ATAIDE > Start > 0
Well it was already set to zero curiously enough.
So then I set my bios to ahci and windows wont boot.

I also have separate drivers listed as "Sata" from the company website. But when I go to install it, I'm told my PC doesn't meet minimum specs.

I did this whole process with windows 7 but then I changed my mind and wanted XP instead. But somehow I got stuck. Kinda annoyed winXP doesnt just include generic drivers. Any Ideas?

If you done the winxp installation, try this change from IDE to AHCI w/o reinstall the windows. http://www.neowin.net/news/neowin-guide-how-to-change-from-ide-to-ahci-without-reinstalling-windows

If you want to reinstall the winxp, using this http://www.prime-expert.com/articles/b02/installing-windows-xp-with-f6-ahci-raid-drivers-from-usb-only.php

 

[Daak12]

I installed winXP via USB on an asus netbook by turning off AHCI in the bios.
Once xp was installed, I installed the chipset drivers and now have:
"Intel ICH7 Serial ATA storage controller" showing in my Device manager.

So I read I also have to set a registry value to zero. ATAIDE > Start > 0
Well it was already set to zero curiously enough.
So then I set my bios to ahci and windows wont boot.

I also have separate drivers listed as "Sata" from the company website. But when I go to install it, I'm told my PC doesn't meet minimum specs.

I did this whole process with windows 7 but then I changed my mind and wanted XP instead. But somehow I got stuck. Kinda annoyed winXP doesnt just include generic drivers. Any Ideas?

If you done the winxp installation, try this change from IDE to AHCI w/o reinstall the windows. http://www.neowin.net/news/neowin-guide-how-to-change-from-ide-to-ahci-without-reinstalling-windows

If you want to reinstall the winxp, using this http://www.prime-expert.com/articles/b02/installing-windows-xp-with-f6-ahci-raid-drivers-from-usb-only.php

That is for windows 7.

I found another tut to follow. People are enabling ACHI on windows XP - theres dozens of tuts - they just havent worked for me yet..

 

[Daak12]

No it has nothing to do with speed of the sata devices or the sata controller.

here is a brief explanation of AHCI from WIKI :http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Advanced_Host_Controller_Interface

The Advanced Host Controller Interface (AHCI) is a technical standard defined by Intel that specifies the operation of Serial ATA (SATA) host bus adapters in a non-implementation-specific manner.

The specification describes a system memory structure for computer hardware vendors to exchange data between host system memory and attached storage devices. AHCI gives software developers and hardware designers a standard method for detecting, configuring, and programming SATA/AHCI adapters. AHCI is separate from the SATA 3 Gbit/s standard, although it exposes SATA's advanced capabilities (such as hot swapping and native command queuing) such that host systems can utilize them.

As of March 2014, the current version of the specification is 1.3.1.

Alrighty then, it does sounds more superficial than I originally thought. Will still try to enable if I can for OCD reasons

 

[bgunner]

I found this it may help from :http://superuser.com/questions/427340/how-to-enable-ahci-in-windows-xp-without-reinstalling

1.(This step is only for Gigabyte MB owners. You can get the drivers somewhere else and go to #3) Go to \BootDrv folder and copy the file MSM32.exe to a USB drive or a hard drive partition. This is the correct file for 32bit OS (Windows XP). According to the motherboard manual, it is also the one to choose for Windows Vista 32bit. In case you have a 64bit OS, copy MSM64.exe instead. There's another one named MSM2k.exe, I suppose it is the driver for Windows 2k, but I'm guessing here.

In the folder where you copied that file, double click on it and it will open a command-line prompt asking for confirmation to extract the files. Type "yes" and then enter. Several files will be extracted at that folder. these are the actual drivers. We'll need these files to tell the Device Manager where to search for the drivers. Open the Device Manager and expand the "IDE ATA/ATAPI controllers" node. In my case, there were listed the regular IDE channels, and a couple of generic Intel ICH10 SATA controllers. These were the generic drivers installed by Windows, and I can tell you for sure that these don't work (tested enabling AHCI in BIOS and trying to load the OS resulted in beeps and reboots).

Select one of the SATA controllers -> Right click over it -> update driver -> Install from a list or specific location (Advanced) -> check the "don't search" radio button and click next -> click on "Use disc" -> click on "browse" button and select the folder with the drivers from wherever you have copied them. If you have the drivers in a CD or DVD, make sure it doesn't contain an AUTORUN.INF file at the root folder, because the file picker dialog is looking for .INF files and it won't let you browse to subfolders.

Now the list with drivers is populated with at least a new option. Here I selected the correct one for my chipset (ICH10R). Windows shows a warning message. Click yes.

The driver is installed and Windows ask for a reboot, BUT don't reboot yet. Instead, select the remaining SATA Controller in Device Manager and repeat #3 and #4.

After the second driver install, Windows does not ask for a reboot. BUT now it is time for rebooting. Be ready to enter BIOS as soon as the computer starts.

Change in BIOS (in my case, under "Integrated peripherals" -> "SATA RAID/AHCI Mode") from IDE mode to AHCI. This can vary depending on your system and BIOS, and maybe you even need to select RAID if no AHCI option is available. There are better questions on this site where this topic is better explained, so I won't delve into it. In my case, there was a second option, just after the IDE/AHCI one, named "SATA port0-3 native mode". It was disabled, I enabled it. The explanation for this option in my motherboard manual is that DISABLED allows the SATA controllers to operate in legacy IDE mode, and that it should be selected for OSes that do not support native mode (like Windows 9X/ME). Windows XP supports native mode so I enabled it. I guess more modern OSes will also support it. Save BIOS and continue with the boot.

Windows is loaded correctly. It starts recognising the existent drives in the new AHCI mode, and showing yellow bubbles. After that, it asks for a second reboot. Select OK to reboot.

Windows is loaded again and this time everything should be ready.

 

[USAFRet]

@Daak12
Why in the name of FSM are you wanting to use XP?

Completely unsupported from MS as of a few weeks ago.

 

[Daak12]

@Daak12
Why in the name of FSM are you wanting to use XP?

Completely unsupported from MS as of a few weeks ago.

Unsupported? How am I running windows update at this very moment then?

FYI many legacy games run better on windows xp than windows 7. Since I'm using a desktop with nettop specs I cant afford to brute force the games in compatibility mode.

 

[USAFRet]

@Daak12
Why in the name of FSM are you wanting to use XP?

Completely unsupported from MS as of a few weeks ago.

Unsupported? How am I running windows update at this very moment then?

FYI many legacy games run better on windows xp than windows 7. Since I'm using a desktop with nettop specs I cant afford to brute force the games in compatibility mode.

That's a very good question.
"As of 8th April 2014, support and security updates for Windows XP are no longer available. Don't let your PC go unprotected."
http://www.microsoft.com/windows/en-us/xp/default.aspx?SEMID=1&WT.srch=1&ocid=XPEOS_SEM_google_FAM_WINDOWS_BRAND_NULL_LEARN_windows%20xp&wt.mc_id=XPEOS_SEM_google_FAM_WINDOWS_BRAND_NULL_LEARN_windows%20xp

 

[cin19]

In my office, my boss does not care, and my boss's boss does not care either, most our pc are still running winxp too. I think they don't know what will happen after that. too bad.

 

[USAFRet]

In my office, my boss does not care, and my boss's boss does not care either, most our pc are still running winxp too. I think they don't know what will happen after that. too bad.

They will care about 2 hours after it is too late.

 

[Daak12]

It doesnt really bother me that MS wont develop for it as long as they keep windows update around (to DL the latest and last updates). What would bother me is if other companies removed all access to their winXP drivers.

 

[USAFRet]

It doesnt really bother me that MS wont develop for it as long as they keep windows update around (to DL the latest and last updates). What would bother me is if other companies removed all access to their winXP drivers.

Next week/month/whenever, there will be a major exploit that affects XP. There will not be an update or security fix for that.

The latest update was April 8. There are no new ones.

 

[Daak12]

I found this it may help from :http://superuser.com/questions/427340/how-to-enable-ahci-in-windows-xp-without-reinstalling

1.(This step is only for Gigabyte MB owners. You can get the drivers somewhere else and go to #3) Go to \BootDrv folder and copy the file MSM32.exe to a USB drive or a hard drive partition. This is the correct file for 32bit OS (Windows XP). According to the motherboard manual, it is also the one to choose for Windows Vista 32bit. In case you have a 64bit OS, copy MSM64.exe instead. There's another one named MSM2k.exe, I suppose it is the driver for Windows 2k, but I'm guessing here.

In the folder where you copied that file, double click on it and it will open a command-line prompt asking for confirmation to extract the files. Type "yes" and then enter. Several files will be extracted at that folder. these are the actual drivers. We'll need these files to tell the Device Manager where to search for the drivers. Open the Device Manager and expand the "IDE ATA/ATAPI controllers" node. In my case, there were listed the regular IDE channels, and a couple of generic Intel ICH10 SATA controllers. These were the generic drivers installed by Windows, and I can tell you for sure that these don't work (tested enabling AHCI in BIOS and trying to load the OS resulted in beeps and reboots).

Select one of the SATA controllers -> Right click over it -> update driver -> Install from a list or specific location (Advanced) -> check the "don't search" radio button and click next -> click on "Use disc" -> click on "browse" button and select the folder with the drivers from wherever you have copied them. If you have the drivers in a CD or DVD, make sure it doesn't contain an AUTORUN.INF file at the root folder, because the file picker dialog is looking for .INF files and it won't let you browse to subfolders.

Now the list with drivers is populated with at least a new option. Here I selected the correct one for my chipset (ICH10R). Windows shows a warning message. Click yes.

The driver is installed and Windows ask for a reboot, BUT don't reboot yet. Instead, select the remaining SATA Controller in Device Manager and repeat #3 and #4.

After the second driver install, Windows does not ask for a reboot. BUT now it is time for rebooting. Be ready to enter BIOS as soon as the computer starts.

Change in BIOS (in my case, under "Integrated peripherals" -> "SATA RAID/AHCI Mode") from IDE mode to AHCI. This can vary depending on your system and BIOS, and maybe you even need to select RAID if no AHCI option is available. There are better questions on this site where this topic is better explained, so I won't delve into it. In my case, there was a second option, just after the IDE/AHCI one, named "SATA port0-3 native mode". It was disabled, I enabled it. The explanation for this option in my motherboard manual is that DISABLED allows the SATA controllers to operate in legacy IDE mode, and that it should be selected for OSes that do not support native mode (like Windows 9X/ME). Windows XP supports native mode so I enabled it. I guess more modern OSes will also support it. Save BIOS and continue with the boot.

Windows is loaded correctly. It starts recognising the existent drives in the new AHCI mode, and showing yellow bubbles. After that, it asks for a second reboot. Select OK to reboot.

Windows is loaded again and this time everything should be ready.

Thanks man, I used this in conjunction with other tuts and it worked. The tricky parts are:
-finding the AHCI INF for your particular chipset (NM10 for me)
-knowing which storage controller to install it to (not primary). WindowsXP is not at all helpful and will say the drivers might not be compatible
-knowing to switch bios from IDE compat to ahci on restart (otherwise it wont boot on XP) (It will boot in either mode in windows 7)