Enabling AHCI hard drives without reinstalling Windows. What is the AHCI mode of the SATA controller? Installing the ahci driver

It is quite natural that the owners of desktop computing systems and laptops seek to improve their performance in one way or another. To solve this problem, some use the so-called overclocking (overclocking) of components, while others use settings through the capabilities provided by the developers. When choosing any method, it is important to understand what exactly is required to receive, and to understand well the features of the chosen method.

"Bottleneck"

It is known that one of the slowest components of a modern computing system is based on the classical spindle system. Today, SSD analogs have appeared, but they have not yet received mass distribution due to their too high cost.

Therefore, conventional HDDs are installed on almost every computer. As a result, it turns out that DDR3 memory easily transfers 20,000 Mb / s; the internal bus of the central processor allows to process ten times more data; and a hard drive with the SATA-3 standard only under ideal conditions "accelerates" to real 100 megabytes per second. It is no coincidence that it is recommended to use productive SSD models at least for system files. From all of the above, a simple conclusion follows: it is the HDD that slows down the modern system, thus being the “bottleneck”. And since the user can easily make changes to the way the disk subsystem commands are processed, affecting the speed to a certain extent, one can often hear the question of which mode is better: AHCI or IDE.

Standards

The disk interacts with other components of the computing system through a special control controller. This chip serves as a kind of command translator, a converter. Until recently, the only "language" understood by the controller was the IDE protocol.

It originated at the dawn of the computer industry and has been modernized several times. With the advent of high-speed SATA drives, a radical redesign of the protocol was required. And so it arose, it easily copes with the increased data flow (interface), supports the fashionable NCQ command queue and implements the ability to turn off the device on the go. So what is AHCI? An IDE that adds some new features. It's so simple, at first glance.

Opportunities and prospects

Since the standards are backwards compatible (the SATA device works fine using the IDE protocol), there is almost always an item in the BIOS or its equivalent that allows you to select the desired mode.

In many cases, this is the only way to achieve normal computer performance. The mode selection function is only present in software those motherboards that provide for work with SATA. These are all modern systems. However, hybrid solutions can also be attributed here, allowing you to connect both classic IDE devices (PATA, wide connector comb) and SATA (compact connector). So, AHCI or IDE? What's better? To make it easier to understand this, here is a list of "bonuses" that the user receives by activating a more modern mode:

1. Through the internal electronic circuits "disk controller - board controller" reaches from 1.5 Gb / s (gigabit) for SATA-1 modification to 6 in the third revision. Recall that UDMA-6, in which old hard drives can work, provides for only 133 Mbit / s.

2. Speaking about which is better - AHCI or IDE, one cannot fail to mention the support for NCQ technology. Its essence lies in the fact that the hard drive can "interfere" in the command stream queue, rearranging them to increase work efficiency.

3. The possibility of "hot" replacement of the device, which does not require the shutdown of the entire system.

4. Parallel access to all disks at once, without using sequential switching.

Here is such a very tempting list of possibilities. Not surprisingly, the question: "AHCI or IDE: which is better?" is perhaps one of the most painful. Many computer owners, surprisingly, still believe in the "magic button".

Theory and practice

So after all, AHCI or IDE - which is better? From the above list, we can conclude that the outdated protocol is significantly inferior to the new one. However, this is not quite true. Let's consider this point in more detail. Yes, indeed, the data transfer rate has increased tenfold, however, magnetic disks in hard drives both rotate at a speed of 7200 revolutions (the most popular solution) and rotate. Accordingly, no revolutionary breakthroughs occurred in the reading process. In no HDD test will the user see a 6 Gb transfer. Even 200 Mbps is unattainable! The exception is solid state drives. If such a device is present in the system, then you can not deal with the question: "AHCI or IDE: which is better?", but immediately activate the updated protocol. However, as we pointed out, due to the cost, such drives have not yet become mass-produced.

Very often in the debate about which is better - AHCI or IDE, the ability of the protocol to support NCQ is indicated as the main argument in favor of the first. Indeed, when several programs are actively accessing the hard disk at once, this function allows you to rebuild the request flow in the most optimal way. However, in an average computer, more than two or three programs rarely access the disk at the same time, so it is impossible to speak of a complete lack of acceleration, but it is obtained within the margin of error.

IDE or AHCI - which is better? Windows 7, when the latter mode is activated, supports connecting / disconnecting a SATA device on the go. Pretty handy, especially on server systems where shutdown is undesirable. Nevertheless, to use "hot swap" it is recommended to use not internal connectors, but SATA modifications brought to the case.

And finally, the protocol allows several hard drives on the bus to work simultaneously, rather than waiting for requests. It is in this case that the potential of NCQ is fully revealed. For the average computer is not relevant.

As a result, it turns out that although the AHCI protocol, from the point of view of technology, is more interesting, nevertheless, the majority of users will receive nothing but moral satisfaction from its inclusion. There are only two exceptions to the general rule: the server system and the use of SSDs.

Nuances of use

Although you can switch modes in BIOS in a few seconds, one important point should be considered. It consists in the following: if the operating system was installed, for example, with AHCI, then after transferring to IDE, loading may not be possible. This is not a rule, but most often it happens that way. Therefore, even before installing the distribution kit, you need to decide which disk subsystem protocol you plan to work with.

AHCI driver packages began to be integrated into the system only with Vista. All previous solutions from Microsoft do not have built-in support, so you need to either use "assemblies" or prepare media with the appropriate driver before installation. Windows 7 works fine with the new standard. Switching SATA from IDE mode to AHCI must be done from the BIOS (Configure SATA item). In very rare cases, you may need to make changes to the registry.

Switching method

In order to get into the BIOS, immediately after turning on the computer system, you need to press the Delete button several times in a row ( personal computers) or F2 (laptops). Depending on the implementation, the desired item can be in any sections. For example, to activate it, you may need to transfer Boot Mode to CSM instead of UEFI, after which Compatible (IDE) and AHCI appear. The item you are looking for may be in the SATA Enhanced section. You need to carefully review the entire existing list. After switching, press ESC and agree to save the changes.

Results

The decision on which protocol to prefer depends on several factors. First of all, from the used operating system. From compatibility at the "iron" level. And of course, from the load on the subsystem. The higher it is, the more preferable AHCI. If we analyze all the reviews, then we can say that both protocols work fine, with correct setting without causing any crashes. However, it is more advisable to use the updated version. This, so to speak, touched "for the future", for example, to buy an SSD.

Greetings to all, today we will consider how you can enable Windows 10 to boot using the protocol AHCI without reinstalling the operating system. How to enable AHCI mode in Windows 10 after installing the system, if for some reason reinstallation with AHCI mode pre-enabled in BIOS or UEFI is not possible, and the system was installed in IDE mode. I note that for almost all modern computers with a preinstalled OS, this mode is already enabled, and the change itself is especially relevant for SSD drives and laptops, since the AHCI mode allows you to increase SSD performance and at the same time (albeit slightly) reduce power consumption.

On my PC, like many users, the Windows 10 operating system is installed on an SSD, and all files are stored on the HDD hard drive. When installing from a flash drive chopped from the official Windows image 10 with the Creators Update, for some reason it could not be installed immediately in AHCI mode and had to be installed using the standard IDE. Eventually SSD speed according to the test, 100 units lower than the declared one, the HDD with files is annoyingly buzzing.

Immediately after switching, the benefits are noticeable:

  • HDD is noticeably quieter;
  • SSD gives out full speed, if with IDE it gave out 425 and 445, then with AHCI it gives out full speed 514 and 548.

Now a bit of what it is...

(AHCI)

Advanced Host Controller Interface (AHCI) is a mechanism used to connect storage devices using the Serial ATA protocol, allowing you to use advanced features such as built-in command queuing (NCQ) and hot swapping.

Designed to replace the outdated classic ATA controller, which maintains top-down compatibility with the original IBM PC/AT, and supports DMA only as an add-on. The main real problems of this controller are the lack of hot-swap support (despite the fact that eSATA hardware supports it) and command queues, on one channel (in the case of SATA each device has one channel) - only one command can be executed at a time. Thus, using the ATA NCQ feature, even if it is supported by the disk itself, is impossible on a classic ATA controller.

When switching, with Windows already installed, the ATA controller included in the south bridge to the "AHCI" mode, this will mean, for the installed operating system, the activation of incompatible logic of the hard drive controller - this action is equivalent to installing an ATA controller board other than from the existing one, and physically switching the boot disk to this board.

And one more detail: the described actions in theory can also lead to undesirable consequences, such as the inability to start the OS, in this case, Windows will not find the boot disk at boot and will crash with a BSOD STOP 0x0000007B, INACCESSIBLE_BOOT_DEVICE.. Therefore, take them on only if you know what you are doing it for, know how to get into BIOS or UEFI and are ready to correct unforeseen consequences if something happens (for example, by reinstalling Windows 10 from the very beginning in AHCI mode).

You can find out if AHCI mode is currently enabled by looking at the UEFI or BIOS settings (in the SATA device settings) or directly in the OS.

Well, now let's get down to business...

Enabling AHCI using the Windows 10 Registry Editor

It seems to me that this is the easiest, and most importantly, trouble-free way.

To open the registry, press the Win + R keys on your keyboard and enter regedit.

1. Go to the registry key HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\ SYSTEM\ CurrentControlSet\ Services\ iaStorV, double click on the parameter start and set its value to 0 (zero).

2. In the adjacent registry key HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\ SYSTEM\ CurrentControlSet\ Services\ iaStorAV\ StartOverride for a parameter named 0 set the value to zero.

3. Section HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\ SYSTEM\ CurrentControlSet\ Services\ storahci for parameter start set to 0 (zero).

4. In subsection HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\ SYSTEM\ CurrentControlSet\ Services\ storahci\ StartOverride for a parameter named 0 set the value to zero.

5. Close the registry editor.

In my case, the values ​​needed to be changed only in steps 2 and 4.

Restart your computer and enter UEFI or BIOS. In UEFI or BIOS, find in the SATA parameters the choice of the drive mode. Set it to AHCI, then save the settings and restart your computer.

Immediately after the reboot, the OS will begin installing the SATA drivers, and upon completion, you will be prompted to restart the computer. Do it: AHCI mode is enabled in Windows 10. But I would immediately like to note that for many boards the driver is already in the OS and the system will not load it or install (install) it in the usual way for us, after rebooting the desired AHCI is immediately turned on.

In 95%, everything goes smoothly and without a hitch, but it's still better to play it safe. To do this, do the following:

At the same time, it is better to start Windows 10 for the first time after rebooting in safe mode, and therefore I recommend enabling safe mode in advance using Win + R -

If you have UEFI, in this case I recommend doing this through "Settings" (Win + I) - "Update and Security" - "Recovery" - "Special Boot Options". Then go to "Troubleshooting" - " Extra options» - «UEFI software settings». For systems with BIOS - use the F2 key (usually on laptops) or Delete (on PCs) to enter the BIOS settings.

Technology Advanced Host Controller Interface (AHCI) is a standard proposed by Intel to improve the speed of read / write operations with hard drives, connected via the SATA protocol, through the use of advanced SATA technology features, such as integrated command queuing (NCQ), in addition, the standard supports hot swap technology for hard drives (hot swap). In operating rooms Windows systems 7 and Windows Vista already have the ability to support AHCI, and if during the installation of Windows 7 the system detects that the computer supports AHCI, then the AHCI driver is installed automatically.

In older models of motherboards, despite the fact that the chipset supports AHCI technology, its support is disabled at the BIOS level. Therefore, if during the installation of Windows 7 / Vista, the installer did not determine the presence of ACHI support on the chipset, then the AHCI device driver will not be installed. As a result, if in such a system, after installing Windows, you activate ACHI support in the BIOS, then the system may stop booting or it will crash into blue screen BSOD.

Therefore, if after installing Windows 7, you find that your motherboard supports AHCI mode, but this feature is disabled in the BIOS, then this instruction will help you activate AHCPI support in Windows 7 / Vista.

Attention! This sequence of actions must be performed BEFORE enabling AHCI in the BIOS settings, otherwise the system will stop booting!

How to check if it is enabledAHCI'sWindows

If you are not sure whether AHCI support is enabled or not in your Windows 7, then following this guide will help you to establish this fact.

  1. Open Device Manager (from the Start menu, type devicemanager).
  2. In response to the UAC prompt “Do you want to allow the following program to make changes to this computer?” answer Yes.
  3. Open section IDE ATA/ATAPI controllers .
  4. If an AHCI driver is installed in Windows, then something like Standard AHCI 1.0 Serial ATA Controller or Intel(R) 5 Series 6 Port SATA AHCI Controller.

In the event that you cannot find anything about the AHCI Controller, then you should assume that AHCI support is disabled on your system. And you can enable AHCI in Windows (according to the instructions above), and then enable AHCI in the BIOS.

Modern hard drives are connected to motherboard computer devices through the SATA interface, which provides for operation, in particular, in IDE and AHCI modes. IDE is the old mode and is required for compatibility with legacy hardware and software. The AHCI mode is also not a new development in the field of IT, it appeared back in 2004, but it is the current mechanism for connecting hard drives via the SATA II and SATA III interface. AHCI has a number of advantages over IDE:

  • the ability to connect more devices to the motherboard;
  • operation of hard drives at their maximum possible speed;
  • the so-called "hot swapping" of hard drives, that is, disconnecting and connecting without having to turn off the computer;
  • support for NCQ technology, which improves the performance of hard drives in multitasking conditions.

SATA mode is set in the BIOS. On modern laptops, AHCI mode is usually set by default. But new motherboards for PC builds may come with an active IDE mode for hardware compatibility. You can change IDE to AHCI (or vice versa) at any time in the BIOS of computers that support both modes. Not all computers support AHCI, but most of them, because this mode has been around for 12 years. The minority are rare rare devices released to the market, respectively, before the advent of AHCI. But even if the computer is less than 12 years old, if it supports AHCI, there may still be problems with switching to this mode due to the lack of an appropriate setting in outdated version BIOS. In such cases, you must first resolve the issue with updating the BIOS.

1. How to find out which mode - IDE or AHCI - is currently set

Find out which of the modes - IDE or AHCI - is active on the computer in this moment, you can in the Windows Device Manager. Opening the thread:

  • "IDE ATA/ATAPI controllers" in versions of Windows 8.1 and 10;
  • "IDE ATA/ATAPI controllers" on Windows versions 7.

If the computer's hard drives are connected via AHCI mode, the SATA AHCI controller will be present in the list of devices.

If IDE mode is active on the computer, the branch list will contain an entry, respectively, about the IDE controller.

An alternative way is to use the AS SSD Benchmark utility to test the speed of hard drives. If hard drives can work in AHCI mode, but the BIOS is set to IDE, the utility will notify you with the red color value "pciide BAD".

If the computer is operating in AHCI mode, we will see the green value “storahci - OK” in the utility window.

These two methods will make it possible to understand which mode is currently set. But in order to determine whether support for AHCI mode is implemented in the BIOS, you need to enter it and find the possibility of enabling AHCI. The choice of SATA operating modes in different BIOS versions may be in the "Advanced" or "Main" sections. For example, in the UEFI BIOS of the Asus motherboard, this is the “Advanced” section, in it you need to enter the “SATA Configuration” subsection and open the options for the “SATA Mode” parameter (SATA Mode).

Another example is the AMI BIOS (V17.9) of the motherboard MSI boards, everything is more complicated here, and not everyone will be able to immediately figure out where the AHCI setting is. In the "Integrated Peripherals" section, select the "On-Chip ATA Devices" subsection, and in it - "Raid Mode" (Raid Mode), which provides for the choice of modes for connecting hard drives.

2. Consequences of switching to AHCI mode for Windows operation

So, you can change the IDE mode to AHCI at any time in the BIOS settings. That's just for Windows work such a move will not result in a slight delay in starting due to automatic installation the right drivers, as when replacing some computer components. In this case, even getting rid of binding to computer components with the help of standard utility Windows Sysprep, as in the case of replacing the motherboard or processor. Changing the IDE mode to AHCI leads to serious consequences - Windows simply will no longer start. As a result, we get either a blue screen of death, or a cyclic reboot of Windows with a notification about an incorrect system startup.

The fact is that the IDE and AHCI modes with Windows installation registered at the registry level. For hard drives to work in AHCI mode, a special driver is required, which is automatically installed with versions of Windows starting with Vista. Since the AHCI mode appeared later than Windows XP, the AHCI driver must first be integrated into the distribution kit of this version of the system by taking it from the motherboard driver disk or downloading it from the Internet.

Ideally, switching to AHCI mode should be done prior to installing or reinstalling Windows. But there are ways to activate AHCI without having to reinstall Windows - by starting safe mode or editing the system registry. Below we will consider these methods for versions of Windows 7, 8.1 and 10.

3. Mandatory measures and procedures

In principle, any experimentation with Windows can lead to undesirable results, but methods for adapting the operating system to AHCI mode must be taken with particular seriousness. Because in this case, the settings that affect the ability of the system to boot will be affected. It is strictly forbidden to proceed with the implementation of the instructions below without previously prepared emergency means. You must either burn or create and prepare Windows installation media. With the help of the latter, it will be possible to enter or, in extreme cases, start the process of reinstalling Windows.

The procedure is as follows:

  • Step 1 - check the AHCI enable setting in the BIOS;
  • Step 2 - preparation of emergency means;
  • Step 3 - depending on the chosen method, either setting up the next system startup in safe mode, or editing the system registry;
  • Step 4 - reboot, enter BIOS and enable AHCI mode;
  • Step 5 - Start the computer.

4. Windows Safe Mode

The first method is designed for the fact that when entering a safe windows mode the AHCI driver will be installed automatically. But, unfortunately, it will not work in every case. On a running system, you need to configure the next startup in safe mode, reboot, enter the BIOS and set the AHCI mode. After starting the computer in safe mode, the AHCI driver is supposed to be installed. If everything goes well, all that remains is to reboot the system in normal operation.

A universal way to enter safe mode at the next Windows boot for all current versions of the system - use the msconfig utility, called using the "Run" command.

5. Editing the Windows Registry

If the method with safe mode did not work, you can avoid reinstalling the system by editing its registry. To launch the registry editor, in the Run command field, enter:

4.1 Editing the Windows 8.1 and 10 registry

HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SYSTEM\CurrentControlSet\Services

In this branch, we look for the “iaStorV” folder, click on it, open the “Start” parameter and set its value to “0”. Click "OK".

Open the "iaStorV" folder, select the "StartOverride" subfolder, open the "0" parameter and set its value to "0". Click "OK".

We go down alphabetically and find the folder "storahci". We make a click on it, open the "ErrorControl" parameter. We remove the preset value "3" and enter "0" instead. Click "OK".

4.2. Editing the Windows 7 Registry

Open the branch in the registry editor window:

HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SYSTEM\CurrentControlSet\services

In the branch we find the “iaStorV” folder, click on it, open the “Start” parameter and set the value to “0”. Click "OK".

After editing the registry, we restart the computer, go into the BIOS, activate the AHCI mode and start the system.

6. If Windows won't boot

If none of the methods helped to adapt Windows to work in AHCI mode, the system will have to be reinstalled. But the current Windows can be started if, for example, you need to remove the settings of installed software or save some important files stored on drive C in a safe place. To do this, you need to enter the BIOS again and set the IDE active mode setting back.

However, it may also happen that the system cannot boot in either AHCI or IDE mode. If there is no blue screen of death, but versions of Windows 8.1 and 10 reboot cyclically, displaying a screen that says "Automatic Repair", click "Advanced Options".

Going to the "Select action" menu, we go through the path indicated in the screenshot below and roll back to the restore point.

If a blue screen of death appears when the computer starts, boot from the Windows installation media and select the “System Restore” option at the bottom of the system installation.

Once in the "Select action" menu, we follow the steps described above.

Those who chose the way Reserve copy using third-party software, respectively, bootable media backup programs.

Have a great day!

Hello dear readers! Today you will know how to enable AHCI mode in windows, and in general what it is.
The article promises to be voluminous and not useless for almost all computer users, if you do not take into account the very pro techies :).

AHCI (Advanced Host Controller Interface AHCI translated from English. Advanced Host Controller Interface) - drive connection mode by protocol Serial ATA. This mode allows the computer to take advantage of advanced features and functions when hard drives are connected, resulting in improved performance.
Modern drives (HDD and SSD) are connected to the computer motherboard through an interface (connector) SATA(Serial ATA), which supplanted the outdated interface PATA(Parallel ATA). Picture #1 shows the PATA connector on the left, and the SATA connector on the right.
display in the device manager of IDE mode and AHCI mode
SATA interface can work in 2 modes:

  1. IDE(Integrated Development Environment from English parallel drive interface) is an old mode that is used for compatibility with older software and hardware.
  2. AHCI(Advanced Host Controller Interface) - a new mode that expands connectivity and allows you to take full advantage of the SATA interface. For example:
    • Hot swap hard drive, that is, the drive can be changed without turning off the computer. This feature is mainly valuable for server administrators.
    • NCQ(Native Command Queuing from English - built-in command sequencing) is a feature that allows you to reduce the number of movements of the HDD reading head, which leads to an optimization of the data reading speed when using the drive with several programs at the same time.

Enable AHCI leads to faster reading and access to data on the drive and, accordingly, improves the overall performance of the computer.

Now that we know what it is AHCI mode, then it's time to think about how to turn it on. You may already have it enabled. You can check like this:

  1. Press our favorite combination of buttons Win + R on the keyboard and enter the command mmc devmgmt.msc . Then press the Enter button. will start Windows Device Manager.
  2. In the Windows Device Manager, expand the section IDE ATA/ATAPI controllers. If you see a device that has the word AHCI in its name, then the mode we need is activated.

If you do not see the word AHCI, then it is disabled. You can enable it in BIOS "e. But its inclusion may be accompanied by some problems, which I will discuss below.

Enable AHCI. Features of activation and possible problems.

To enable AHCI mode and find the item there SATA mode or something very similar. The name of the item in different versions of the BIOS may be slightly different. In this section, you can switch the mode SATA from IDE in AHCI and vice versa. If you are worth IDE, then do not rush to switch to the mode AHCI, because it needs a special driver to work correctly Windows AHCI. In Windows 7/8/10 and Vista, this driver is built into the OS itself. This driver is automatically installed in the system. If the system is already installed and you want to switch the SATA mode from IDE to AHCI, then you have to dig into system registry. But I will write about this in other articles, separately for Windows 7 and Windows 8. I recommend that you wait for these publications. Here you just need to know that you can’t just turn it on. If you just switch the BIOS mode to AHCI, you will get a non-working OS.
On Windows XP, I don't even recommend even trying to turn it on, because the AHCI driver for this OS is different depending on each computer.

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