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Original Title: How do I change Widows XP from IDE mode to AHCI mode so that I can dual boot to Widows 8
I have XP is installed in IDE mode on one SSD, and Win 8 is installed in AHCI mode on a second SSD . How do I switch my XP install to boot in AHCI mode so that I can dual boot? My motherboard is an ASRock 990FX Extreme4. The bios can be swiched from one mode to the other, but can't be set for each drive individually. I've found plenty of guides on switching the device driver in the XP device manager, but none have worked for me. I have AHCI SATA drivers from ASRock and from AMD, but I always get the message to the effect that the driver applicable to my hardware. Can't find any info on this here (in these forums). In the XP device manager there are 9 devices listed. Three primary channel, three secondary channel and three dual channel.
Regards,
Kelly
Locked Question. This question was migrated from the Microsoft Support Community. You can vote on whether it's helpful, but you can't add comments or replies or follow the question.
I read the whole thread again before posting (and again after your reply) - I must've 'speedreading'!
Anyway, my test rig is back and I'm testing the possibility of slipstreaming and upgrade installing. Yes I know you don't like it and I don't either but I always feel inclined to help people the way they want to be helped, rather than the way I would do it, when they make it clear. I will let readers know the outcome in due course.
Tricky
Where did I assume?
In your EDIT it quite plainly asks "are you still running SP2?". If you had asked "which SP are you running?" then I would not have mentioned the possibility that Kelly could be pre-SP2.
See below and in the reply from the OP on pg 4.
I've never heard of a Win Xp sp2 disc that installs an earlier sp. Perhaps you know something I don't.
Guys,
I certainly don't want to be the cause of a dispute here! Let me say I really appreciate all of your posts trying to help me find a solution to this issue! Thank you!
Tricky,
I tried that suggested driver and it did install, but had no effect -- booting after switching to AHCI resulted in the same problem. Looked at the registry still no AHCI entry anywhere. The links you sent me look promising. In particular the post by Karyonix: http://reboot.pro/index.php?showtopic=11729 Still correct me if I'm wrong, he seems to be talking about editing a registry key, which in my case, I don't believe to be there. So it would mean creating a new entry. I'm not qualified to be fooling around like that in the registry.
Tech-Geek,
Have no worry, I am going to do a clean install. Would like have found a solution to this issue though. Bugs me not to find a solution. Yeah, my install disk is SP2 and the install has been updated to SP3 and all the most recent updates since. Wouldn't making a new disk with these drivers and SP3 make a clean install a little easier?
Taupo Tech
I tried the solution in the link you posted but it didn't work as I suspected because there was no msahci key.
In summery from what all of you have contributed and from what I'm read elsewhere and learned from trying things out: Sata and AHCI were released after the first release of Windows XP so there no native generic MS Sata/AHCI drivers, and MS never added them with subsequent updates/service packs. However, Intel did have Sata drivers that could be updated to AHCI as demonstrated in some of the links provided in this thread and here: http://www.blah-blah.ch/it/how-to-s/enable-ahci/
AMD's replies to me mainly said this is a MS issue and also rstated: AHCI driver is provided by the manufacturer of the storage controller. AMD doesn't produce storage controller. Please refer motherboard technical documentation to know more about storage controller for your motherboard.
In short, one had better pay attention to what mode the motherboard bios is set to, AHCI is preferable for SSDs
Where did I assume?
In your EDIT it quite plainly asks "are you still running SP2?". If you had asked "which SP are you running?" then I would not have mentioned the possibility that Kelly could be pre-SP2.
Neither would I but Kelly has expressed a desire to avoid re-installing Windows using F6 to load SATA drivers.
Regardless, that may not be an option. I don't base my suggestions/recommendations/instructions on what the OP does and does not want when it involves a potential for compounded issues. Too many things can and does go wrong with repair install. Most notably activation issues, bsods', loss of personal data. The list goes on. In any event, my comment was not aimed at your suggestion. It was specifically addressed to the OP and intended to discourage a repair install.
Don't assume that because I suggested slipstreaming with SP3 Kelly is on SP2.
Where did I assume? I asked the OP what sp he/she was running. Asking a question is not equivalent to assuming. In fact, it is the complete opposite.
