Fernando 1

Since there is just 1 single driver named IASTOR.SYS within any RST driver package, you should explain, what you mean with "I decided to integrate all of the RST drivers".Did you integrate more than 1 driver package or did you just enable all listed Intel SATA Controllers, when you were going to integrate the Intel RST textmode driver by using nLite? By the way: Both options are wrong. Please read my guide within the srart post of this thread carefully and you probably will find out your mistake. Regards Fernando

That is not completely true. Intel didn't just change the names of the AHCI/RAID drivers, but the storage technology too. You will be able to use them both, but it is not easy to say, which will be the better driver series for your system.You probably have to find it out yourself. It is no problem at all to change the Intel AHCI driver from within a running OS (no need to uninstall the previously used driver). Regards Fernando

Just to prevent a new problem:You have to use the tool BASE for DriverPacks instead of nLite. Regards Fernando

SATA hdd's can be managed by 3 different modes: "IDE", "AHCI" or "RAID". Not all systems do fiully support all 3 Modes.If your SATA hdd is running in "IDE" Mode, no special SATA driver has to be loaded or integrated, because the generic XP in-box IDe driver is able to detect and to manage the SATA hdd. So there is only a need for a special SATA driver, if the SATA hdd is running in "AHCI" or in "RAID" Mode. They are within the Mass Storage Driverpack. None of the pc and notebook manufacturers are developing and offering own drivers. All SATA drivers are made by the manufacturers of the Southbridge chipsets, which is integrated into the mainboard. So the choice of the correct SATA driver doesn't depend on DELL, Acer, HP etc., but on the Southbridge chipset of the special system.Nevertheless you may find a suitable SATA driver for your special laptop at the Support pages of your laptop manufactiurer, but these drivers are made by other companies and may be already outdated. Regards Fernando

@ ctgface: First of all: It is no problem to get the original Windows XP (with SP2 or SP3) installed onto all of your laptops, unless the SATA Controllers have been set to "AHCI" or "RAID" mode within the BIOS. Now to your question: As X already has written, the tool nLite is able to integrate as many different SATA drivers into the XP image as you want. But that does not automaticly mean, that you will be able to get the nLited XP installed onto all different SATA systems. A wrong SATA driver may give you a BSOD shortly after the beginning of the XP installation. That is why I recommend you to check, which SATA drivers your 3 laptops really need, and to integrate just these drivers. The more SATA drivers you integrate the more you risk a BSOD, when you are starting the real OS installation. If you want to create an AIO-CD with a big variety of included SATA drivers, you better should use the DriverPacks.net method (>LINK<). Regards Fernando

So you started this thread for somebody else? Why do you think, that such a person, who is willing to write a guide about the integration of the AMD textmode drivers, is not able to start such thread her/himself?Many users of this Forum, who need help with the integration of the AMD textmode drivers and read the topic of this thread, will be very disappointed about what you are offering within your start post. So I think, that a change of the topic title of this thread will be much appreciated by all Forum users. You can easily do it by hitting the "Edit" and then the "Use Full Editor" button of your start post. Regards Fernando

Hello AISar, welcome at MSFN Forums! You have announced to offer a guide regarding the integration of AMD's AHCI and RAID drivers, but I cannot find it. Why did you choose such topic title? If you have a system with an AMD Southbridge and just want to get help with the integration of the AHCI or RAID driver, you may take a look into >this< thread. Regards Fernando

@ milojica: Please have a look into >this< thread. The use of nLite is only allowed for private purposes. Now to your specific question: Windows XP Setup will only accept and install drivers for hardware devices, which are really present. Regards Fernando

Or just take the driverpack I have prepared for XP users with a VIA RAID system.Here is the download link: http://www.mediafire.com/download.php?c5lbl0itrghsltt Regards Fernando

@ hawk: Welcome at MSFN Forums! What you certainly mean is the Intel SATA Controller switch from IDE to AHCI mode without doing a fresh install of the OS. Yes, that is possible, but I do not recommend to do it, because you may risk an unbootable system after having tried that. If you want to do it nevertheless, you will find a lot of workarounds in the World Wide Web. The topic of this thread is the integration of the Intel AHCI and RAID drivers into a Windows XP CD and not a risky guide about how to avoid this procedure. Regards Fernando.

As I already have written: My recommendation for your system would have been my "Actual nForce Driverpack for XP v8.5". You can find the download link at the bottom of my guide (= start post of this thread). The included nForce Ethernet driver v67.89 work, but they do not support the Gigabit LAN speed (up to 1.000 Mb/sec). That is why I have suggested to install my "Actual nForce Driverpack for XP".Regards Fernando

This is exactly the line your nForce SATA AHCI Controller is needing to be supported by the driver.The VendorID "VEN_10DE" means NVIDIA, the DeviceID "DEV_0AB9" means the nForce SATA Controller of any MCP79 chipset running in AHCI mode and the suffix "CC_106" is the AHCI mode specification to make sure, that the DeviceID is only valid with enabled AHCI (the suffix for non-AHCI SATA would be "CC_101", the suffix for RAID Controllers is "CC_104").

Why don't you just borrow a Windows XP CD with integrated SP3 from a friend just for using it as source for the creation of an actual XP image with the integrated correct AHCI driver? Later, when you do the XP installation (from an USB stick for example), you have to enter your CD Key, so I don't see any licence problem. This should be asked the HP Support, not me.You can easily verify what I have written: Download the nForce driver sets 15.23 or 15.25 HP is recommending to install, then open the IDE\WinXP\SATA_IDE folder and look for the file named NVGTS.INF. Then open this file with the Editor and search for "DEV_0AB9". You will not find it. If you want to get Windows XP properly installed and running, you should not install any of the nForce chipset driver packages HP is recommending, unless the included NVGTS.INF contains the needed DEV_0AB9 DeviceID entry.Regards Fernando

Hello Graham, thanks for your detailed answers. Here are my conclusions of your dates: Your Compac 311C mini has an MCP79 chipset and the SATA hdd is running in AHCI mode. Neither NVIDIA's 15.23 nor the 15.25 set do support your system, because the needed HardwareID's of the MCP79 NVIDIA nForce SATA Controller is missing. This is what I recommend to do: Create a bootable XP CD with the suitable nForce AHCI driver according to chapter B of my guide (= start post of this thread). Use a clean Windows XP SP2 or SP3 version as source. Just integrate the unzipped content of the modified 32bit nForce SATA_IDE driver folder v11.1.0.43 as textmode driver. You can get the driver package from >here<. Let nLite burn the image directly. Once Windows XP is installed, you can run the installer of my 32bit "Actual nForce Driverpack" v8.5. You will find the download link at the buttom of my guide. Good luck! Regards Fernando

Hello Graham, welcome at MSFN Forums! I am only able to help dodgyjammer and you, if I get the information regarding a ) the exact nForce chipset of your Compaq 311c Mini and b ) the SATA mode (IDE, AHCI or RAID) of the hdd, which has been automaticly set by the manufacturer within the BIOS.. Unfortunately HP resp. Compaq doesn't give any of these informations at their homepages, not even within the manual of your notebook/netbook. Before you are going to format the hdd, you should run the Device Manager and look into the "IDE ATA/ATAPI Controllers" and - if applicable - the "SCSI & RAID Controllers" section.Questions: 1. Which Controller names do you see? 2. Which are the HardwareID's of these Controllers (right click onto it > "Properties" > "Details" > "Property" > "HardwareID's)?. There are 2 different nForce chipset driver sets offered by NVIDIA: the set 15.23 and the set 15.25. Both sets do support the same nForce chipsets and contain the same nForce Ethernet Driver (v67.89), but different nForce SATA/RAID Drivers (v10.3.0.42 and v10.3.0.46). Since the set 15.25 is the newer one, I would prefer this set, if the nForce chipset of your system should be supported by these special sets (i am not sure about that).Regards Fernando

You may try the procedure you have posted, but I recommend to do the following:1. Save your important data. 2. Create a Windows XP SP3 CD with integrated appropriate RAID driver by using the tool nLite. 3. Enable RAID within the BIOS and create the RAID0 array. 4. Install the OS onto a freshly created and formatted RAID partition. Regards Fernando

@ prophase: Welcome at MSFN Forums! You cannot compare the switch from IDE to AHCI mode with a switch from IDE to RAID mode, especially not, if you are planning to create a RAID0 array, which is the best option to have a performance boost. Here are my additional questions: 1. Which sort of RAID array do you want to create (RAID0 or RAID1)? 2. Why did you post your problem into the nLite thread? What has is to do with the tool nLite? Regards Fernando

@ usarif: You forgot to mention the OS you are going to install and the way you have integrated the Intel AHCI driver. If you are going to install Windows XP onto a VMWare machine with an Intel Southbridge in AHCI mode, you should better integrate an Intel AHCI driver version, which belongs to the Intel® Matrix Storage Manager (MSM) series. The Intel RST drivers like the v9.5.0.1037 one are not the best choice unless they are installed onto a really existing Intel AHCI Controller system.For further informations you may look into >this< guide. Questions:1. To which chapter of the TXTSETUP.SIF belongs this line? 2. Did you add this line manually or has it been done by nLite? Regards Fernando

@ East 17: You can easily verify yourself, if you have a 32bit or 64bit version of the OS by opening the CD1 of your OS source with the Windows Explorer. If you see a directory named "AMD64", you definitively have the 64bit version of the OS. After having identified the OS architecture (32bit or 64bit), you should repeat the driver integration procedure by using nLite, but take care, that you begin from scratch with an untouched OS source, don't load the Last Session.ini file of any previous nLite processing, integrate just the suitable 32bit or 64bit driver, which has been prepared or modified by me, don't hit F6 while doing the final OS installation. Good luck! Fernando

Hello Colin, although you have spent a lot of time to get Windows XP installed onto your RAID array, you succeeded at least - congratulations! The exact option is named "Disable automatic restart on system failure". Here is a description I found: Fine, that you got XP running at least, but I would rather like to know the exact reason for your previous problems.I don't think, that they were caused by the "wrong" driver versions or by a corrupted SATA port. A very interesting detail of your report is, that you obviously succeeded by having just integrated the drivers of the IDE\SATARAID folder (as TEXTMODE drivers) without additionally integrating the SATA_IDE folder (as PnP driver). This leads me to the conclusion, that your special Asus A8N-E mainboard has lost the capability to support S-ATA RAID and P-ATA RAID arrays simultaneously, which is the standard of nearly all nForce4 RAID systems (so called LEGACY mode RAID system). This might have been the reason why the integration of the LEGACY folder and the integration of the SATARAID + SATA_IDE folder failed with your special nForce4 RAID system. I am pretty sure, that you would have been able to get XP installed by integrating the nForce SATA and RAID drivers v6.99 and v9.99.09, if you would have integrated just the SATARAID driver folder without adding the SATA_IDE one. If you ever do a driver update, you will only need the SATARAID folder too. If you should ever try an update of the nForce SATA and RAID drivers, please let me know, if I am right or wrong. Happy Christmas! Fernando

Hello Colin, thanks for your response, which makes me very unsure about how to help you, because you obviously have done everything the right way. It would be interesting to see the complete error message. You can get it, if you hit F8 at the last reboot and choose the "Don't reboot at system failure" option. I don't think so, because I didn't change anything with this driver package for a long time. You may try it.Alternatively you can integrate the WHQL certified nForce SATARAID and SATA_IDE drivers v6.99 (SATARAID as TEXTMODE, SATA_IDE as PnP drver). You will get them from >here<. Until now I have no idea.Question: Did you ever install any OS successfully onto the RAID? If yes, which OS and how did you manage it? Regards Fernando

Hello Colin, welcome at MSFN Forums! Since more than 1 million users of my guide cannot be wrong, it should be no problem to get Windows XP SP2 installed onto your nForce4 RAID array, if you follow my advices: The XP source has to be clean (untouched, no WINNT.SIF within the i386 directory). Let nLite do nothing else than the integration of the nForce SATA and RAID drivers and the creation of the bootable Image (ISO file). Integrate the "modded" LEGACY folder v6.99 as TEXTMODE drivers and nothing else (no additional PnP driver). Before you start with the XP installation, make sure, thatthe RAID array is shown as "healthy" and bootable, the BIOS timing settings are the default ones (no overclocking), there are not more than 3 GB of memory inserted and all hdd's except the RAIDed ones are unplugged and no USB stick is inserted. Good luck! Fernando

@ all users with an Intel AHCI or RAID system: Due to the fact, that Intel has released new official AHCI and RAID drivers v10.1.0.1008 at 17th December, I have just updated the first post of this thread again to make these brandnew drivers available for the integration according to my guide. Changelog: new: 32/64bit Intel RST drivers v10.1.0.1008 WHQL dated 11/05/2010 new: modded 32/64bit Intel RST drivers v10.1.0.1008 (usable with all AHCI/RAID capable Intel Southbridges from ICH7 up) new: Complete RST driver and software pack v10.1.0.1008 WHQL (already extracted) Good luck with the integration of these new drivers! Regards Fernando

Yes, Windows detects the specifications of the device (the Vendor ID and the Device ID = HardwareID) and compares it with the HardwareID list of the associated INF file. You cannot change the VendorID and the DeviceID of the hardware, but you can manually add the HardwareID to the INF file of a driver. This works with some devices. The in-use drivers are stored within the WINDOWS\SYSTEM32\DRIVERS folder of the OS partition. You will not be able to delete a driver, which is currently used by the OS, because it is a protected system file. Furthermore it wouldn't make sense to simply delete the SYS file as long as the registry entries still refer to it.Regards Fernando

@ throbert: Here are my answers: 1. Yes, you can use the RST driver v9.6.0.1014 WHQL. When you integrate it, just choose the listed device named "Intel® ICH9R/DO/DH SATA AHCI Controller". 2. Before you start with the OS installation, you have to enter the BIOS and to set the Intel SATA Controllers to "AHCI" mode. 3. I recommend to choose the single driver method. 4. It is no problem to integrate the Intel SATA AHCI driver (as TEXTMODE driver) and the Intel chipset "drivers" (as PnP drivers) one after the other into the same OS image. Regards Fernando