Fernando 1

Then you either don't have enabled the AHCI Mode of your Intel SATA Controller (BIOS setting) or you have chosen the wrong version of the Intel Matrix Storage Manager. The v8.8.0.1009 should work with your Intel ICH7M SATA AHCI system.

@ Bls: Welcome at MSFN Forums! As far as I have read your post, you have done everything the right way. I have no idea about the real reason for your performance issues while running Windows XP. This is what I would do, if I were you: I would not waste any further time with Windows XP, but install the latest available pre-RTM version of Windows 7 as a second OS for testing purposes. I am pretty sure, that you will forget Windows XP and probably even Vista after having worked and played with this upcoming OS. If you want to stick with Windows XP, you may try the following: 1. Prepare a new Windows XP CD with integrated SP3 and integrated 32bit Intel textmode driver according to my guide by enabling the device named "Intel® ICH7M/MDH SATA AHCI Controller". Don't integrate anything else and don't remove or tweak anything. 2. After having completed the Windows XP installation, run the installer of the actual Intel Matrix Storage Manager and the Intel Chipset Driver Software ("INF Update Utility"). 3. Install the other needed device drivers (take only actual WHQL signed ones). 4. Check the performance of your fresh XP system. 5. If you are not satisfied, open the "Disk Drives" section of the Device Manager, do a right click onte the listed hdd > "Properties" > search for the options to enable/disable the write cashing. 6. Disable the write cashing option. 7. Check the performance again. Maybe you are able to solve your XP problems this way. Good luck! Fernando

@ beardy: Welcome at MSFN Forums! Here is my comment: 1. If you want to use 1 single driverpack for nForce2, nForce3, nForce4 and nForce 430/410 (MCP51) chipset mainboards, you have chosen the best suitable one. The included nForce IDE drivers v6.99 will fully support them all. 2. It is not a good idea to integrate all 3 IDE driver folders (SATARAID, SATA_IDE and LEGACY). My suggestion: Just integrate the LEGACY driver folder. This way nearly all possible hdd configurations (even PATA and PataRAID Controllers) will be supported. 3. The ASUS A8N-VM CSM motherboard is supporting RAID5, but you will need an appropriate mainboard BIOS and nVRAID BIOS version. Good luck! Fernando

You can integrate more than 1 textmode driver, but I do not recommend to integrate different textmode drivers from the same chipset vendor.Reason: The real drivers are the files with the extension ".SYS". Windows XP /32/64bit) Setup will only detect the SATA hdd's, which are set to RAID or AHCI mode, if the suitable textmode driver SYS file is present within the i386/AMD64 directory of the XP CD. Problem: The chipset vendors (in your case: Intel and NVIDIA) have created and published many different textmode driver versions with completely different functions and compatibilities, but with the same names. Examples: All 32/64bit Intel SATA drivers are named IASTOR.SYS, NVIDIA's 32bit SATA drivers are named NVATABUS.SYS/NVATA.SYS or NVGTS.SYS. Bad consequence: If you integrate different Intel or NVIDIA textmode drivers into the same XP CD (32/64bit), the final OS installation may fail, because the correct SATA driver (SYS file) has been overwritten during the driver integration processing.

Sorry i didn't make that very clear. Are any parts of the win7 driver compatible or interchangeable with the XP driver?The Win7 in-box nForce drivers may work with Vista, but I doubt, that they will be usable with Windows XP.

I have them extracted, but you cannot use them from scratch with Windows XP, because the TXTSETUP.OEM file is missing.Can the txtsetup file be added into the win7 drivers? Or is modifying the driver a fruitless endeavor?Vista and Win7 don't need and don't use the TXTSETUP.OEM file.

Thanks for your feedback.By the way: I doubt, that the installation failed because you integrated both ICH7R Controllers. Usually it is not a problem, if you choose all listed Controllers, but it fails, if you miss the needed one. Regards Fernando

You are welcome.Thanks for your feedback! Regards Fernando

That happened yesterday, because I was in the hurry. I am sorry about that, but now the link is repaired and should work for everyone.Good luck! Fernando

You are right: I forgot to modify the INF file of the 64bit driver version. As soon as I returned home again from my holidays I will repair this. You may use my modified driver nevertheless, if you do the following: 1. Download the 32/64bit package with the modified drivers und unzip it. 2. Copy the file named "iaAHCI.INF" from the 32bit to the 64bit folder and let the present file with the same name been overwritten. 3. Now you can use the content of the 64bit driver folder with Vista x64. God luck! Fernando EDIT: I just have repaired my 64bit INF driver file.

@ gauze: Welcome at MSFN Forums! If there is any Windows OS running on your mom's computer, open the Device Manager and look for the controller names, which are listed within the "IDE ATA/ATAPI Controllers" and - if present - within the "Storage Controllers"/"SCSI and RAID Controllers" sections (the "Standard Dual Channel PCI IDE Controllers" are not interesting at all, because they are only supported by the MS generic IDE drivers). Good luck! Fernando

No, the Intel chipset drivers (= "INF Update Utility") generally are usable with all desktop and mobile computers, which have an Intel chipset. The text of the Intel page I have linked may be somehow misleading.

The Intel chipset drivers do not contain any textmode driver.Here is an excerpt of my guide with the link to the new Intel chipset drivers (="INF Update Utility"):

@ RicardoForce: Welcome at MSFN Forums. Answers:Windows XP SP3 is fully compatible with the SATA AHCI Mode, but contrary to Vista it doesn't natively have the needed SATA AHCI drivers. So you have to load them during the XP installation (via floppy/F6 method) or - as the better option - to integrate them into the XP-CD. I assume, that you got the BIOS message, because the vendor of your system has preinstalled Vista and is not interested in any support traffic from users, who are not able to get XP installed in AHCI mode (due to missing or wrong AHCI drivers). Regards Fernando

Have you tried to load the 64bit Intel textmode drivers I have linked within my guide?This should be done during the OS installation at the point where you have to decide where you want to get the OS installed. Just hit the "Load Driver" botton, let Setup load the prepared driver from an USB stick and choose the Intel SATA Controller, which is shown as being compatible (probably the Intel® ICH8R/ICH9R/ICH10R/DO SATA RAID Controller). Once the OS is up, you will find within the "IDE ATA/ATAPI Controllers" section of the Device Manager a device named "Intel® ICH9R/DO/DH SATA AHCI Controller". Do a right click onto it and choose the "Drivers" option. Then you will see, that this device is using the Intel AHCI driver named IASTOR.SYS. Open the "Drives" or "IDE ATA/ATAPI Controllers" section of the Device Manage and do a right click onto the SATA drive or onto the Intel SATA AHCI Controller. It doesn't boost the performance generally (it depends on what you are doing with your computer), but you will realize, that your system is faster and better corresponding, if your SATA hdd is running in AHCI Mode.

This will only work, if you get a second SATA hdd and want to create a RAID1 array (=Mirror) for more security. If you want to use RAID for getting a better performance, you have to create a RAID0 (=Stripe) array, but in this case you have to do a complete new install of the OS after changing the SATA Mode to RAID. I repeat what I already have written to you: As long as there is just 1 SATA hdd, I would use the AHCI and not the RAID mode. If you enable the IDE Mode, no RAID device will be detected.This is what I meant: After having set the SATA Controller to RAID mode, the RAID device should be shown within the BIOS "HARD DISK BOOT PRIORITY" settings. There are 2 different boot order settings within the BIOS:a ) the regular order of the different boot devices like floppy disk drive, CD-ROM, HDD, USB etc. (the first bootable device should be the CD/DVD-ROM, the second one the Hard Disk Drive) and b ) the boot order of the built-in hard disk drives named "HARD DISK BOOT PRIORITY" (only changeable if you have more than 1 hdd in your computer), you have to set that hdd (RAID/SATA or PATA) into the first position, where you want to boot off (and where you will get the MBR, when you are going to install any Operating System). No, you have to do the correct HARD DISK BOOT PRIORITY settings before you start with the OS installation (see last point). Yes, it matters very much. If you really have enabled just the listed "Intel® ICH9R/DO/DH SATA AHCI Controller", your Intel ICH9R SATA RAID Controller and the RAID itself will not be detected by Windows Setup.You only will get your RAID (=SATA hdd with enabled RAID Controller) detected, if you check the listed "Intel® ICH8R/ICH9R/ICH10R/DO SATA RAID Controller" while integrating the Intel textmode driver.

@ lie.hendrik: Did you really enable RAID with 1 single SATA drive? That doesn't make any sense. Now to your problem: Is your RAIDed hdd detected by the BIOS? Has it been set to be bootable? Did you set the RAID into the first position at the BIOS option "HARD DISK BOOT PRIORITY"? What exactly have you done with nLite? Which Intel SATA Controllers did you enable?

@ charlieo: Welcome at MSFN Forums! Although your problem is somehow off topic, I will try to help you. 1. Windows Server 2008 definitively has in-box Intel ICH9R RAID drivers, but maybe these regelar drivers of the Intel Matrix Storage Manager do not support a Server System like yours. 2. Do a look into this Intel page. There you will find several actual Intel utilities for your mainboard and especially a package named "RAID WEB Console Utility for Windows". Maybe this is what you are searching for. Additional questions: 1. How did you get Windows Server 2008 installed onto your RAID? 2. Has your RAID been detected at the beginning of the OS installation? If not, how did you get the OS installed? Notice: you cannot run any installer of a driverpack at this stage of the OS installation. If yes, when did the array disappear? At last reboot of the OS installation?

A broken MBR is not that problematic, because it can easily be repaired. A RAID configuration only makes sense, if you have 2 SATA hdd's.On the other hand I don't see any reason for not using the available AHCI features of your system. This is what I recommend for you: Save the important datas of your current Windows partition, enable the AHCI mode of your SATA drive and do a fresh install of the OS onto drive C by using a Windows XP SP3 CD with integrated AHCI driver. Drive D can be used for gaming furthermore, your PATA drive will not be affected at all.

@ lie.hendrik: Welcome at MSFN Forums! None of the partitions will be destroyed by enabling AHCI or RAID while running any OS, but you will get a BSOD at reboot. If you do a Google search, you may find ways to change the SATA mode from IDE to AHCI without doing a fresh OS installation, but I do not recommend to do that. Save your important files and do a fresh OS installation with integrated AHCI or RAID drivers according to my guide.

@ sexconker: Thanks for your feedback. It's fine, that you succeeded now. Have fun with Windows XP running on your nForce RAID0 array! Fernando

@ Sp0iLedBrAt: As far as I have read the description of the BIOSTAR mainboard 945GC-M7 TE, it does not support the AHCI features and since you obviously will not enable RAID, you won't need to integrate any textmode driver. Just integrate - if not already done - the SP3 into the original XP CD and boot off it. If you want, you can use the unattended install option of nLite. Have fun! Fernando

@ sexconker: 1. How much RAM are you using? If more than 3GB, remove 1-2 RAM sticks just during the OS installation. 2. Have you tried to connect your CD/DVD drive with the eSATA port of your mainboard while installing the OS? Maybe this will work, because the eSATA port is using a SILICON IMAGE and no NVIDIA nForce SATA Controller, but you have to change the boot device order within the BIOS. By the way: Not all SATA connected optical drives do have problems with a RAID or AHCI enabled SATA Controller.

The F8 options have nothing to do with the BIOS.Hit the F8 button while booting and you will get the advanced boot options. Then choose "Don't reboot at system failure". When you get the BSOD, write down the error message (Stop: 0x.....) and - if you see any - the driver/file name, which is mentioned within it.

While rebooting you should choose the advanced F8 option "Don't reboot at systeme failure".This way you will get the BSOD error message, which may help us to find the issue. Question: Which Intel Controllers did you enable while integrating the 32bit Intel textmode driver? @ theknic: Welcome at MSFN Forums! if you still have this problem or any other laptop drivers related problems please let me know.Do you really think, that Gruby a ) hasn't solved his problem he posted in January 2008 and b ) will look here for a solution in May 2009? If you know, where users with a similar problem can get the appropriate driver, why don't you just post the link? CU Fernando