Integration of NVIDIA's nForce RAID and AHCI drivers

[FBratwurst]

Hi there,

I've been looking quit a while on this topic for a solution for my similar problem. I can't get my new SSD working with AHCI enabled on my nForce mobo. In IDE mode everything works fine, but I really want to get it working with AHCI. Hopefully you can help me. As far as I read on this topic I do believe in the expertise of Fernando. The things I've read so far has only to do with Windows XP while I'm using Windows 7. Please help!

Further specs of my system:

OS: Windows 7 x64

Mobo: M3N-HT Deluxe (nForce 780a SLI)

SSD: OCZ Vertex 3 (firmware 2.15)

HDD: Samsung Spinpoint 103SJ

MEM: 4GB Kingston 1066Mhz

VGA: Onboard (external just died, looking for a new one)

DVD-RAM: LG or something.

FLOPPY: nope, but I do have a bootable USB

What I've tried:

After 2 months working on Windows 7 x64 on IDE mode I decided I wanted to change to AHCI mode. Tried the register tweak (change .../msahci/start value from 3 to 0), reboot, change IDE to AHCI in BIOS. Results in endless reboot at the point of loading Windows. After that I tried to reinstall directly on AHCI mode. Same results. Tried other SATA ports on my mobo. Didn't work as well. Again installed on IDE mode and searched for ours and ours to a solution. Nothing comes close as this topic but I'm quit dizzy right now of all the research.

I put all my trust in you guys. Thanks in advance!

FBratwurst

By the way: it's not an issue for me to reinstall.

Edited November 2, 2011 by FBratwurst

[Fernando 1]

@ FBratwurst:

Welcome to the nLite Forum as part of the MSFN Forum!

Your problem has nothing to do with nLite and nothing to do with the topic of this thread.

If you want to get help, you should post your issues within a Forum, which is supporting nForce storage driver problems. The nForcersHQ Forum (>LINK< or the NVIDIA Forums (>LINK<) may be a better address.

Usually it is no problem to get Windows 7 installed onto a hdd or SSD after having set the SATA Controllers to AHCI mode, because the OS has a generic MS AHCI driver in the box, which should be able to detect and manage all nForce AHCI systems. If the installation should fail nevertheless, you should ask the NVIDIA support for a suitable nForce AHCI driver, which definitively works with your nForce 780a Southbridge. I doubt, that there is any official nForce SATA driver available for the DeviceID DEV_07B5.

Regards

Fernando

[DBF68]

Hi there,

I've been looking quit a while on this topic for a solution for my similar problem. I can't get my new SSD working with AHCI enabled on my nForce mobo. In IDE mode everything works fine, but I really want to get it working with AHCI. Hopefully you can help me. As far as I read on this topic I do believe in the expertise of Fernando. The things I've read so far has only to do with Windows XP while I'm using Windows 7. Please help!

Further specs of my system:

OS: Windows 7 x64

Mobo: M3N-HT Deluxe (nForce 780a SLI)

SSD: OCZ Vertex 3 (firmware 2.15)

HDD: Samsung Spinpoint 103SJ

MEM: 4GB Kingston 1066Mhz

VGA: Onboard (external just died, looking for a new one)

DVD-RAM: LG or something.

FLOPPY: nope, but I do have a bootable USB

What I've tried:

After 2 months working on Windows 7 x64 on IDE mode I decided I wanted to change to AHCI mode. Tried the register tweak (change .../msahci/start value from 3 to 0), reboot, change IDE to AHCI in BIOS. Results in endless reboot at the point of loading Windows. After that I tried to reinstall directly on AHCI mode. Same results. Tried other SATA ports on my mobo. Didn't work as well. Again installed on IDE mode and searched for ours and ours to a solution. Nothing comes close as this topic but I'm quit dizzy right now of all the research.

I put all my trust in you guys. Thanks in advance!

FBratwurst

By the way: it's not an issue for me to reinstall.

Hi FBratwurst,

I feel your pain with troubleshooting oddball things. Although, as Fernando stated, it seems like you're having a non-nLite related problem, but posted in the nLite Nvidia driver related forum. I'm not familar with SSD drives other than they are exceedingly fast. Although, I've gotten the impression from some readings that they have nuances that need to be considered prior to just popping them in the case and installing an OS on them. Then gain, I could be wrong on that point.

I'm sort of surprised that you're having problems getting W7 installed on the SSD drive with the mobo in AHCI mode. When I tried the W7 trial release, I didn't have any problems installing on a primary partition on my SATA drive connected to my 780a chipset mobo while in AHCI mode. Granted, I'm comparing apples to oranges to some extent between storage device types. Although, the 780a chipset can be a PITA. Some design limitations were imposed on its users when it comes to switching between AHCI and RAID mode.

With the 590 chipset, installing a WXPP (Windows XP Pro) OS was a piece of cake, regardless of what mode you used. The reason why it was easy is because there were dedicated AHCI/IDE, RAID/IDE, and IDE modes. So, WXPP automatically detected the AHCI or RAID controller and asked for the drivers. Because you were in this kind of 50/50 controller mode, it didn't just BSOD all over you due to a driver finding problem.

With the 780a chipset, it's all or nothing when it comes to choosing a controller option. There's only AHCI, RAID, or IDE mode. The IDE mode is kind of an all purpose failsafe mode that (should) work all the time because of the generic IDE drivers included with WXPP. Where you get into a problem is having to choose either AHCI or RAID during the OS WXPP install process (F6). You can only choose one controller mode, install the drivers, and your choice is set in stone unless you want to blow out your OS and create a RAID controller build.

Even though I got pretty familiar with nLite to the point I believe I was doing everything correctly, it did not do a good enough job of rolling in the compatible 780a AHCI and RAID drivers into the final slipstreamed ISO file. What I expected was for it to pack in those drivers and make registry modifications or notations "somewhere" so the installing OS knew it had access to both AHCI and RAID drivers if I chose to switch between controllers. Well, nLite never did what it should have done in that regard. If I switched between controllers, I'd get a BSOD based on what drivers the OS couldn't find, but had access to in the Windows folder. So, I was forced to rely on my old tried and true method for getting dual AHCI and RAID driver access within WXPP.

My tried and true method does depend on having at least one PATA drive. From that point, I install a raw uncustomized nor updated WXPP copy on a primary partition while in IDE mode. Once that process is done, I reboot and go through the process of enabling the AHCI controller in the mobo BIOS, have WXPP detect it, and then install the AHCI drivers. Then, I just repeat the process for the RAID controller until I have a raw WXPP copy on the PATA drive that has both driver sets installed. Afterwards, I use my Segate provided copy of Acronis True Image to copy that OS image to a SATA drive primary partition while in either AHCI or RAID mode. Then, I boot to that SATA primary partition and continue my OS build process until I've got something I want to image and put on the storage drive for safe keeping. This is sort of a PITA rigamarole process, but it's the best method I've found to work.

Anyway, this info probably won't help you with your particular problem, but if sparks an idea for a breakthrough or helps someone else with a 780a chipset, great.

Good luck on your efforts.

P.S. Make sure you've got the most recent BIOS version from your mobo manufacturer installed. Since W7 walks you through the process of choosing a hard drive, formatting it, and then creating a primary partition on the soon to be OS system drive, I'm assuming you've gone through that process without any success. The only other thing I suggest like Fernando suggested is to check out the Nvidia 780a mobo chipset forums and the forums related to your mobo on the manufacturer's website.

Edited November 3, 2011 by DBF68

[Fernando 1]

@ DBF68:

Thanks for your post, which may encourage FBratwurst to continue his efforts to get any Windows OS installed onto his nForce 780a chipset system after having set the NVIDIA nForce SATA Controllers to AHCI mode..

I disagree with you regarding the simultaneous integration of AHCI and RAID drivers. That doesn't make sense and reduces the chance to succeed with the OS installation.

@ FBratwurst:

The statement of DBF68 verifies, that it is possible to get Win7 installed onto an nForce 780a chipset system running in AHCI mode without the necessity to load or integrate any special AHCI driver.

This is what I suggest for you:

1. Set the nForce SATA Controllers to AHCI mode.

2. Unplug the power cable of your hdd and make sure, that your SSD is connected with port0 of your mainboard.

3. Boot off the Win7 media (DVD or USB) and try to get Win7 installed onto your SSD.

If the Win7 Setup should not detect your SSD, retry the Win7 installation onto your hdd. This is just a test to find out the reason for the failure with the SSD.

Regards

Fernando

[DBF68]

@ DBF68:

...

I disagree with you regarding the simultaneous integration of AHCI and RAID drivers. That doesn't make sense and reduces the chance to succeed with the OS installation.

Well, WXPP isn't going to install an AHCI driver when you have the RAID controller enabled any more than it's going to install a RAID driver when the AHCI controller enabled. You know far better than I do that the OS install routine is going to be looking for parameters that verify whether or not a set of drivers is compatible with the enabled hardware. So, by its design nature, WXPP is going to install the right drivers or give you a BSOD. Short of trying to give the OS install routine a file that says a set of drivers you're trying to feed it are something they're not, you usually don't have to worry about the OS getting confused.

Based on how nLite operates, from my pov, it seems to imply it's going to retrieve, incorporate, and make availabe all compatible drive controller drivers for your mobo. For instance, it has the ability to allow you to point it at a folder containing a drive controller driver package. When it scanned a folder for compatible 780a controller drivers, it came up with a list containing "both" AHCI and RAID drivers and associated files. Afterwards, nLite didn't pop up a message that said, "I'm going to roll both of these driver sets into the ISO, but the OS install routine will only be aware of one driver set based on what driver controller you've selected in your mobo BIOS.". Instead, it rolled both driver sets into a folder contained in the Windows folder and didn't let the OS install routine know it had access to both sets of drivers. In hindsight, I probably should be saying that it should be leaving some notation for the installed OS that the other set of drivers are available in a folder in the Windows folder.

Why bother rolling both drive controller drivers into the ISO if you're only going to allow the Windows install routine to be aware that there's only one that works based on the user's drive controller selection? It seems like a wasted effort. The WXPP install routine has its cache of drivers it goes through during the text mode phase to check for compatible drivers via process of elimination. It doesn't get hung up on the fact that there are a lot of drivers rolled into it that aren't compatible with the system where it's trying to be installed. So, it would make sense for nLite to make the text mode OS install process aware that it had both AHCI and RAID drivers available.

The primary reason why nLite's driver roll-up efforts seem odd to me is because it restricts any future hard drive controller choice. Say for instance a person using AHCI mode wants to use the RAID controller to create a RAID-1 mirrored array for storage and backup purposes. Well, that scenario would be possible if nLite made some kind of notation for the Windows install routine so it knew it has access to both AHCI and RAID drivers in the Windows folder. Unfortunately, this is not the way nLite works, and blowing out the old OS is the only real option. Again, it just seems like a wasted effort to role up both sets of drivers into the ISO if you're not going to have the future option to use both of them.

Sorry for the long ramble.

-------

As for your other suggestion to FBratwurst, that's an excellent idea. As I was reading your suggestion, I was reminded of the annoying backwards hierarchy of importance that both WXPP and W7 give to older hard drive technology. For instance, when doing a new OS build, I have to remind myself to unplug the power plug to any older PATA drive technolgoy drives first. Otherwise, the WXPP install process will detect the PATA drives and give them install priority over the newer SATA technology hard drives. W7 does the same dumb thing, i.e. it'll give install priority to PATA drives before SATA drives. So, maybe that's part of FBratwurst's problem. In his case, it'd give the Samsung SATA drive install priority over the OCZ Vertex 3 SSD.

Edited November 3, 2011 by DBF68

[Fernando 1]

@ DBF68:

You are right regarding the ability of Windows XP to take just the suitable drivers and to avoid the wrong ones, but this is only valid for PnP drivers, which are installed after the first reboot, that means during the second (GUIMODE) part of the OS installation, when the detailed hardware detection and PnP driver installation takes place. XP users will never get a BSOD, if they have integrated absolutely unusual or corrupted PnP drivers, not even with a wrong architecture (mixing 32/64bit drivers).

Things are totally different with the AHCI and RAID drivers, which have to be used by the OS Setup already during the first=TEXTMODE part of the installation. The OS does not know by its own the AHCI/RAID Controller details of the system and has no idea regarding the appropriate textmode driver(s), which are present within the i386 resp. amd64 directory of the OS image. That is why the XP Setup presents a textmode driver Pop-Up window and the user has to decide, which of the available AHCI or RAID Controllers (and the related driver) should be chosen (installed) by the OS. Any wrong textmode driver may induce a BSOD.

The primary reason why nLite's driver roll-up efforts seem odd to me is because it restricts any future hard drive controller choice. Say for instance a person using AHCI mode wants to use the RAID controller to create a RAID-1 mirrored array for storage and backup purposes. Well' date=' that scenario would be possible if nLite made some kind of notation for the Windows install routine so it knew it has access to both AHCI and RAID drivers in the Windows folder. Unfortunately, this is not the way nLite works, and blowing out the old OS is the only real option. Again, it just seems like a wasted effort to role up both sets of drivers into the ISO if you're not going to have the future option to use both of them.[/quote']That is not correct. nLite allows you to integrate as many AHCI and RAID drivers as you want into the same XP image and you can highlight all listed AHCI and RAID Controllers, when you get the textmode driver pop-up window during the XP installation, but usually this will end with a BSOD, which is OS and not nLite related.

[FBratwurst]

Thanks for quick responding. And sorry for posting in the wrong topic, but still thanks. It helped me out in some way. Yesterday I did all the things that Fernando suggested. No satisfying results... But this is what I found out (sorry for my bad English)

Installing windows 7 on the SSD didn't worked in AHCI mode. But it did work on a normal HDD in AHCI mode. Therefore I used an old HDD from a broken laptop. So I do have a working OS in the house When I tried to install WIN 7 x64 on the SSD in AHCI mode it goes untill after the first restart while installing. I see the Windows logo and it won't go through that point. I unplugged al other devices except for the DVD ROM. After a couple hopeless restarts I switched back to IDE mode in the BIOS and then the installation of Windows continued normal. So I guess there is a problem with the combination of AHCI and the Vertex 3 on my mobo.

But that's not everything. Between al this problems I struggled (and still struggling) with the BIOS that won't detect my SSD at all times. I have to shut down power, remove the battery of my mobo and then restart. Only then the BIOS detects the SSD. This is some problem I had a couple of months ago with an earlier Vertex 3, wich I send back for RMA. Seems like this one is also ready for RMA. So now I contacted the reseller where I bought the SSD and explained this problem. I'm quit done with the Vertex and I have let them known that I want to exchange it for a Crucial M4.

So what do you think about this? Broken SSD, or do I miss something?

[Fernando 1]

So what do you think about this? Broken SSD, or do I miss something?

I agree with you and I am pretty sure, that your problem will be solved after having inserted the Crucial M4 SSD.

Regards

Fernando

[siinain]

Can somebody please tell me which drivers should I pick?

from these:

Windows XP or Windows Server 2003 (32bit)

for nForce2/3/4 SataRAID and nForce2/3/4/5 PataRAID systems:

>32bit nForce LEGACY drivers v6.99 mod by Fernando

for nForce 560/520 (MCP65) and nForce 630a (MCP67) SataRAID systems:

>32bit nForce SATARAID drivers v10.3.0.46 WHQL

for all other nForce SataRAID systems:

>32bit nForce SATARAID drivers v11.1.0.43 WHQL

Thank you

[Fernando 1]

@ siinain:

Welcome at MSFN Forum!

Can somebody please tell me which drivers should I pick?

As long as you don't post the details about your system (nForce chipset or name and vendor of your pc resp. mainboard), nobody will be able to give you a correct answer.

Regards

Fernando

[FBratwurst]

So what do you think about this? Broken SSD, or do I miss something?

I agree with you and I am pretty sure, that your problem will be solved after having inserted the Crucial M4 SSD.

Regards

Fernando

Hi there,

Last week I tried to post an update of my situation but this site was temporarly unavailable. But now I'm here. So... this is what happened:

I tried installing Win7 x64 on AHCI mode on my Vertex 3 120GB SSD for about 3 times. Every time Windows got back into the install after the first reboot while installing the installation got stuck and the computer came into an endless reboot circle. On that point I set my BIOS settings back to IDE mode and it seemed that the installation could continue in IDE mode. And that was just something I did not wanted because of the limited performance of a SSD on IDE mode.

BUT, and there is the big but: while struggling in this proces my BIOS didn't recognized my SSD at all times. And that happened more and more. I fixed this issue a couple of times by resetting the BIOS by powering down and removing the battery but that went quit irritating after a while. So I contacted the manufacturer of the SSD and send it back for RMA. I mentioned that I lost my patient on the Vertex and asked for changing it into a Crucial M4 128GB. That was no problem for them and 3 days later I ran Windows 7 x64 on AHCI mode on my pc without any problems.

So in the end... OCZ Vertex still sucks

Thank you all for all the help.

Greeting,

FBratwurst

[DBF68]

... 3 days later I ran Windows 7 x64 on AHCI mode on my pc without any problems.

So in the end... OCZ Vertex still sucks

Thank you all for all the help.

Greeting,

FBratwurst

Cool. Glad it worked.

[RJARRRPCGP]

Floppy disks are the worst data storage media regarding the file integrity. Bad floppy disks are the main reason for corrupted driver files.

Sooooo true with files in general! The file accesses can go fine at one moment, then when ready to retrieve the data from a floppy disk at another PC, a whammy, a disk error!

Edited December 8, 2011 by RJARRRPCGP

[teebe]

My HP 6910p noteb has an AHCI ICH8M sata port, i want sleepstream with Nlite the basic information to carry on with install and repair of WnXp-Sp3. The notes found here are interesting, but i am confused about to use in Nlite and possibly testing with Oracle VB before burning a lot of CD. Apparently you have the solution with "32bit Intel MSM AHCI & RAID driver v8.9.8.1005 WHQL". The point is, which information i have to peek in Nlite driver integrate menu, only the one offered by named option or multiple, like also i.e. "32bit Intel MSM AHCI & RAID driver v8.9.8.1005 mod by Fernando"? However, the testing done ends always with bugcheck 0x19, BAD_POOL_HEADER in acpi.sys, independently if I use ICH8, ICH8-M, mod for VB... etc. etc. Notice that when burning to CD setup goes through, but for some reason Nlite carries both Intel and nVidia info even if a series of non-stopping errors linked to hpzius12.sys, hpzisc12.sys scatters from setup. Any enlightment? Thank's.

[Fernando 1]

@ teebe:

Since your notebook has an Intel SATA port, you have posted into the wrong thread. The topic of this thread is the integration of the NVIDIA textmode drivers.

Please post your problem into >this< thread.

Thanks in advance!

Regards

Fernando