So here is a step-by-step guide for enabling AHCI after Windows install:
1. Open start menu and type “regedit” to search, it should find regedit.exe. Click on it and if you get an UAC prompt just allow the operation.
2. Navigate to “HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\System\CurrentControlSet\Services\Msahci” from there you should find setting named “Start”. Check the Data column, if it is not 0x00000000 (0) right click on it and choose edit. Set the value to 0. This starts the Windows built in AHCI-driver on boot.
3. Restart your computer and go to BIOS/UEFI. It is usually done by pressing F2 or DEL on manufacturer start screen.
4. On Asus UEFI I had to click “Exit/Advanced mode” and go to advanced mode. This is different on every manufacturer. On advanced mode go to Advanced menu and select Drive Configuration. This too may change from manufacturer to manufacturer. Locate SATA mode selection and change it to “AHCI”. The steps may differ but you should find the SATA mode and “AHCI” on any Intel board.
5. Save and exit. Windows should now boot up normally and start installing drivers. It requires just one more reboot and the operation should be complete.
Congratulations! You have enabled AHCI without reinstalling Windows! But please check if the original IAStorDataMgrSvc.exe problem still persists. In my case it was still hogging up power like nobody’s business. That was fixed my installing newer driver from Intel’s site: http://www.intel.com/p/en_US/support/highlights/chpsts/imsm .
Well here is the guide how to enable a small setting that should be correct without you knowing it. I don’t think that an average user should have to do Registry hacking, BIOS configuring and driver install after a warranty repair. Why should I have AHCI enabled any way, one may ask. It seems to speed up booting process and should save power on a laptop. Should you have the Intel driver installed? That, I don’t know. Windows Vista and 7 have the support built-in so it is not required. It might speed up drive even more and won’t allow itself to be uninstalled, so I left it on this pc.
5 comments:
Thanks !
not a techy, but i think it is to do with hot swaping hd or using a ssd drive as a cache
Sometimes you need to change two settings in the registry.
See this MS support article for details:
http://support.microsoft.com/kb/922976
Sometimes you need to change two settings in the registry.
See this MS support article for details:
http://support.microsoft.com/kb/922976
I have a Lenovo T410 that had 25% iastordatamgrsvc cpu about 1 minute after startup (quad core). AHCI was enabled in BIOS. The msahci entry was already set to 0, the other entry in the Microsoft Support article previously posted was not set to 0, so I changed it.
That still didn't do the trick. But a simple update of the Intel RST did it. I was running an old version 10.6.0.1002 before and updated to 12.9.0.1001.
This is the most up to date link to the download for Win 7:
https://downloadcenter.intel.com/SearchResult.aspx?lang=eng&ProductFamily=Software+Products&ProductLine=Chipset+Software&ProductProduct=Intel%C2%AE+Rapid+Storage+Technology+(Intel%C2%AE+RST)&ProdId=2101&LineId=1090&FamilyId=42&OSVersion=Windows+7++*
Thanks anyway.
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