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WARNING: Changing the Serial ATA (SATA) mode in the BIOS (for example, switching between ACHI and RAID or between RAID and AHCI) after installing the operating system is not recommended or supported when a SATA hard drive is the boot drive. Switching modes may cause an immediate blue screen with an 0x0000007b error code, followed by a reboot.
Serial ATA Modes
The Serial ATA (SATA) controller has three modes of operation:
- IDE mode - no AHCI, no RAID
- SATA mode (sometimes called AHCI mode) - AHCI enabled, no RAID
- RAID mode - AHCI enabled, RAID enabled
NOTE: Your system may not have all three options, depending on the motherboard manufacturer and model.
Driver Used By Each Mode
The Serial ATA (SATA) mode in the system BIOS determines which operating mode your system is using, whether you need the Intel® Matrix Storage Manager, and which I/O controller you should choose during the F6 installation process.
IDE mode uses a different driver than SATA and RAID mode.
- IDE mode uses the native Microsoft* driver and does not require the F6 installation method.
- SATA and RAID mode both use the Intel® Matrix Storage Manager and require the F6 installation method.
Configuring the BIOS
Use the following steps to enable RAID or AHCI mode on an Intel® motherboard.
To enable RAID:
- Enter the BIOS.
- Select Advanced.
- Select Drive Configuration.
- Enable Intel® RAID Technology.
- If you want to set up your RAID configuration, reboot and press CTRL-I when prompted. This will allow you to enter the Intel® Matrix Storage Manager option ROM user interface, where you can set up your RAID.
- If you want to make the system RAID Ready, no further action is required.
- Save the changes and exit the BIOS.
To enable AHCI only:
- Enter the BIOS.
- Select Advanced.
- Select Drive Configuration.
- Disable Intel® RAID Technology.
- Enable SATA AHCI mode.
- Save the changes and exit the BIOS.
NOTE: If you are using a SATA hard drive, the best choice is to set your BIOS to RAID mode and install the operating system using the F6 installation procedure; RAID mode allows your system to be "RAID Ready" and also enables AHCI. This mode provides the greatest overall flexibility and upgradeability.
This applies to:
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