New SSD won't work in AHCI mode

[HorizonXP]

So I just picked up a Corsair Force GT 120 GB drive. After futzing around trying to clone my existing partition, I ended up installing Windows 7 x64 Ultimate fresh.

When I installed the drive, I had my system using AHCI mode. It detected the drive with no issues. When I ran Windows 7 installer off the DVD, it had no issues either. I created the partitions on it, and it forced me to put a 100 MB system partition ahead of the single 111 GB partition that I created.

It proceeded to copy the files, and I walked away. When I came back, I saw my computer had stopped rebooting on the Serial ATA AHCI screen, where it showed that it had detected 4 devices, but listed none of them. The code in the top right was 23.

Removing the SSD's SATA cable allowed the boot process to proceed. I went into the BIOS, disabled AHCI, and it allowed me to use the SSD again, so I could continue the installation. Once Windows 7 had installed, I attempted to switch back to AHCI mode in the BIOS. This caused the same error to occur, with the boot process hung at the same place.

Changing cables merely allowed one device (one of my WD HDDs) to show up on the AHCI boot screen, but still, it hung at the same place. It seems that my computer will only boot with the SSD in if I am not using AHCI mode. Note that this isn't quite a Windows 7 issue, because I haven't even reached that part of the boot process. Nevertheless, I have made the relevant edits to my registry.

My board is a Gigabyte EP45-UD3L with the latest F9 BIOS. My Corsair drive is running the latest 1.3.3 firmware.

I'm at my wits end, so any and all help is appreciated!

 

[Old Hippie]

Sounds like you buggered-up by leaving other drives connected during the install.

W7 has a habit of getting confused and places boot files wherever it decides. I've heard it likes port 0.

AAR, I would disconnect all drives except the SSD (port 0?) and reinstall in AHCI mode.

I have no idea what other equipment you're using and can't recommended anything further.

 

[MobiusPizza]

You cannot change ACHI modes on the fly in the installation. Once installation is performed in AHCI, changing it to IDE will make Windows bluescreen on boot and vice versa. I know registry hacks allow you round this but I personally don't do it if you can get the setup right in the first place.

I'd follow Old Hippe's advice and reisntall in AHCI.
Oh remember to use quick format not full format on the SSD.

If problem persists (hung on boot before Windows 7), then your BIOS really doesn't like AHCI. And you may consider installing and running on IDE mode.

 

[Avalon]

I'd lean more towards it being the board. I have that exact same board in my wife's build that had the exact same issue, except instead of just an issue with an SSD, it was with any SATA hard drive. I gave up and installed in IDE mode.

My older Gigabyte P35 board and my friend's Asus Z68 board have no such issues. IMO BIOS quality on Gigabyte boards has been going down the tubes, as I've been using them for years now and these last few boards I've had from them were just awful.

 

[HorizonXP]

Sounds like you buggered-up by leaving other drives connected during the install.

W7 has a habit of getting confused and places boot files wherever it decides. I've heard it likes port 0.

AAR, I would disconnect all drives except the SSD (port 0?) and reinstall in AHCI mode.

I have no idea what other equipment you're using and can't recommended anything further.

You cannot change ACHI modes on the fly in the installation. Once installation is performed in AHCI, changing it to IDE will make Windows bluescreen on boot and vice versa. I know registry hacks allow you round this but I personally don't do it if you can get the setup right in the first place.

I'd follow Old Hippe's advice and reisntall in AHCI.
Oh remember to use quick format not full format on the SSD.

If problem persists (hung on boot before Windows 7), then your BIOS really doesn't like AHCI. And you may consider installing and running on IDE mode.

SSD was on port 0. Installation completed just fine when I put it into IDE mode. It started just fine in AHCI mode, but somehow, once Windows 7 had created partitions and copied files over, it didn't work anymore. Leads me to believe it has something to do with that.

I'm not sure what I was supposed to do besides "change settings on the fly." Installation was started with AHCI on. Upon restart, AHCI no longer worked, so I switched to IDE mode to get it to continue.

I'd lean more towards it being the board. I have that exact same board in my wife's build that had the exact same issue, except instead of just an issue with an SSD, it was with any SATA hard drive. I gave up and installed in IDE mode.

My older Gigabyte P35 board and my friend's Asus Z68 board have no such issues. IMO BIOS quality on Gigabyte boards has been going down the tubes, as I've been using them for years now and these last few boards I've had from them were just awful.

Maybe, but it doesn't seem to explain why the SSD worked fine before I started installing Windows 7 on it. Moreover, I've been using it for my HDDs for years now.

 

[MobiusPizza]

So when you enable AHCI, before installing Windows, the Serial ATA bootup screen was normal. After installing Windows halfway and restart, the SATA screen suddenly shows no drives detected?

This doesn't make sense, as Windows should not affect the detection of drives. Please elaborate the current situation. So your drive cannot be detected in AHCI mode from now on always?

You can try installing your SATA controller driver before Windows installation (it gives you an option to load driver). Put the driver in the memory stick.

Check your boot order after the first restart. Sometimes it needs changing otherwise it won't quite boot. If you have multiple SATA controller and multiple HDDs, sometime there is an independent HDD boot order list on top of the standard device boot list in BIOS.

 

[Old Hippie]

There's way too many variables/unknowns in your situation for me to suggest anything other than a reinstall in AHCI mode with all other HDs disconnected.

W7 may have put boot files on another drive.

 

[HorizonXP]

There's way too many variables/unknowns in your situation for me to suggest anything other than a reinstall in AHCI mode with all other HDs disconnected.

W7 may have put boot files on another drive.

I don't know if W7 put files on other drives, but I did exactly as you suggested last night and that's what fixed it. Thanks guys! I was hesitant, because I wanted to have some assurances that it would actually fix the issue.

 

[Coup27]

after you've reconnected your hdds, you may want to unhide all files and have a look around to see if there are any boot files left from your botched install.

 

[Old Hippie]

I was hesitant, because I wanted to have some assurances that it would actually fix the issue.

I had no assurances either but it was pretty obvious what you did wasn't working.

It's pretty common for W7 to put boot files on other connected drives.

AAR, I'm glad it worked out for ya.

 

[Yellowbeard]

Old Hippie FTW!

 

[SolMiester]

I have had the same issue on several occasions, its a PITA, especially when you also have RAID arrays....but once again, leaving just 1 drive resolves the issue.

 

[HorizonXP]

Just checked the other drives, and there are no hidden files that would indicate that Windows 7 decided to put boot files on there.

It just seems like a silly issue to have. I've been using Ubuntu for nearly 8 years now, and only switched back to Windows for work-related reasons. Never encountered these kinds of issues before. I figure, when you tell an OS to install to a particular drive, it should install to that drive.

I'm not saying Ubuntu would be immune from something like this, just conveying what my experience has demonstrated to me. I've reinstalled Windows 7 3 times in the past 4 days. I would never have to do that with Ubuntu.

Meh, c'est la vie.

 

[groberts101]

welcome to Microsoft and mfgr specific bios implementations which have been known to cause those issues then. lol

 

[Old Hippie]

Old Hippie FTW!

My Mom always told me that even a blind squirrel finds a nut once in awhile.

 

[groberts101]

hmmm?.. my mom must have been dyslexic then.. cause she told me that even a blind nut finds a squirrel once in a while.

 

[MobiusPizza]

Still find it strange since the 100MB reserved initially was for the boot so the op shouldn't have had any problems as the OS did allocate it to the SSD.

 

[Old Hippie]

even a blind nut finds a squirrel once in a while.

Maybe....but the little furry fu@kers never stayed still enough for me.

 

[groberts101]

Maybe....but the little furry fu@kers never stayed still enough for me.

ROFLMAO.. try peanut butter with some hydrocodone mixed in. Works every time. Course.. gettin' down out of the tree afterwards is the toughest part.

now I don't care who ya are.. that's some funny stuff right ther!