Noob's Confusion over IDE Drives in Modern Mobos

[Revolution 11]

Necessary Disclaimer

First, I am not that experienced with computers so don't be too harsh with me. Second, the limited experience I do have with computers is almost a decade old so keep that in mind. Lastly, I am asking for support on software that many people consider to be outdated. I would like constructive advice, not calls to adapt to newer OSes and to move on from the Stone Age.

(I will be using Windows 7 for gaming but that has nothing to do with this.)

The Scenario
Assume that I need to install a OS (like XP Pro) that doesn't support AHCI and needs IDE/PATA to work. I have a new SATA hard drive that I buy for a system that I either built or bought. The OS will be on the SATA drive which is the only drive in the system. Future SATA drives will be added later as needed for storage.

How do I get this setup to work?

I see three possible answers to this question. Please correct me on any mistakes.

1. Use Legacy/IDE mode in BIOS.
2. Slipstream third-party AHCI drivers into a Windows XP install disc.
3. Use a floppy drive (who even has these anymore) and load the drivers using the F6 method before installing XP.


As method 1 seems the simplest and least problematic and since I don't need AHCI (unless SSDs just die on IDE or something), please advise on the benefits and drawbacks of each, if any.

Method 1 Specific Questions
How many motherboards still support Legacy IDE mode? Should this mode be enabled before installing XP and does it need to be enabled for each new SATA drive added to the system? What is the default mode on most motherboards these days? How many IDE hard drives/SSDs are supported usually?

Thanks in advance for helping me and reading through the wall of text.

- Revolution 11

 

[MagnusTheBrewer]

You're putting the cart before the horse. What MB are you using? XP has no problems working with SATA drives.

 

[Revolution 11]

I am asking a hypothetical question as I have not decided on a mobo yet. Maybe I posted in the wrong section of the forums.

My main question is how well are SATA drives supported in IDE mode by motherboards. XP handles SATA just fine but only if in IDE mode by default. Right?

 

[corkyg]

I am running an old Asus P4PE with PATA OS drive. I have a pair of SATA drives as well in a RAID 1 array for data. PATA and SATA play perfectly well together. BTW - keep in mind that both SATA and PATA are technically IDE drives - they both have Integrated Drive Electronics (IDE.) SATA is Serial ATA and PATA is Parallel ATA.

 

[Revolution 11]

Thanks for the info. So most ATX mobos will support IDE mode instead of forcing AHCI? How about new hardware?

And what is the performance hit if there are no PATA connectors on a mobo and you have to use a PATA to SATA adaptor? Supposing one had to use old PATA drives on a new rig.

Just want to make sure that any new system in 2012/2013 is not rendered useless with old OSes mixing with new hardware.

 

[THRiLL KiLL]

you would be running at pata speeds. so 133 or less. sata comes in 3 speeds 150mbs / 300mbs /600mbs

instead of getting a sata to pata adapter. it would be better to get a pci sata card. (they are pretty cheap)

 

[discerning]

For your current needs, method 1 is fine.

If this is a new install, I would attempt slipstreaming the AHCI drivers. Changing to AHCI later on may be problematic. Will you be adding an SSD later? AHCI may be needed to enable TRIM on SSD's that support XP. How about eSATA? Without AHCI, you will not be able to hot-swap. Installing AHCI now means you don't have to worry about it down the road.

 

[mindless1]

Thanks for the info. So most ATX mobos will support IDE mode instead of forcing AHCI? How about new hardware?

And what is the performance hit if there are no PATA connectors on a mobo and you have to use a PATA to SATA adaptor? Supposing one had to use old PATA drives on a new rig.

Just want to make sure that any new system in 2012/2013 is not rendered useless with old OSes mixing with new hardware.

Yes, any motherboard that isn't intentionally crippled will support legacy ATA mode. It's built into existing bios modules so the (OEM) would have to hide the setting to leave you without access to change it.

The performance hit of an adapter is trivial at most, although having an additional friction fit connection with the adapter board dangling into air from the board or drive can increase the chance of an intermittent connection fault later... more of an issue for systems moved around a lot or after fiddling around inside the case... and if you buy those dirt cheap $3/etc adapters off (Mer1tl1ne.com /etc), many people report a very high DOA rate with those generics so I would order 2 or more just in case one is DOA).

We can't just generalize "old OSes", it has to be specifics. Any (newer, or older) hardware either has or doesn't have support for specific OS via a driver, or a driver built into the OS base install.

Some will say, "slipstream the driver". I think there is a better way. Instead, modify the install files, namely TXTSETUP.INF, maybe a couple driver files (I am too lazy to look this up, google will give guides but basically you set bios to floppy or legacy and put the VID of the flash drive in the aforementioned file, that VID you can find in the device properties of Device Manager) extracted, so that when you are running (XP's) setup, it will see your USB flash drive as the floppy drive. That way, you have a new *universal* XP setup disc and can put whatever SATA driver you want onto a flash drive with any motherboard that has (XP) AHCI driver instead of having to remake a slipstreamed disc for any new SATA controller.

 

[Revolution 11]

Well, I don't know. How far back does backwards compatibility go for recent motherboards, CPUs, and hard drives?

Windows 2000? Windows 98? Or does it even get to Windows 95 and earlier?

Again, I am not talking about gaming-level hardware but rather the basic office-work PC. I always assumed apart from the IDE/AHCI issues, any new x86 hardware can run almost any x86 OS.

Note: I ask these questions not because of any immediate need but because I am aware of the limitations for future office PCs and how far backwards compatibility goes. I am aware of VMs but that's not the question here.