First of all, I would like to encourage everyone thinking about ditching Vista for XP to do so. You will be surprised at the performance your laptop can actually achieve.
Right on!! :smileywink:
It' quite sad that a corporation such as Microsoft couldn't make a decent operating system given all the time.
But I suppose it is cheaper for them to sell a buggy mess of an OS and fix it (chronically slowly) through updates at a lot of users expences. :smileymad:
I think the following
discussion may be of help to you.
Message Edited by mfinnan101 on 04-14-2008 06:11 PM
I followed your advice and tried the suggestions posted on that website but it didn't work either. After installing that controller driver, I got the BSOD in AHCI and ATA mode. I will continue to look for a solution that works, but I am content in running in ATA mode until then. The performance is still top notch. Thanks for the help though.
Sorry I couldn't be of more help. Personally I'd be completely happy to keep it in ATA, I don't think there much of a difference between that an AHCI....
1. download R154200.exe(drivers) and R154198.exe(intel matrix storage manager). 2. download http://sinrsw03.sg.dell.com/fileup/at.asp?fn=200792810585320059.rar. 3. run R154200.exe and unzip the rar file you downloaded from step 2. you should create 2 directories with the names like R154200 and ATA2AHCI 4. go to ATA2AHCI directory and right mouse click on ahciraid.inf and select install from the menu. 5. go to R154200 directory and right mouse click on both iaahci.inf and iastor.inf and select install from the menu.
NOTE: someone said step 4 is enough, but i did both step 4 & 5 and it worked.
6. reboot your system. press F2 at startup screen to go inside bios. change SATA operation from ATA to AHCI. change Flash Cache Module from Off to Enable. 7. save and exit bios. now xp should boot normally. 8. in xp, run R154198.exe. 9. after reboot, you should see Intel 82801 HEM/HBM SATA AHCI Controller is installed under device manager / IDE ATA/ATAPI controller. DONE!
Could you possibly try step 8 before steps 6 and 7.
Could you possibly try step 8 before steps 6 and 7.
I have tried doing that and I get an error in the installation program that says, "Incompatible system" or something to that affect. So the installer quits before actually installing any files. I have contributed this to the fact that I have ATA mode set in the bios... but not quite sure.
When you tried the installation of the Intel Matrix Storage manager on the link I provided, did you let it go ahead with the installation? The thing to do is just extract the files.
When you tried the installation of the Intel Matrix Storage manager on the link I provided, did you let it go ahead with the installation? The thing to do is just extract the files.
I tried following the instructions from that post with no success. I had tried something similar on my own previously just using the controller drivers from the Dell Support site (R154200). Neither of these worked.
When I formatted the disk for installing XP, I erased all the data residing on the drive. Vista partition, recovery partition, media direct partition, etc. Could this have any affect on the controller not taking the drivers correctly?
On a side note, is there anyway to disable the media direct button? Even though I've erased it's partition, it still manages to open the loading screen, then gives an error about not being able to see any hard disks... I'm reluctant to try and diagnose it because last time it wouldn't allow me to boot into XP after that. Don't want someone to inadvertantly press that button and screw my system up.
When I formatted the disk for installing XP, I erased all the data residing on the drive. Vista partition, recovery partition, media direct partition, etc. Could this have any affect on the controller not taking the drivers correctly?
On a side note, is there anyway to disable the media direct button? Even though I've erased it's partition, it still manages to open the loading screen, then gives an error about not being able to see any hard disks... I'm reluctant to try and diagnose it because last time it wouldn't allow me to boot into XP after that. Don't want someone to inadvertantly press that button and screw my system up.
I'm not sure what else to try....
I don't think erasing the hard drive would make any odds. That option is presumably a hardware setting exclusive to the BIOS only..
Not sure about the Media Direct Button. If it still actually runs its fuctionality must be intergrated into the BIOS or something.
A friend of mine did manage to get his Inspiron 6400 laptop to boot into Ubuntu when he presses it though.
Thanks for all the help you've given thus far mfinnan. It just puzzles me because I know I've read about people getting AHCI to work on their Inspiron 1720's... I'll keep searching and post the solution if I ever do find one.
mfinnan101
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April 13th, 2008 22:00
Ceaza
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April 14th, 2008 00:00
mfinnan,
I followed your advice and tried the suggestions posted on that website but it didn't work either. After installing that controller driver, I got the BSOD in AHCI and ATA mode. I will continue to look for a solution that works, but I am content in running in ATA mode until then. The performance is still top notch. Thanks for the help though.
Ceaza
mfinnan101
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1.2K Posts
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April 14th, 2008 07:00
mfinnan101
2 Intern
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1.2K Posts
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April 14th, 2008 07:00
Ceaza
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April 14th, 2008 10:00
mfinnan101
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1.2K Posts
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April 14th, 2008 16:00
Check out post 20 here
When you tried the installation of the Intel Matrix Storage manager on the link I provided, did you let it go ahead with the installation? The thing to do is just extract the files.
Ceaza
6 Posts
0
April 14th, 2008 17:00
I tried following the instructions from that post with no success. I had tried something similar on my own previously just using the controller drivers from the Dell Support site (R154200). Neither of these worked.
When I formatted the disk for installing XP, I erased all the data residing on the drive. Vista partition, recovery partition, media direct partition, etc. Could this have any affect on the controller not taking the drivers correctly?
On a side note, is there anyway to disable the media direct button? Even though I've erased it's partition, it still manages to open the loading screen, then gives an error about not being able to see any hard disks... I'm reluctant to try and diagnose it because last time it wouldn't allow me to boot into XP after that. Don't want someone to inadvertantly press that button and screw my system up.
mfinnan101
2 Intern
•
1.2K Posts
0
April 14th, 2008 17:00
Ceaza
6 Posts
0
April 14th, 2008 18:00
Thanks for all the help you've given thus far mfinnan. It just puzzles me because I know I've read about people getting AHCI to work on their Inspiron 1720's... I'll keep searching and post the solution if I ever do find one.
mfinnan101
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1.2K Posts
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April 14th, 2008 18:00
Sorry I couldn't be of more help Caeza.
I'll have a route of the internet myself and mabye some excessive googling. If I turn up anything I'll let you know.
I was lucky in the sense that my XP setup disk already had an AHCI driver installed on it.
Mark