Foxconn blackops setting up ahci on existing vista64

[jeffrs]

Hi All,
I hope someone can help with setting up AHCI on my Foxconn Blackops.

I just added a Corsair Force Series 3. At this time all I want to do is use Everquest2 with it so I added the SSD as just another drive. It works perfectly and provides incredibly quick load times when changing zones. But the system is running in IDE mode and I want to set up for AHCI.

OS is Vista64, BIOS is rev 6 (latest), HD is a VelociRaptor WD3000GLFS (300GB, first generation), 8Gig of DDR3, processor is a Q9550 Yorkfield, right now there is no overclocking. There is also a SATA DVD drive. The JMICRON (and all other MB drivers) are current per the Foxconn update utility, as is Vista and I believe everything else. I made the registry key change to tell the OS to load the AHCI driver (Startup went from 0x04 disabled to 0x00). This change did not cause any noticeable difference in and of itself.

I tried to install the latest Intel Matrix Storage Driver but it fails telling me that it is not compatible with my hardware which has me puzzled since it should be.
In BIOS there is a setting for IDE, AHCI, or RAID. I change it from IDE to AHCI.

At this point I’ve been struggling. The system will not detect the HD and calls for a CD [i.e., the Vista disk]. I tried using the Vista CD to do a repair. It takes about 10 minutes to complete its tasks but a reboot still cannot find the HD. It seems my only option at this point is to select IDE mode, then the system works correctly.

I’d appreciate suggestions. Thanks.

[jeffrs]

And the answer is, I forgot there was another SATA drive attached. When I selected AHCI the BIOS was changing the boot order and it decided to go to this extra drive which had a partially working copy of XP on it. I pulled the drive and the SSD for good measure and set AHCI mode. The system booted, detected the SATA drive and selected a driver. Then I was able to install the Matrix Storage Manager which then used its drivers (more detection, rebooting). I added the SSD back into the mix and after a couple boots it is running perfectly.

Thanks. Maybe this will help someone.