Thanks everyone for the help! 
So I avoided installing the Intel MSM, but I did install the Chipset Installation Utility because I thought that was okay. In the process this obviously installed Intel's own storage driver (which IMSM must include as well) and over wrote the Microsoft storage driver.
My question now is ....is it safe to install the Microsoft storage driver and over write the Intel storage driver? How would I go about doing this?
Thanks again!
Zorlac schrieb:
So I avoided installing the Intel MSM, but I did install the Chipset Installation Utility because I thought that was okay. In the process this obviously installed Intel's own storage driver (which IMSM must include as well) and over wrote the Microsoft storage driver.
My question now is ....is it safe to install the Microsoft storage driver and over write the Intel storage driver? How would I go about doing this?
You are not able to overwrite any storage driver by running the installer of the Intel Chipset Device Software ("INF Update Utility"), because the Intel INF "drivers" do not contain any real driver (=file with the extension .SYS). The generic MS storage drivers are the files PCIIDE.SYS (in IDE Mode) and MSAHCI.SYS (in AHCI Mode). They stay absolutely untouched after the installation of the Intel INF Update Utility.
There is no need for you to run optimizer, and that is the bottom line. Don't worry; the automated TRIM will take care of everything. Now, if you didn't have msahci driver, BIOS set to AHCI, and Windows 7, then you would need to run optimizer.
Okay, then just so we are all clear, what exactly do we look for in device manager and what should the driver vendor/revision/date say to verify we indeed are using the Microsoft Windows 7 AHCI storage driver?
Im at work, but from what I remember, when I look in device manager under SATA controllers, I have one listing for AHCI and when I look in the properties it says it is an Intel driver. Should this say Microsoft? Where would I find reference to "MSAHCI.SYS"? The only Intel driver I installed was the Chipset Installation Utility. I did not install the Intel MSM.
In Device Manager under IDE ATA/ATAPI controllers expand that and look under Standard AHCI 1.0 Serial ATA Controller and then double-click and look under Driver, which should say Microsoft and under Details you will find msachi.sys driver.
@ Zorlac:
Don't worry about that.
You will find the SATA Controller entries within the "IDE ATA/ATAPI Controllers" section of the Device Manager.
The usual name of the device, which is using the generic MS AHCI driner MSAHCI.SYS, is the "Standard AHCI 1.0 Serial ATA Controller".
Once you have installed the Intel chipset "drivers", the name of the device will be changed to a special Intel one (depending on your Southbridge specification), but this device is still using the same driver MSAHCI.SYS as before.
You can easily verify it by doing a right-click onto the Controller > "Properties" > "Driver" > "Driver Details". There you will not find any Intel driver.
By the way: There is only 1 single Intel storage driver and its name is IASTOR.SYS (32bit and 64bit).
EDIT: I am sorry, but Ambizytl was quicker than me.
Weird, I read all of you posts, and others. My Toolbox throws the message "Error- Failed to create optimizer file in Intel SSD Toolbox on drive". or something close to that. After reading you don't need the toolbox if you are running AHCI in win7, I enabled AHCI . The system would not boot with AHCI enabled. Windows went into restore, then system restore etc. I went back to bios and changed back to IDE and it booted no problem.
Boomer
Did you solve your problem which is similar to mine?
I have a Gigabyte GA-X58A-UD3R vesion 2 motherboard FA BIOS
2 x Intel SSDSA2M080G2GC one as System drive C: and one as a working drive D: both on the Intel ICH10R SATA ports 0 and 1 respectively
Drivers shown are Microsoft 6.1.7600.16385 of 21/06/2006
IDE/ATA/ATAPI Controllers listed include Intel(R) ICH10 Family 2-port Serial ATA Storage Controller 2-3A26 and similar 4-port 1-3A20 both have drivers Intel 9.1.1.1013 of 04/06/2009
Windows 7 Professional 64 bit OS
I selected AHCI in BIOS before selecting "Optimised defaults" which I assumed optimised CPU and memory settings. In fact it does nothing of the sort but changed my AHCI back to IDE. Unfortunately I didn't realise until after I had loaded the OS and all my applications. Like you I find if I simply change IDE to AHCI in the BIOS Windows won't start. Presumably it can't find AHCI drivers or something.
So, my quetions are:
1. Is there anyway of converting to AHCI once set up as IDE without a complete reinstall?
2. Would saving a disk image, then just reinstalling windows with AHCI selected before restoring the image work - problem I can see there is the image won't have the right drivers?
3. My BIOS also has a setting SATA Port 0-3 Native Mode (Intel ICH10R South Bridge). I have this disabled - allows the SATA controllers to operate in Legacy IDE Mode. Should this be Enabled - allow the SATA controllers to operate in Native IDE Mode?
4. How do I check if TRIM is working
5. If TRIM isn't working and I can't switch to AHCI will the Intel Toolbox/optimser do the job?
Any advice would be greatly appreciated
jkint
Further to my post above - have solved the problem.
There is a very simple registry hack at http://www.ithinkdiff.com/how-to-enable-ahci-in-windows-7-rc-after-installation/
This didn't work for me but my motherboard has another HDD controller (Channels 6 and 7) that I wasn't using. After doing the above hack, I set this to AHCI which it accepted without problem.
I then switched my ICH10 controller to AHCI and Windows started, installed the drivers, called for a reboot and is still working fine.
IDE ATA ATAPI controllers now lists 2 x Satndard AHCI 1.0 Serial ATA Contrlollers.
The 2 x SSD drives are still showing the same Microsoft controllers as before - not sure if this is good news or not.
Hope this helps someone.
jkint
