Intel RST/RSTe Drivers (latest: v20.1.0.1015/ v9.0.0.1836)

@ cisi:
Welcome at Win-RAID Forum!

Thanks for the info, but this package doesn’t contain any new Intel RSTe drivers. They are still v4.1.0.1046.

Regards
Fernando

Hi guys, Im new here and Im not sure which version of RST is better for me.
The BIOS driver is v.12.7.0.1936 so if I understand correctly the best version should be ex:12.9.9.9999?

@ STR866:
Welcome at Win-RAID Forum!

The answer depends on your system (chipset, SATA mode and OS) and eventually on your willingness to up- or downgrade the LEGACY/EFI Intel RAID module of your BIOS.
Please give us some additional informations.

Happy New Year!
Fernando

I have a Dell XPS 2720 AIO, it has H87 chipset, a 2TB hdd and a 32GB ssd, so I enabled caching in RST.
I want to update the drier and RST because once in a few days I get a freeze and in Event Viewer says Event ID 129 – storachi - Reset to device, \Device\RaidPort0, was issued.
Thank you for your quick response and Happy Holidays!

The file named STORAHCI.SYS is the generic MS AHCI driver for Windows 8/8.1/10.
This would indicate, that your Intel SATA Controller has been set to "AHCI" mode. Is this correct? If yes, there is no need to care about the Intel RAID ROM/EFI RaidDriver modules, which are within the BIOS.

It was set to AHCI a few months ago but with Intel drivers and the IRST software installed, now its set to RAID in BIOS and I have installed Intel driver and IRST v.12.8.2.1000. In IRST Ive enabled acceleration in the Performance tab, so now the 32GB ssd si caching the 2TB hdd.
The freeze takes between 10-30 seconds. At the beginning I would get a freeze or more every day and two months ago I edited the registry and added some keys about Ports under IAStor folders and now I get a freeze ~once a week.

This is what I recommend to do:
1. Backup your important data.
2. Update the Intel RAID ROM of the BIOS to v12.9.0.2006 or v13.2.0.2134.
3. Set the Intel SATA Controller to "RAID".
4. Do a fresh install of the OS.
5. Install .NET Framework 3.5.
6. Run the installer of the Intel RST(e) Drivers & Software Set v12.9.4.1000 WHQL resp. v13.2.4.1000 WHQL.
7. Run the Intel RST Console and enable the SSD caching feature.

Unfortunately reinstalling windows is not an option for now.
I plan an upgrade for ram and ssd in 2H 2015 and then I will reinstall windows.
How do I update the Intel RAID ROM of the BIOS?
Are you sure that the Intel driver doesnt call the MS ahci driver?
Is there a way to stop the MS ahci driver from bothering me?

Look into >this< thread.

After having replaced the generic MS AHCI driver by a specific AHCI driver, which is provided by the manufacturer of the related SATA AHCI Controller, the MS AHCI driver will neither be used by the Controller nor will affect the function of the third party (e.g. Intel) AHCI driver.

Open the "IDE ATA/ATAPI Controllers" section of your Device Manager and check the in-use AHCI driver of the listed AHCI Controllers by right click onto them (choose "Properties" > "Driver" > "Driver Details"). You got rid of the generic MS AHCI driver, when no driver named MSAHCI.SYS or STORAHCI.SYS is listed there.

Thank you for the link. How safe is it to edit my BIOS?
What % is there to brick my system? I have installed the latest BIOS for my system.
I dont have IDE ATA/ATAPI Controllers in Device Manager.
In Device Manager I only have Storage controllers and under that I have the Intel RAID Controller and the Microsoft Storage Spaces Controller.
Any other idea?

The only risky part of any BIOS modding is the flash procedure. That is why you should prepare a separate USB flash drive with the original BIOS to reflash that one in case of any problem.
According to my own experiences with the UBU tool any update of the Intel RAID ROM module is very, very safe.
By the way: After having flashed a new or modded BIOS you have to enter the BIOS and to re-do your special settings (especially regarding "RAID"). Otherwise you will not be able to boot into your OS.

This verifies, that the generic MS AHCI driver is not running in the background.


I just recheck Event viewer and the reset command was initiated by the iaStorA service, I was thinking at something else/I was very tired when I wrote the first post, sorry.
Any idea why iaStorA service would trigger the reset command?

LE: So I decided that modding the BIOS its not worth the risk of bricking the AIO, if DELL will release a new BIOS I will update it then.
For the BIOS driver is v.12.7.0.1936 I should install v12.9.4.1000?
After I upgrade my ssd with a 256GB one, you recommend I use the MS AHCI driver?

Updated to this latest driver, can’t say much changed and benches look the same. System does seem a bit snappier but that could be because I finally got around to installing the latest [probably last] bios for my Z87 board and my ROM went from 12.6 to 12.7.
Have not encounter any issues yet.


Greetings from South America Fernando, maybe you recall me from xtremesystems i use to follow you on every topic of this :slight_smile: I just don’t use RAID0 anymore because i have my own page and plenty of games and backups, so i went only for 3x 1TB SSD and rest is 18GB backup on HDD.

I have the Samsung’s EVO 840 NOT the PRO, and i installed Magician but seems crappy beacuse it uses memory to increase speed and numbers are killer but you don’t see a real increae in real life. And also Overclocking gave me problems.
Thing is that i installed the RST drivers that came with my ASUS Rampage 5 Extreme X99 and the IRST Service NEVER Starts…keep loggin same forever, this happened also on Z87, Z97 so i got tired of this, (same issue as MEI) and get rid of them and left windows one. BUT, i just saw your post that you recommend newer ones so i downloaded this v13.5.0.1056/v4.1.0.1046 WHQL) and i get the "Platform NOT Supported" so i said OH NO Again !!!.

For that i ask for your kind advice !!!

System as Follows
ASUS R5E X99
Intel 5930K 47HT 12th on TT Water 3.0 Ultimate
G.SKILL 4x4 3300C15 1T
2x GALAX 980HOF Air
3x Samsung EVO 840 SSD (firmware updated for the speed correction)
2x4TB Seagate HDD, 4x2TB WD Digital HDD
Seasonic P-1200

Kind Regards
Sergio

EDIT by Fernando: Unneeded quoted text deleted (to save space)

@ andressergio:

Hello Sergio,
yes I remember you and our discussion at Xtremesystems - welcome at my Forum!
Since I am in a hurry now, I will answer your questions as soon as I have the needed time (within the next hour).

Greetings from Germany
Dieter (alias Fernando)

@ andressergio:
So, here I am again.
Here is my statement:

  1. Regarding the Samsung Magician Rapid mode I totally agree with you. The benchmark results are very impressing and nearly unbelievable, but the boosting impact of this feature on the system performance at daily work is very limited. I have tested the Magicial Rapid mode a few times, but don’t use it anymore since I recognized, that my system became absolute unstable while running in Rapid mode.
  2. Since I have never used any of the “Enterprise Edition” Intel Chipsets (X79 and X99), I don’t have any own experience with them, but according to the reports I got from X79/X99 users many of them have severe problems with Intel’s official RSTe drivers v3/v4 series.
  3. The only Intel RST AHCI drivers of the v13 series, which natively do support the “Intel(R) C600 Series Chipset SATA AHCI Controller” (DEV_1D02) are the v13.0.x.xxxx and v13.1.xxxx ones.

Which is the DeviceID of your currently running Intel SATA Controller?
Have you already tried the Intel RST driver v13.1.0.1058 WHQL?



Thanks Fernando !!!

Yes it tried all v13.X and shows me the error of "Not for this platform" or something like that, no install works, but i see that they are already installed when i check my devices look



In fact are still there because i uninstalled them as the service on the task bar NEVER starts, says "IRST service not runninig" so it errors on the Even Viewer…same issue like MEI that drives me crazy from time to time.

So i honestly don’t know how to get them working again…

Thanks in advance for your help !!!
Best Regards
Sergio

Hey @Fernando

at the other thread about RST documentation I was talking about this (found it, easy):

http://imagizer.imageshack.com/img537/618/28PJTS.png

Capture.PNG

I suspect, that you just have uninstalled the Intel RST Software from within the Control Panel, but this action does not uninstall the Intel RST driver!
By the way: I do not recommend to install the Intel RST Software for AHCI users, because they dont benefit from it (it may even drop the performance because of the services, which are running in the background).
If you want to get the Intel RST Software reinstalled, you should make sure, that the .NET Framework 3.5 is already running, before you run the installer of the Intel RST Drivers & Software Set. The MS Software .NET Framework 3.5 is required for the Intel RST Service and Console software.

Intel support is so god damn DUMB like hell - check this out - it’s my support ticket about compatibility of newest Intel RST and Z77 chipset:



TICKET CLOSED by Intel Support! Nice story hahaha!