Recommended AHCI/RAID and NVMe Drivers

[100PIER]

@Fernando
I do observe with my i750 400GB device when using Intel NVMe driver v4.0.0.1007 a severe performance issue !
Using Intel NVMe driver v3.1.0.1021 or MS native NVMe driver I get no problems.
Benchmark tests done with UserBenchmark Tool from UserBenchmark.com company did also confirm this severe issue.

Is it possible for you to do some tests to confirm the same issue and get a confirmation that Intel NVMe driver v4.0.0.1007 is buggy ?

[Fernando]

@100PIER :
Thanks for your report.
Currently I am running the latest Win10 RS4 Insider Preview Build 17115 on a Samsung 960 EVO. Furthermore I haven’t yet solved the Spectre vulnerablity issue of my Z170 system (I am waiting for a new BIOS version delivered by ASRock).
Once the Spectre problem has been solved and the final Win10 RS4 (v1803) is available, I will do a clean install of it onto the Intel 750 SSD. This will give me the opportunity to do some new NVMe comparison tests.

[100PIER]

@Fernando ,
Thanks for your attention on this driver issue.
Coming back to Intel NVMe driver v3.2.0.1002 I get no longer ‘abnormal’ performance issue on this PC fully Spectre vulnerability fixed.
The problem is specific to driver v4.0.0.1007 as you can compare with this correct result with v3.2.0.1002:

[sheshen]

Hi, I am looking for driver TOSHIBA KXG50ZNV1T02 NVME 1024GB for windows 7.
I have Alienware r3 i7 running 2 harddisk: NVME TOSHIBA 1024GB and HGST SATA HDD.
I’ve tried to boot using usb thumbdrive and load all the toshiba NVME driver I found in internet, but unsuccessfull (still not detect the NVME harddisk).

Could you please help?

[Fernando]

@sheshen :
Welcome to the Win-RAID Forum!

@sheshen

I have Alienware r3 i7 running 2 harddisk: NVME TOSHIBA 1024GB and HGST SATA HDD.

Which one of them is your system disk drive with the OS and the bootloader on it?
Have you already tried to install the mod+signed OCZ driver, which I am offering within the start post?
Do you know the HardwareIDs of the NVMe Controller, which is within your Toshiba SSD?

Regards
Dieter (alias Fernando)

[sheshen]

Hi Fernando,
The system disk drive with OS is NVME TOSHIBA, able to boot up to win 10. I want to install windows 7.
Somehow I dont see any driver when I browse and point to mod+signed OCZ driver. Did I miss any step?
Hardware ID SCSI\DiskNVMe_KXG50ZNV1T02_NVM4102
http://i67.tinypic.com/10elkaq.jpg

[Fernando]

@sheshen

Hardware ID SCSI\DiskNVMe_KXG50ZNV1T02_NVM4102

These are the HardwareIDs of the SSD itself, but I need the HardwareIDs of the NVMe Controller, which is listed within the “Storage Controllers” section of the Device Manager.

[sheshen]

Is this the correct one?
PCI\VEN_8086&DEV_2822&SUBSYS_07741028&REV_31
PCI\VEN_8086&DEV_2822&SUBSYS_07741028
PCI\VEN_8086&DEV_2822&CC_010400
PCI\VEN_8086&DEV_2822&CC_0104
http://i65.tinypic.com/2d14ev4.jpg

[sheshen]

@Fernando

Such “pure” drivers can only be installed manually from within the Device Manager.
This is the way to do it:
1. Import the Win-RAID CA Certificate.
2. Open (expand) the “Storage Controllers” section of the Device Manager.
3. Right-click onto the listed NVMe Controller and choose the options " Update driver" > “Browse my computer…” > “Browse”.
4. Then navigate to the folder, which contains the desired unzipped driver files, and click “OK”.
If you should get the message, that “the best driver is already running”, you have to use the “Let me pick…” option, to hit the “Have Disk” button and to navigate to the INF file, which is within the driver folder.

hi Fernando,
I just read this instruction and follow the step. There are 2 controller, Intel(R) Chipset SATA/PCIe RST premium controller and Microsoft storage spaces controler. I guess its the first one I need to updatE?
In the end of installing inf, I need to select the correct driver, should I select XG5 for this NVME toshiba?
After install, Will USB thumbdrive be able to detect the NVME toshiba harddisk?

http://i65.tinypic.com/4tplvo.jpg

[Fernando]

@sheshen

Is this the correct one?
PCI\VEN_8086&DEV_2822&CC_0104

Yes, but these HardwareIDs verify, that your SSDs have been combined to an Intel RAID array using an Intel RST RAID driver.

@sheshen

In the end of installing inf, I need to select the correct driver, should I select XG5 for this NVME toshiba?
After install, usb thumbdrive will be able to detect the NVME toshiba harddisk during windows 7 installation?

My answers to both questions: No!
Since your SSDs have been combined to an Intel RST RAID array, you cannot use any Toshiba/OCZ NVMe driver.
I doubt, that you will be able at all to get Win7 properly installed onto the existing RAID array.

[sheshen]

@Fernando

I doubt, that you will be able at all to get Win7 properly installed onto the existing RAID array.

Not possible to install win 7 into this KXG50ZNV1T02 NVMe TOSHIBA 1024GB?

[Fernando]

@sheshen :
Please tell me the version of the currently running Intel NVMe driver (right-click onto the related Storage Controller > “Properties”> “Driver”).
General question: Why do you want to install an outdated OS onto a brandnew system? You will get a lot of problems.

[killkernel]

@Fernando

Furthermore I haven’t yet solved the Spectre vulnerablity issue of my Z170 system (I am waiting for a new BIOS version delivered by ASRock).

@Fernando
Hello Fernando!
https://www.asrock.com/mb/Intel/Fatal1ty…ownload&os=BIOS
“Update Skylake CPU Microcode to revision C2 and Kabylake CPU Microcode to revision 84. (For CPU security update)”

Have a nice day,
KK

[Fernando]

@killkernel :
Thank you for for the info.
The new BIOS v7.50 for my mainboard has been already flashed by me on Tuesday (13. March), because I saw it >here<.

[100PIER]

@Fernando
It does seem a new Samsung NVMe driver v2.4.7.0 is now available. (DUMO detection). I have not yet downloaded it.

[Fernando]

@100PIER :
Your mentioned Samsung NVMe drivers v2.4.7.0 are dated 08/04/2016, which means, that they are not “new”, but very old. For details look >here<.

[100PIER]

Sorry, I understand this old version is for W7 only. Samsung labelling is very confusing and does confuse also "DUMo" Tool which does suggest to update the current v2.3.0.1709 which is in fact the last and good version.

[aian]

Hi to all and a big thanks to Fernando for his excellent and very helpful work.

I am running Win7 Pro 64bit from a Samsung MZHPV128HDGM-00000 SM951 128 GB
It is due time to do a format and reinstall, so I need to get a driver to ensure the Windows installation will recognise the mSSD.
In the past I used the Samsung NVMe v1.4.7.6 Rev.A Driver to make the Windows installation see the mSSD but as I understand this driver is now long obsolete.

Currently, in the device manager, under IDE ATA/ATAPI Controllers I see two entries of a Standard AHCI 1.0 Serial ATA Controller:

The first one shows the following hardware IDs:
PCI\VEN_144D&DEV_A801&SUBSYS_A801144D&REV_01
PCI\VEN_144D&DEV_A801&SUBSYS_A801144D
PCI\VEN_144D&DEV_A801&CC_010601
PCI\VEN_144D&DEV_A801&CC_0106

The second one shows the following hardware IDs:
PCI\VEN_8086&DEV_A102&SUBSYS_86941043&REV_31
PCI\VEN_8086&DEV_A102&SUBSYS_86941043
PCI\VEN_8086&DEV_A102&CC_010601
PCI\VEN_8086&DEV_A102&CC_0106

My motherboard is an Asus Z170M-PLUS.

I downloaded the pure" 64bit Samsung NVMe Driver v2.3.0.1709 WHQL for Win7 x64" from the OP and when I attempted to decompress with WinRAR I got a WinRAR message saying “No archives found”.
Same message for both the Drive and the MEGA links, both the 32 and 64bit versions.

My questions are:
1. Am I attempting to download the correct driver or would I benefit from a different driver, such as Intel’s? Is there a difference when only Windows 7 is concerned?
2. What am I doing wrong during decompressing the downloaded file?

Thanks in advance!

EDIT by Fernando: Put the HardwareIDs into a “spoiler” (to save space within this thread)

[sheshen]

@Fernando

@sheshen:
Please tell me the version of the currently running Intel NVMe driver (right-click onto the related Storage Controller > "Properties"> "Driver").
General question: Why do you want to install an outdated OS onto a brandnew system? You will get a lot of problems.

Hi Fernando,
Because I still have old drive system which win 10 unable to detect, thus I need to install win 7 on Alienware.
However, I just use Win 10 anyway. I will figure it out later for the drive thing. Thanks alot for all your reply.

[Fernando]

@aian :
Welcome to the Win-RAID Forum!

Since your Samsung SM951 SSD uses the AHCI protocol and not the NVMe one, you cannot use any Samsung NVMe driver with your system.
Both on-board AHCI Controllers (the PCI\VEN_144D&DEV_A801&CC_0106 one for the Samsung SM951 and the DEV_A102&CC_0106 Intel SATA AHCI Controller) are fully supported by the generic Win7 in-box AHCI driver. So there is no need to integrate any storage driver into the Win7 image.
By the way: There is no Samsung driver available, which supports the AHCI variant of Samsung’s SM951 SSD.

@aian

In the past I used the Samsung NVMe v1.4.7.6 Rev.A Driver to make the Windows installation see the mSSD.

This cannot be true, because your system doesn’t have any NVMe Controller (see above).

@aian

I downloaded the pure" 64bit Samsung NVMe Driver v2.3.0.1709 WHQL for Win7 x64" from the OP and when I attempted to decompress with WinRAR I got a WinRAR message saying “No archives found”.
Same message for both the Drive and the MEGA links, both the 32 and 64bit versions.

I suspect, that you haven’t read point 1 of the “Additional Remarks” at the bottom of >this< page.

Regards
Dieter (alias Fernando)