Hello everyone, I have a problem which I hope you can help me solve.
I was using AHCI mode (set in the BIOS of my Asus P5QD Turbo motherboard) on Windows 7 64-bit, but with the “standard AHCI 1.0 controller serial ATA”. So, I installed the updated drivers, specifically the Intel(R) Rapid Storage Technology (IRST) bundle software from the official website (the file iata_cd.exe version 11.7.0.1013). But, even if the drivers installation was successful, the software always crashed with the error message “IAStorUI has stopped working”.
For this reason, I removed the Intel Rapid Storage Technology (uninstalling it from the Add / Remove programs of Control panel), and everything went well, because the system is back to normal, with the Windows standard controller driver AHCI 1.0.
At this point, I thought of installing another version, only AHCI drivers without the software, and I found the solution on your great forum. I’ve installed the “classical” 64bit Intel RST AHCI/RAID Driver v11.2.0.1006 WHQL from here.
Now, while with the Windows standard controller driver and the AHCI mode setting in the BIOS, the “safe removal” icon appears in the systray (also for internal disks and not just those connected through external enclosures), instead, after the driver update, the icon is gone!
It wouldn’t be a problem, rather it’s better for the internal disks without the hot swap function, but the icon doesn’t appear even when you connect sata external hdd. The external hdd are obviously recognized, but how do I remove safely the devices?
The issue occurs with all sata/e-Sata ports that have the ICH10R SATA AHCI controller. No issues with the only available e-Sata port JMicron JMB36X Controller (the safely remove icon works normally).
I want give you even more informations (I don’t know if have to do with).
Another strange thing is that whereas previously, all sata devices in the Windows Device Manager were referred to as “name - serial number - ATA device”, now there is only the “name - serial number”, and this happens also for the optical drives. I have attached images here, where you can also see that, unlike other devices, my Hitachi Hard Disk connected to the e-Sata J-Micron port is correctly identified (SCSI Disk Device).
Still a doubt. In \Windows\System32\drivers folder there are these files:
It was not a good idea to "downgrade" your Intel AHCI driver from an RST(e) version (from v11.5.xx.xxxx up), which uses an additional SCSI driver named iaStorF.sys, to a "classical RST driver (latest vesion: v11.2.0.1006), which neither needs nor uses an additional SCSI driver. For details you may look into >this< article. You can easily solve your current problem by manually updating your currently running Intel RST driver v11.2.0.1006 WHQL to the RST(e) driver v11.7.4.1001 WHQL. You can find the download link within the start post of >this< thread.
This absolutely normal and you should not try to remove any of them. The file named iaStor.sys is your currently running Intel AHCI driver, the files named iaStorA.sys and iaStorF.sys are your previously running Intel RST(e) drivers v11.7.0.1013 WHQL (iaStorA.sys=AHCI driver, iaStorF.sys=SCSI driver) and the last one named iaStorV.sys is the Intel inbox RAID driver of the OS.
Yes, you’re right. Unfortunately, I believed that simply uninstalling Intel Rapid Storage Technology would not cause problems. I will follow your suggestion, and I’ll let you know the result of the new update.
"Let’s keep our fingers crossed!"
This absolutely normal and you should not try to remove any of them. The file named iaStor.sys is your currently running Intel AHCI driver, the files named iaStorA.sys and iaStorF.sys are your previously running Intel RST(e) drivers v11.7.0.1013 WHQL (iaStorA.sys=AHCI driver, iaStorF.sys=SCSI driver) and the last one named iaStorV.sys is the Intel inbox RAID driver of the OS.
I’ve updated the AHCI drivers to 11.7.4.1001 version (downloaded from your link). Now, all the disk drives and optical drives in the Device Manager appear with the ID hardware name including “SCSI Device”.
But if you connect an external disk to the sata ports (ICH10R sata AHCI controller), not only the safe removal icon never appears, but also the disk is never recognized, and the computer freezes (I’m forced to turn off).
Once again, everything works correctly only when you connect HDD to the port managed by JMicron Controller.
In the attached image you can see the situation in Device Manager (the Hitachi hard disk is connected through external enclosure to the JMicron e-Sata port). In this regard, I have another question: my DVD and BD burners, that are identified as SCSI devices rather than ATA, will not have issues?
I use two hard drives as external, are those indicated in the signature: 2 TB Hitachi SATA3 and 1 TB Western Digital SATA2. Both are connected to the SATA ports of the PC cabinet via the e-SATA interface of the enclosures. Both work fine when are connected to the JMicron e-Sata port of the motherboard, but aren’t recognized if connected to the ICH10R Serial ATA connectors of the motherboard or to the Silicon Sil5723 Serial ATA connector SATA_E1 (on the mobo there are also two connectors SATA_E1 and SATA_E2 for Super Speed configuration with Drive Xpert Technology through the Silicon Image controller, but you can use an hard disk in "Normal Mode" connected to the SATA_E1 and setting the Drive Xpert function in the BIOS).
So far, before installing the Intel Rapid Storage Technology bundle software or the AHCI drivers, using in the BIOS the "IDE mode" or later the "AHCI mode" (with the Windows standard controller AHCI driver 1.0), there was no problem to recognize the external hdd and you had the safe removal icon in systray.
Thanks for your answers and patience.
EDIT
It’s possible that the problem comes from the fact that when I originally installed the OS Windows 7 Ultimate 64-bit, in the BIOS was setting the "IDE mode"? I have changed the setting in "AHCI mode" after the OS installation, but maybe for the Intel SATA ports it needed be set to AHCI from the very beginning.
Also, the HDD were originally formatted with the BIOS setting in IDE mode, but lately I’ve reformatted it under AHCI mode.
eSATA and SATA connections are absolutely different. If you want to connect a "normal" SATA drive, you have to connect it directly (without eSATA interface) with a SATA port. The eSATA interface of your enclosures is obviously only designed for a connection with a dedicated eSATA port (your mainboard has just 1 JMicron eSATA port).
Are you saying that all external HDD connected through the eSATA interface of an enclosure can never be connected to an additional eSATA port but only to the dedicated eSATA port (just the JMicron eSATA port)?
On my Cooler Master cabinet there are two additional eSATA port that I have connected with the internal connectors of the motherboard: one front eSATA port with an ICH10R Serial ATA port (the SATA 3 red connector) and one rear eSATA port with the Silicon Sil5723 Serial ATA port SATA_E1 (orange connector).
So, these connectors can be used only and only to connect internal disks? And the ICH10R Sata AHCI controller is designed only for internal disks?
But then why there are additional external eSATA ports on the PC cabinet if you cannot actually connect eSATA?
Excuse me if I haven’t familiarity with these technical things.
EDIT
Ultimately, this type of adapters Hamlet XSATAFRM (it’s similar to the additional rear eSATA port that I have on my PC cabinet), is useless if your motherboard doesn’t have an additional native eSATA port to which to connect it. Yet, you read that you use to connect to a “normal” internal SATA port (and many users do this procedure to connect an external enclosure).
Then, my problem comes from the limitations of my motherboard? There are other motherboards with more than one internal eSATA port?
Since a discussion about the differences between SATA and eSATA ports has nothing to do with the topic “Intel AHCI/RAID Drivers”, I recommend to read the section “eSATA” within >this< article. By the way: I am not an expert regarding the differences between SATA and eSATA connections, but I am pretty sure, that your problem with external HDDs has nothing to do with any Intel RST driver.
I have determined that 11.7 does not install iastorf on non-raid ahci configured sata controllers under windows 8 and 10, do you happen to know why?
As for this users topic, eSata bays can be connected to an intel sata port and use the HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SYSTEM\CurrentControlSet\Services\iaStor\Parameters\Port# parametres to add safely remove, but i have not found an equivalent for iastora
- I spoke to soon, i simply had to adapt the post by Padrys in 2015
take whatever port you have connected to the frontpanel / backplate esata port and set the dword as 1, you can even delete the lines for any ports you don’t wish to control.
@Squall_Leonhart : Welcome again here, I remember you from our nForce chipset drivers decade!
Yes, the SCSI Filter driver iaStorF.sys is only required for older Windows Operating Systems up to Win7, because all newer Windows Operating Systems from Win8 up do natively support the "UNMAP" command for SCSI disk drives (quite similar to the TRIM command for ATA devices). The SCSI Filter driver is necessary to let the TRIM command pass through the Intel SATA Controller, when SCSI disk drives are connected. It is the iaStorF.sys, which lets the Intel SATA AHCI Controller been moved by the OS from the "IDE ATA/ATAPI Controllers" to the "Storage Controllers" section after having installed any Intel RST(e) AHCI driver (from v11.5 up to v15) while running a Windows Operating System up to Win7. For details look >here<
I thought as much, its the same reason why UASP (Asus Boost) doesn’t support Trim on 7.
Though I still don’t know why they didn’t just pass trim through the iastora service in ahci mode and leave the filter specifically for raid, probably too much effort to handle both cases.
