Modded Intel AHCI and RAID Drivers (digitally signed)

Important Drivers Specific: Intel AHCI/RAID Drivers
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@ users with an Intel AHCI/RAID system and an Intel SATA AHCI/RAID Controller, which is not supported by any original Intel AHCI/RAID driver or natively not supported by the requested newer/better Intel AHCI or RAID driver:

The problems:

  1. Although the actual Intel AHCI and RAID drivers are running fine with nearly all Intel Southbridges from ICH7R/M up, the installation fails for systems with various Intel SATA AHCI/RAID Controllers, because Intel didn’t write the needed HardwareIDs into the related information file (with the suffix .INF). This is the reason why the latest Intel AHCI drivers cannot be installed onto AHCI systems with an ICH8R, ICH8M, ICH9R or ICH10R Southbridge and the Intel RAID drivers of the v11 and v12 series cannot be installed onto X79 RAID systems.

  2. Some manufacturers of computers, mainboards and notebooks wanted to save money and integrated instead of the fully functional Intel ICH8R/ICH8M, ICH9R/ICH9M or ICH10R SATA Controller Chips the cheaper, but somehow "castrated" ICH8, ICH9 or ICH10 revisions. Although many of these systems without a letter behind the "ICH" do support the AHCI standard features and have a BIOS with the option to enable the AHCI mode, the owners are not able to get any original Intel AHCI driver installed or integrated into the Windows image. Obviously Intel doesn't want to support these low-priced AHCI Controller revisions.

The solution:
To make even the newest Intel AHCI and RAID drivers installable (and hopefully usable) for nearly all owners of an AHCI or RAID capable Intel chipset system, I have customized the related INF files by adding the missing HardwareIDs. This modification doesn’t affect the real AHCI or RAID driver named iaStor.sys resp. iaStorA.sys itself, but just the associated information files with the suffix .INF and for XP compatible drivers additionally the text file named TXTSETUP.OEM, which is absolutely needed for the XP installation onto any AHCI or RAID system. That is the reason why the “driver modification” doesn’t have any negative impact on the function of the absolutely untouched Intel AHCI and RAID driver.

Relevance of the driver’s “Digital Signature”:
The latest Windows Operating Systems from Win8 up have a feature named “Driver Signature Enforcement”, which does not allow to get any driver installed, which has no valid digital signature. Since any modification of the associated INF file automaticly breaks the digital signature of the driver, there is only one way to get a “modded” driver installed onto any Windows OS from Win8 up without the need of disabling the automaticly active “Driver Signature Enforcement”: The modded driver has to be digitally signed by a trustworthy person or Company.
Notes:

  • All modded 32/64bit Intel AHCI/RAID drivers, which I am offering here, have been digitally signed by me, but without the assistance of the Forum members mrces2, Zwulf and George_King I wouldn’t have been able to to it. Big thanks to all of them!
    Consequence: It should be possible to get these drivers installed without any problems (no need to disable the “Driver Signature Enforcement”)!

  • Nevertheless you may get the message while trying to get any "mod+signed" driver installed, that "the best driver is already installed". This always will happen, when you want to replace
    a) a WHQL certified driver or
    b) a newer driver by an older one.

    Solution: Force the installation of the “mod+signed” driver by using the “Have Disk” button.


How to benefit from the digital signature of these drivers:
To get full benefit from the driver’s digital signature it is necessary to import the related Certificate, which declares the signature as being valid and the signer as being trustworthy. You can find a short guide about how to import the Certificate within all my offered mod+signed driverpacks. So there is nothing to download or to look for separately.
Important:
This procedure has to be done only once, but before you are trying to get the first “mod+signed” driver installed.
Users, who want to know more about this topic, should look into the start post of >this< thread.

Additional remarks:
  • Although I have done my very best while preparing the “modded” drivers, I cannot give any guarantee, that they will work flawlessly with any Intel AHCI or RAID system. That is why the usage of these drivers will be at the user’s own risk.
  • If you want to know, which Intel RST/RST(e) driver versions I recommend to use for the different Intel AHCI or RAID systems, you should look >here< (general information) or >here< (performance comparison tests).

Modded and Digitally Signed
Intel AHCI/RAID Drivers

(latest update: 08/07/2023)

Changelog:

  • new: Generic 32/64bit Intel RST AHCI drivers v11.2.0.1006 mod+signed by me
  • new: Generic 32/64bit Intel RST RAID drivers v11.2.0.1006 mod+signed by me
  • freshly digitally signed: all offered drivers



Here are the download links:

Note: You have to use WinRAR from v5.xx up or 7-Zip from v18xx up to get the drivers extracted.

I. “Classical” Intel RST AHCI/RAID drivers (w/o SCSI Filter driver)

  • Mod+signed Intel RST drivers v11.2.0.1006 dated 05/30/2012:

    Note:
    The natively merged “pure” AHCI and RAID driver files were split by me to make the installation easier (no selection of the matching *.inf file) and to avoid a “wrong driver” BSOD during the installation.



II. Intel AHCI/RAID drivers from the RST(e) Series (with SCSI Filter driver)



III. Old Intel AHCI/RAID drivers from the former MSM platform
(="Matrix Storage Manager")

Here are the latest and probably best old Intel MSM AHCI/RAID drivers:

Any feedback is much appreciated.

Good luck with the “mod+signed” drivers!
Dieter (alias Fernando)

3 Likes
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Today (06/21/2013) I have updated the start post of this thread.

Changelog:

  1. new: “Universal” 32/64bit Intel RST drivers v11.2.0.1006 mod by Fernando (with added support of 8-Series Chipset systems to allow the installation of Windows XP or XP x64 in AHCI or RAID mode)
  2. new: “Universal” Intel RST Drivers & Software Set v11.2.0.1006 mod by Fernando (with added support of 8-Series Chipsets)


Have fun with these updated Intel RST drivers, which do support all Intel AHCI and RAID systems from ICH7 up!
Fernando

1 Like
3

Today (07/04/2013) I have updated the start post of this thread.

Changelog:

  1. new: Intel’s RST(e) AHCI & RAID drivers v12.7.0.1022 dated 06/12/2013 mod by Fernando (hopefully do support all Intel AHCI and RAID systems from ICH7R/M up)
  2. new: Mirror links to all drivers and complete packages


Have fun with these new modded Intel RST(e) drivers!
Fernando

1 Like
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Today (07/15/2013) I have updated the start post of this thread.

Changelog:

  1. new: Intel’s 32/64bit RST(e) AHCI & RAID drivers v12.7.0.1036 dated 06/27/2013 mod by Fernando (hopefully do support all Intel AHCI and RAID systems from ICH7R/M up)


Have fun with these new modded Intel RST(e) drivers!
Fernando

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Yesterday (07/31/2013) I have updated the start post of this thread.

Changelog:

  1. new: Intel’s 32/64bit RST(e) AHCI & RAID drivers v12.7.1.1000 dated 07/10/2013 mod by Fernando (hopefully do support all Intel AHCI and RAID systems from ICH7R/M up)


Any feedback is much appreciated!

Regards
Fernando

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Today (08/10/2013) I have updated the start post of this thread.

Changelog:

  1. new: Intel’s 32/64bit RST(e) AHCI & RAID drivers v12.8.0.1016 dated 08/02/2013 mod by Fernando (hopefully do support all Intel AHCI and RAID systems from ICH7R/M up)


Any feedback is much appreciated!

Regards
Fernando

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Hello everybode, hello Fernando!

I have just a question: I use Lenovo ThinkPad T500 with ICH9M-Chipset and only simple 320GB-Single-HDD.

Normaly I’m a “driver-junkie” and I always want to install newest driver for each device - so, as I searched for RST-drivers, I found these page with modded RST-drivers.

Before I used RSTe 11.7.4.1001 and it work’s without any problems.

Yesterday I’ve modded the 12.8.0.1016 and installed, and they worked also without problems (first tests).

Now my question: Is there any real advantage in my case (Single-HDD), to use RSTe-driver higher 11.7.4.1001?

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@ ole258:
Welcome at Win-RAID Forum!

<blockquote><font size="1">Zitat von <a class="nopad" href="u167_ole—.html" style="color:">ole258</a> im Beitrag <a class="nopad" href="t2f23-New-official-Intel-RST-e-Drivers-v-WHQL-available-5.html#msg1105">#81</a>

Yesterday I’ve modded the 12.8.0.1016 and installed, and they worked also without problems (first tests).[/quote]Thanks for your feedback.
By the way: Since a few hours I am offering "modded" Intel RST(e) drivers v12.8.0.1016 within Modded Intel AHCI and RAID Drivers thread.

I am not sure regarding the answer.
On the one hand I would answer "Yes", because Intel’s RST driver development staff are still optimizing their products and solving issues of previous versions.
On the other hand I would answer "No", because nobody at Intel cares actually about Pre-5-Series Intel Chipsets and your ICH9M SATA AHCI Controller, when they are going to develop new AHCI or RAID drivers.
So my answer is: You have to test it yourself and report here regarding your results.
All I am doing is to make the actual AHCI/RAID drivers compatible with all Intel Southbridges from ICH7R/M up. The question, if they will run fine or even better than the old Intel AHCI/RAID drivers, can only be answered by the users themselves.

Regards
Fernando

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Thank you, for your answer!

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Okay - but what can/should I test?

First of all, the driver should not cause any problems/bsod.

With one single hdd, the capabilities are limitied and also maybe problems: There is no raid-functionality needed, no trim…

Is it possible, that older Controller will be "untouched" by newer RSTe-drivers and they have the same functionality as older Vs.?

(Sorry for my poor englisch - my german is much better)

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Zitat von ole258 im Beitrag #10

Okay - but what can/should I test?


You can install one after the other 2 or 3 different driver versions (examples: v11.2.0.1006, 11.7.4.1001 and 12.8.0.1016) and compare them regarding stability and performance. If you do not realize performance differences, you can run a benchmark tool like HDTune or CrystalDiskMark.

No, I don’t think so. Each new driver development series works somehow different. Of course new driver features, which require a more actual hardware, will not be supported by older SATA Controllers.

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Till now, stability is very good - but I never had problems with stability in older versions, too.

Differences in performance are so minimalistic*, that the can’t noticed by real performance - only by benchmark. (* You surely knows, that new RSTe-driver wil not boost my HDD to SSD-performance)

You surely will agree, that it’s care a pap, if Transfer-Rate is about 85 MB/s, 88 MB/s or 83 MB/s.

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Ok, then I will answer another way:
If I were you, I would prefer an actual Intel OROM/driver combination. This way you will participate in the technological innovation.

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Vs. your comment like this:



So the real question is, to use Intel RST(e) drivers v11.7.4.1001 WHQL dated 03/05/2013 (for 5-Series) or always the newest?

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It is impossible to give a unique answer for all users with a 5-Series chipset system, because each hardware configuration may be different and the user’s preferences as well.
Since I always like to participate in the technological innovation, I personally would try the newest drivers, which are announced to be compatible with my chipset. When I should realize any issues, I would decide to replace the driver by a product of a previous driver development branch.

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Hello Folks!

I just bought an Samsung 840 SSD for my older Samsung R70 (OS win7/32). The Laptop uses a ICH8M / 965 Chipset. Although i can adjust the BIOS on an Kind of AHCI "Auto" mode, Every try to install modded AHCI Drivers resulted in an BSOD while booting up.
There is a note in Bios, that AHCI will run, if there is "Turbo Memory" detected by the System (which i do not have). Is this the reason, that Win7 crashes on boot-up?

It would be great if i could use AHCI, instead of the actual IDE mode.

What are my mistakes ?

Best regards,
Steve

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See if you have a option in BIOS to turn ON or OFF Turbo.

If you can install windows, DON’T try an add any driver when you install, If you not try add driver, then TRY an add different driver at install.

If you try add driver, and she BSOD at reboot, then you need to try a different version, mostly older version, the driver will cause BSOD.



P.S. Turbo memory Intel, The technology attempts to decrease hard drive usage by moving frequently accessed data over to the flash memory. Flash memory can be accessed faster than hard drives and requires less power to operate, thereby allowing laptops to operate faster while also being more power efficient. The Turbo memory cache connects to a motherboard via a mini-PCIe interface. It supports features available in Microsoft Windows Vista, namely ReadyBoost (a hard-drive caching solution via flash memory) and ReadyDrive (a hard-drive caching solution via hybrid drives). These features allow both read caching and write caching of data. Often this is implemented with a Disk Filtering Option ROM (DFOROM).
Availability

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Thanks for answering :slight_smile:

I just went into my (Phoenix) Bios. The actual Version is 15AB (2008). under "AHCI Mode Control" i just can check whether "Disabled" or "Auto" (Enable AHCI if Intel Turbo Memory is detected). My SDD is detected as 250GB SATA1.
I tried all of Fernandos modded (AHCI) Drivers, from new to old. When i tried the complete Install package with the exe-file, there Popped up an message, that the System does not fulfill the requirements.

Any other ideas ?

Thanks!

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You must have turbo modal, don’t install driver an Don’t enable ACHI, and try install Turbo Memory software package, then after you install the software open the program and enable READY BOOST, READY DRIVE, then try and enable ACHI in BIOS and install driver. *** after reboot of install software.

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Hi and Thanks!

Same Problem: System does not meet the Minimum requirements for installing the Turbo Memory Software :frowning:
Tried both Versions available on Intel downloadsection. Is there a modded Version (of Turbo Memory Software) available, also?

My current controler seems to be an ICH8M 3 port Serial ATA controler 2828.

Greets,
Steve