Installing Windows on SSD problem

[SaphireX]

Re: Installing Windows on SSD problem

Try this unplug your 2TB Caviar HD as well as remove your Hauppage HD PVR card leaving only your Corsair F60 SSD connected to one of the SATA-3 ports (if it's a SATA-3) and boot up with Parted Magic either on a CD or USB stick and Secure Erase your SSD and SEE if Parted Magic reports any problems with the drive or the erase.





If everything is on the up and up then without adding your WD Caviar or your Hauppage card install windows (make sure in the UEFI you set AHCI for the native Intel Controller beforehand and any other mods such as memory XMP profile...) If you are successful and the drive continues to be recognized then install the latest drivers for your board.

ASROCK Z68 Pro3-M bios & drivers

(these are more up to date then whats on the ASRock page)

Now visit windows update and if after fully updating your SSD is still recognized as the boot drive then add your Storage drive.

Now here it why? I say to leave the Hauppage card till last because I am suspicious that it may not be compatible with the board ie: the IRQ and Interrupts...On a shutdown add the Hauppage card and see what happens...

Good Luck

SaphireX

ps: your PSU is on the low end here...

[boondocks]

Re: Installing Windows on SSD problem

Thanks, Sapphire, I'll give it a try.
BTW, there is no Hauppauge card. The 1212 is a separate device normally connected to the pc with only a USB. Since this new build is still sitting on the table, nothing else is connected except LAN.

[boondocks]

Re: Installing Windows on SSD problem

No change. The drive still doesn't show up in BIOS, and Windows sees it but won't install to it.

[Lsdmeasap]

Re: Installing Windows on SSD problem

Your BIOS has RAID ROM 10.6.0.1091, so it shouldn't have any issues detecting the drive, have you tried installing in RAID mode with a single drive? If not try that, and again you wont need preinstall drivers, but you can install them if you want.

I can also update that ROM for you if you want, but it's fairly new already so it shouldn't be an issue unless that particular version has problems with your particular SSD. If you want to try an updated version via modified BIOS let me know.

As for the drive in the BIOS, many BIOSes do not show hard drives AT ALL when in AHCI or RAID mode, except for on the Hard Drive Boot Priority List (Not the 1, 2, 3 boot order)

[boondocks]

Re: Installing Windows on SSD problem

I've never installed a drive as RAID. Should I just select RAID as type and continue on and try to install Windows?

EDIT: It's installing. We'll see what happens!

[boondocks]

Re: Installing Windows on SSD problem

LSD, you are once again a great help!
Everything as far as the drives go seem to be functioning. Finally a quick boot up with the SSD!

Two questions left:
Now that the drives are running in RAID, is there anything else I need to do?

Still have the problem of the hardware not shutting down when Windows closes, any ideas?

[Lsdmeasap]

Re: Installing Windows on SSD problem

Nice to see you got it installed, ya it's very easy as you've found out already!

Of course, sometimes depending on the board/BIOS using RAID might add 2-4 seconds to bootup times due to the RAID ROM BIOS screen loading, but it's often a little faster overall performance-wise so I think it's worth it. And that's really true in this instance if it fixes your problem for you!

You should go ahead and install the latest Intel RAID RST drivers/program, you can get that here and you want the third link

http://downloadcenter.intel.com/SearchResult.aspx?lang=eng&ProductFamily=Chipsets&ProductLine=Chipset+Software&ProductProduct=Intel%C2%AE+Rapid+Storage+Technology

Once installed reboot and open the program and select your main OS drive and check to be sure Write Back Cache is enabled. As for the shut down issue, I'm not really sure, clean install and or new BIOS is the only things I've ever seen fix that. Hopefully Emily will stop in here this week and give you a new BIOS to try. Have you tried older BIOSes? If not, and you do try, be sure after flashing you load optimized defaults and then save/apply/reboot BACK to the BIOS, because you then need to set RAID again before loading windows. Not a huge deal though, if you manually made the edits to enable AHCI and RAID, both will be bootable.

If you didn't do those, you can now just in case you ever forget the above when flashing your BIOS. Here's what you change in the registry

Enable switching between all IDE/AHCI/RAID modes by changing "Start" Values in these keys to 0 (Win 7 / Vista ONLY)

HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\System\CurrentControlSet\Servic es\Msahci\Start
HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\System\CurrentControlSet\Servic es\Pciide\Start
HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SYSTEM\CurrentControlSet\servic es\iaStorV\Start

[boondocks]

Re: Installing Windows on SSD problem

Thanks! No, I haven't tried any other BIOS.

Not shutting down: This is not a Windows install problem, I think. Could be wrong. I will wait a little longer for help from ASRock. Contacted them last week with support form and nothing yet, I thought they got a new tech to help here??

Setting those values in registry: are you saying that if I do that, I could then go back and change drive type to AHCI, and wouldn't need to install any RAID drivers?

Can a .reg file that will write those values to the registry be made (by someone that knows what they're doing) or do I have to manually put values in? I will look around the net for it.
EDIT: I got the registry. Been a while since I've edited by hand.

[boondocks]

Re: Installing Windows on SSD problem

Something interesting. I assume I can't update the SSD firmware 'cause I can't see the drive in ACHI mode. Don't know if updating the firmware would do any good, though.
I'm going to attempt a Windows reinstall and see if that fixes the hardware not shutting down. /rant: I wish I could get this thing going so I could use it for what I built it for. WAF is going downhill by the minute.

[Lsdmeasap]

Re: Installing Windows on SSD problem

Yes, if you make those registry changes, you can switch between IDE, AHCI, and RAID anytime you want!

I agree, I think the shut down issue might be windows too. I've seen it a few times, and it's rarely a board/BIOS issue (But can be), I've even had it happen to me once with a windows install but clean install fixed it.

It's an easy registry edit, did you get it all done and working? Test it out, because if you didn't get it right I can make a file for you if you still need it.

Yes, many SSD firmwares have to be installed in certain ways. Some MUST be on the first Intel port, some MUST be in IDE Mode, ect. I'd for sure check and update the firmware to the latest in case it might fix this or other issues for you! It looks like it should/supposed to work in AHCI for that drive, so you need to swtich from RAID to AHCI if you haven't already (And I'd suggest putting the drive on the first intel SATA Port, but you may need to use first Intel 3Gb/s port instead, try both). Tip's are here, looks like you might need to use older Intel RST drivers too for the update?
Force Series Firmware 2.4 Update (SATA II DRIVES ONLY) - The Corsair Support Forums

Be sure you look around in their forum for any tips or tricks that might help you with that SSD
SSD Firmware Update - The Corsair Support Forums

[boondocks]

Re: Installing Windows on SSD problem

I reinstalled but no joy. Still won't power the hardware off.
Also, previous to the new install and after registry changes, I still could not see the SSD when switching to AHCI. Won't it have to show up in the BIOS before I can go further?

[Lsdmeasap]

Re: Installing Windows on SSD problem

Ohh, sorry I thought you had firmware update issues with AHCI/RAID, I didn't realize you were mentioning seeing it in the BIOS.

NO, some boards/BIOSes don't show drives in the BIOS standard CMOS pages when using AHCI or RAID. It does show up in your Hard Drive Boot Priority list correct? Not the 1, 2, 3 boot order setting, the other one where you choose which actual hard drive boots first, you can see it there right? If not, then you may need to check it on another computer from windows and verify it's not faulty. But you've installed to it already right, so I don't think it is an issue, see my previous thoughts and skip over this last one :)

[boondocks]

Re: Installing Windows on SSD problem

OK. Reinstalled Windows with drives set to RAID. Made the changes to registry. ~~~~boot,Set AHCI, reboot. SSD shows up in storage/boot list. Boot into Windows, takes a long time, runs repair, message about configuration change. Shows SSD now as Drive H, and D drive as OS.
Reboot to BIOS. SSD has now disappeared again from storage/boot list. Had to set as RAID and reboot to get SSD to show up in BIOS/boot list and boot into windows.

Had no chance to update firmware on SSD as now am in RAID again.

I'm more than little lost here.

[Lsdmeasap]

Re: Installing Windows on SSD problem

Repair? Drives showing as D and H, what?

Do it again, with no drives connected except the SSD, no USB drives/sticks either

[boondocks]

Re: Installing Windows on SSD problem

OK, will do,or.............
I just ordered a Crucial 64GB SATA3 SSD. One way or another my wife gets an SSD.