Getting xp converted from compatable mode to ahci

smiler99

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Jul 12, 2011
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18,510
hi,

i have windows 7 installed and have installed xp afterwards

however i had to install xp in compatability mode as the drivers for my si3152 / 3512 controller (as per toshiba drivers site / chipset utility tool) which i slipstreamed onto my install cd just didnt work

my dual boot is working perfectly but i have to switch bios from ahci to compatable for xp to boot, then switch back to achi for windows 7

is their an easy way to get xp converted to boot in ahci mode without neeeding to re-install as i have tried slipstreaming drivers onto my install cd to no avail (correct driver added but xp refuseses to install )
 
Well, there is. I know because I have done it. The bad news is that I didn't keep notes and I cannot provide you with the exact instructions. What's missing is the choice of device to install. The steps are

0) This process worked with the XP OS drive attached to a drive controller on the southbridge, not an outboard Marvell chip.

1) Completely back up your OS, data, and anything else that you still want to have tomorrow. I had to restore my OS backup twice before I got the process right. If this makes you nervous, do not proceed. Really.

2) Download the latest copy of the Intel Matrix Storage Drivers for AHCI mode. Put them on a floppy or USB stick. You should be able to use them from the hard drive, but an extra copy never hurt.

If you are not using the southbridge port, you will need the corresponding drivers for your controller. Easier if you just use a southbridge port, though.

3) Open Device Manager. Identify which IDE controller is controlling your drives. Sorry, but this is one of the two steps where I can't give specific instructions.

4) Open the properties of that device and choose to update drivers. Pick the drivers that you have just downloaded and unpacked.

5) From the list of possible drivers, select the name of the correct one. This is the second place where I cannot help you. It was a list of about a dozen for me, with no indication of the fact that there were more available on the screen than shown; the list was scrollable.

6) Shut down. At this point, you cannot reboot in IDE mode. It won't work.

7) Change the BIOS to AHCI and reboot XP. If it loads, excellent, if not, you have to set the controller back to IDE, restore your backup of the OS, and start over.

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Do you have each on separate partitioins of one drive, or two separate drives?

There are easier ways to deal with this. If you are willing to reinstall Win7, you should really install XP before 7 anyway. The problem is that the XP install can overwrite the 7 install's boot process, unless you have gone the route of disabling the drive for 7 and installing XP on a separate drive. (if you did this on one drive, and it works, a few of us would love to know exactly how).

If you are willing to install XP again, I would recommend connecting the XP drive to a controller on the southbridge and using F6 during installation to load additional drivers from the Intex Matrix Storage Controllers.

There is an easy process to switch Win7 from IDE to AHCI. Unfortunately, the same does not apply to XP. I'm kind of surprised that I did get it to work.

Finally, a possible trivial solution. If you have XP on one drive and 7 on the other, and both are bootable independently (either will start without the other plugged into the system), your motherboard / controller card may allow you to configure one drive as IDE and one as AHCI. You use the BIOS boot menu, and don't care.

Good luck.