One of the main elements of any computerThe device, as you know, is the hard disk on which information is stored. As applied to hard drives of any type, a term such as AHCI is used. But many users not only know how to turn on AHCI, but do not even have an idea what it is. Consider the meaning of the basic term and the actions necessary to activate this mode in Windows-based systems.
Modern hard drives connected tomotherboard via SATA, can use two modes: IDE (compatibility with obsolete equipment) and AHCI - the newest standard, designated as Advanced Host Controller Interface, which allows to multiply the performance of the device itself and the installed operating system due to faster data reading.
Virtually all modern SSD drives show an increase in performance when accessing them precisely when AHCI mode is set. But this is not the most important thing.
Let's leave for now the question of how to turn on AHCI mode in Windows, and look at the benefits that a modern computer user can gain when activating this mode.
First of all, with activated AHCI modeit is possible to change or install additional hard drives on the fly (even without turning off the computer or reinstalling the operating system). This is undoubtedly a huge plus for servers.
Второй аспект связан с тем, что при установке This mode comes into play with the special technology NCQ, which allows reducing the number of movements of the read heads, while accelerating the simultaneous use of calls to the hard drive by different applications, programs and services. Finally, it is believed that the activation of AHCI favorably affects the performance of the entire system. Of course, as the testimonials from experts and users show, at home there will not be much performance gains, but if you install an SSD hard drive, this mode is still better to enable.
But the most important misconception of the majority.users is that they try to use only the settings of the primary BIOS system for activation (at least you can read about this in most reviews of problems that arise). It is strictly forbidden to do this without performing preliminary actions in the operating system.
Активировать режим в BIOS можно только в случае installing the OS on a “clean” hard disk. If you perform such a procedure with an existing OS on board, Windows will give an error at startup and go into permanent reboot mode. Then the complaints begin, they say, the user turned on AHCI mode in Windows, but nothing good came of it. What to say? The basic rules may have been violated, since different actions need to be taken in various modifications of the system.
But first you need to check if the mode is on. Perhaps its additional activation is not needed.
In the simplest case, when starting a computer terminal or laptop, you need to go into the BIOS settings and refer to the SATA Mode section.
В самой операционной системе можно использовать "Device Manager", called from the "Control Panel", the administration or the "Run" console by using the devmgmt.msc command and go to the IDE ATA / ATAPI controller section. When the mode is turned on in standard devices, an AHCI controller will be displayed. If it is not listed, you will have to decide how to enable AHCI in the system. Again, the decision depends on which version of Windows is installed on the computer.
So, for the beginning we will consider the "seven". For the seventh and tenth versions, the actions look somewhat similar, but for Windows 8 they differ quite strongly.
For Windows 8, the above technique does notIt is suitable because there is a simpler solution. In this case, you must first set the minimum mode of the system in safe mode. How to enable AHCI? Simple enough.
In principle, the question of how to enable AHCI in the G8 can be solved by using a special utility from Intel (of course, if there is a processor from this manufacturer).
As already mentioned, for the tenth version of the system, the actions are somewhat similar to those produced in Windows 7. The only difference is in the choice of folders and settings.
By the way, in the eighth version of the system, editing of similar parameters can also be made. But why, if there is a simpler rational solution to the problem?
To enter the settings on desktopsThe Del key is most often used, and for laptops, F2, F12, combinations with the Esc and Fn keys, or special buttons on a panel like ASSIST in Sony VAIO.
Here you need to find a section or settingsAHCI mode. How to enable the required parameter in BIOS? Just on the line for setting the SATA mode, use the enter key, and select the parameter using the arrow keys with confirmation in the form of one more pressing of Enter. Do not forget to save changes when exiting (F10 + Y) and overload the system. When you restart the system will automatically install the necessary drivers.
Unfortunately, sometimes when switching to AHCI modeunexpected errors may occur. Perhaps the hard disk itself does not support this mode of operation. In this case, there is nothing to try and activate AHCI.
С другой стороны, если система загружается, но any errors are generated or failures occur after switching from IDE to AHCI, you can try to fix the problem with the help of a specially developed utility from Microsoft called Fix It.
If neither helpscall the BIOS settings again and change the hard drive mode. Please note: if AHCI is activated without performing preliminary actions in the system registry, which were described above, such methods may not work. The output will be either a system restore using removable media, or a complete reinstallation of Windows. So beware. However, I would like to hope that this will not come to this (of course, provided that the entire sequence was performed in exactly the order that was given in the description).
При повторной или чистой инсталляции системы You can initially enable this mode in the BIOS, so that you do not rush around in search of a solution to activate it or troubleshoot any problems or malfunctions of the computer or laptop.
In conclusion, it remains to add that inexperiencedusers who are not familiar with the intricacies of setting up the primary BIOS and Windows operating systems do not really need to activate this mode. Anyway, on modern computers with powerful processors and large amounts of RAM, performance gains will not be particularly noticeable. On old terminals or laptops, this mode makes no sense at all. Basically, as already mentioned, such settings are more suitable for servers when several dozen child terminals in a local network are accessed to the hard disk.
