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HP and Compaq Desktop PCs - About SATA Hard Drives and Controller Modes

Selecting which SATA port to use

SATA Controller Modes

Setting the controller mode in the BIOS

Troubleshooting SATA Controller Mode problems

Serial Advanced Technology Attachment, also known as Serial ATA or SATA, enables mass storage devices, such as hard drives and optical drives, to communicate with the motherboard using a high-speed serial cable over two pairs of conductors.

Figure : Example of SATA connections on a hard drive

Power cable

SATA data cable

Figure : SATA connector cables

Figure : SATA ports on the motherboard

Selecting which SATA port to use

If you are installing a single SATA hard drive, it is best to use the lowest numbered port on the motherboard (SATA0 or SATA1). Then use the other ports for optical drives.

If you are installing multiple hard drives, but installing the operating system on only one drive, use the lowest numbered port on the motherboard (SATA0 or SATA1) for this drive. Then use the next lowest numbered port for the second drive, and so on.

If you are installing multiple hard drives and using RAID mode to increase storage space or create a backup disk, connect one of the drives to the lowest numbered port (SATA0 or SATA1), then connect the remaining drives to ports on the same controller.

SATA Controller Modes

Serial ATA (SATA) controller modes determine how the hard drive communicates with the computer. You can set a SATA hard drive to function in one of three controller modes: IDE, AHCI, or RAID. Enabling RAID mode also enables the AHCI features.

IDE mode is the simplest mode. In IDE mode, the hard drive is set to run as an IDE or Parallel ATA (PATA) hard drive.

Advanced Host Controller Interface (AHCI) mode enables the use of advanced features on SATA drives, such as hot swapping and Native Command Queuing (NCQ).

RAID mode allows several hard disk drives to function as one storage area (the array) to provide either data redundancy (backup security) or faster performance (striped reading/writing data from or to the disk drives).

note:
HP recommends setting the SATA Controller Mode BEFORE installing the operating system. Changing the mode after installing the operating system can prevent the system from booting.

The following sections describe the different SATA Controller Modes.

IDE

IDE mode is the simplest mode. In IDE mode, the hard drive is set to run as an IDE or Parallel ATA (PATA) hard drive. A hard drive in IDE mode has the least available features. In general, a hard drive performs more slowly in IDE mode. IDE mode provides better compatibility with some older hardware. If you want to install only one hard drive and do not wish to use the advanced SATA (AHCI) features (such as hot swapping and Native Command Queuing), select IDE mode when installing a hard drive.

Advanced Host Controller Interface (AHCI)

Advanced Host Controller Interface (AHCI) mode enables the use of advanced features on SATA drives, such as hot swapping and Native Command Queuing (NCQ). AHCI also allows a hard drive to operate at higher speeds than in IDE mode.

note:
If you are installing Windows XP, you may need to have the SATA controller driver when installing a hard drive using AHCI mode.

RAID

Use RAID (Redundant Array of Independent Disks) mode when you want to use more than one hard drive, either to increase storage space or create a backup disk. RAID technology allows several hard disk drives to function as one storage area (the array) to provide either data redundancy (backup security) or faster performance (striped reading/writing data from or to the disk drives).

In RAID mode, the SATA controller enables both AHCI and RAID functions when the computer boots.

If you are installing multiple hard drives and using RAID mode, connect one of the drives to the lowest numbered port (SATA0 or SATA1), then connect the remaining drives to ports on the same controller. On some motherboards the SATA ports are color coded. Connect the drives to ports of the same color.

note:
If you are installing Windows XP, you may need to have the SATA controller driver when installing a hard drive using RAID mode.

Setting the controller mode in the BIOS

Use one of the following sections to set the SATA Controller Mode for a hard drive.

BIOS version 6 or less

In BIOS version 6 or less, you set the SATA Controller Mode on the Advanced tab. Follow these steps to set the controller mode.

Figure : Example BIOS page

Turn off the computer and wait five seconds.
Turn on the computer.
When the first screen displays, do one of the following:
- Immediately press the F10 key if your computer was built in 2006 or later (came with Vista or Windows 7). Press the key once every second until a BIOS Setup utility screen opens.
- Immediately press the F1 key if your computer was built before 2006 (XP or earlier). Press the key once every second until a BIOS Setup utility screen opens.
  
  note:
  On some Compaq Presario computers (before 2002), press the F10 key at the logo screen.
Use the right and left arrow keys to select the Advanced tab.
If you want to set AHCI or RAID mode, make sure that the SATA Controller (or SATA1 Controller) is set to [Enabled].

If you want to use IDE mode, the SATA Controller (or SATA1 Controller) can be set to [Disabled]. This prevents Windows from looking for the SATA controller driver.

To change the setting, use the up and down arrow keys to select the current SATA Controller setting, and then press Enter. Select [Enabled] or [Disabled], and then press Enter.
Use the up and down arrow keys to select SATA Controller Mode (or SATA1 Controller Mode), and then press Enter.

note:
If SATA Controller Mode is not displayed or if it cannot be selected, you cannot change the mode.
Select the controller mode you want, and then press Enter.
Press F10 to save the values and exit. Press Y to confirm before exiting.

BIOS version 7 or greater

Turn off the computer and wait five seconds.
Turn on the computer.
Immediately press the F10 key repeatedly, about once every second, until the Computer Setup program opens.
In the BIOS Setup utility, use the Right Arrow key to select the Storage tab.

Figure : Storage tab
Use the Down Arrow key to select Storage Options, and then press Enter.
Next to Sata Emulation, select the controller mode you want, and then press F10 to accept the change.

Troubleshooting SATA Controller Mode problems

The following errors can display if the SATA Controller Mode is set to the wrong setting. Refer to the section that matches the issue on your computer for instructions on resolving the problem.

STOP 0x0000007B INACCESSABLE_BOOT_DEVICE error message

If the computer displays the STOP 0x0000007B INACCESSABLE_BOOT_DEVICE error message after you change the SATA Controller Mode to use either Advanced Host Controller Interface (AHCI) or RAID, the disk driver in Windows 7 and Windows Vista is disabled. This driver must be enabled before you change the SATA Controller Mode of the hard drive.

To automatically resolve problems with the STOP 0x0000007B INACCESSABLE_BOOT_DEVICE error message, click the Microsoft Fix it Solution:

MS Fix it

Err1Err3 or Stop Error 07xb error message

If Err1Err3 is shown or a blue screen opens displaying a Stop Error 07xb when starting the computer, the Sata Controller Mode BIOS setting is set to the wrong setting.

To resolve this issue, refer to the HP support document, Stop Error 0x7B or Err1Err3 when Starting the PC.

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