Dell XPS 17 L702x and the Vertex 3 SSD

Hi,

i received yesterday my XP17 and the Vertex 3 240GB, i quickly replaced the first HDD with the SSD.
Ran the Win7 with SP1 install, but after the first reboot: Bang bluescreen and a reboot. it never went any further.

Then i noticed another post on the internet about setting the SATA mode to ATA instead of AHCI and that did help! Now the installer just went on.

The thing is that i did read that AHCI should be the one to have.. But it seems even after a full install i can't change it (then it will not startup again with the constant rebooting)

And i did read that you can't really change the sata mode from ATA to AHCI and back after a windows install..?

I will try to install the latest intel AHCI drivers to see if that helps and i can then start windows in AHCI mode? Or maybe use that driver already when installing?

Anybody has some idea's what would be best? Or just leave it in ATA mode?

 

You actually can change it after installation. The trick is, if I remember correctly from doing this with Windows XP, is to uninstall the ATA controller driver, force it to install the AHCI (Serial ATA) controller driver, and only then reboot and change the BIOS switch.

 

the problem is i guess i need intel AHCI drivers for that. But how to get just the driver, i cant find that one currently.

 

Dell conveninently stuck all the drivers in C:\Drivers, so C:\Drivers\Chipset_IRST\r6flpy-x64\iaAHCI.inf is the one you want.

And I'm remembering the right way to force it: The item under Device Manager>IDE ATA/ATAPI controllers probably says it is an ATA controller (mine says "SATA AHCI Controller). What you need to do is force this device to install the AHCI driver. So:

Update Driver Software, Browse my computer for driver software, Let me pick, Have Disk..., and find the iaahci.inf driver file. You may need to uncheck "show compatible hardware" and install the one called "Intel(R) Mobile Express Chipset SATA AHCI Controller".

 

forcing the ahci driver didn't really work, i did try to install them so maybe it did help a bit, but this link really makes it work:

GUIDE - Enabling AHCI mode AFTER Windows 7 Installation - Guru3D.com Forums

now i get good benchmark transfer speeds with my vertex 3, CrystalDiskMark reads and writes over de 400MB/s (with ATA i only got just over 300) and with the QD32 4K reads (10 times!) and writes (2 times) so i guess thats NCQ at work..

also the windows (WEI) own bench mark system went from 7.1 to 7.8 on the data transfer rate

Don't know if i really will notice that in real life but at least the benchmarks are good

 

So how long does it take for startup?

 

yeah it will be interesting to know...
My system takes 18 seconds from pressing power button to desktop...
(windows 7 SP1 x64 fully loaded with softwares and all)

 

This question can be kinda misleading as some people have user account passwords that take more time inputing the info in before the desktop comes up. I would imagine running a test where no password is needed would be the most accurate across all users. Stating which version of Windows 7 and if you have SP1 could also have an impact. Maybe we should start a thread comparing real world results instead of reading about lab tested secure erased drives at their peak performance for all the new SATA III SSD's.

 

yeah strongly agree.... enough of these synthetic benchmarks already

 

My system doesn't have that value there despite being in AHCI mode. (It's set to 3, which is manual). But I'm glad you got it working!

 

WEI is not a benchmark, it is an experience index.

Good to see Vertex 3 initial benchmarks wasn't all smoke and mirrors.

 

Define Benchmark in computer terms please.

 

To me a benchmark;

A program/operation that tests the performance of a component/components or an entire machine, but also must be able to reproduce consistent results. It also must output a comparable result (a number, a threshold).

WEI fails in both respects. Again it is a experience index, not a benchmark. A benchmark would be like 3DMark06, Cinebench, you get the idea.

 

Hmm, I'm having problems with this. I did the same as you, fitted a 120GB Vertex 3 from new and tried to install Win7, the initial file copying part of the installation worked but after it rebooted to continue installation I got a blue screen and reboot. I had to change the BIOS setting from AHCI to SATA to stop the blue screens and for installation to continue.

I tried the registry change and BIOS change post installation and all that happens is that it hangs at the Win7 boot loading screen.

Can you please outline in detail what you did to get it working. Thanks

 

Seems that my problem could be due to not installing the driver like DakkonA suggested, could anyone possibly send me the driver as I do not have the drivers folder due to a fresh install.

 

It's available in the support section of Dell's website and will extract to C:\Dell\Drivers\R296901\f6flpy-x64 unless they update it before you grab it.

 

Seems that is only listed on the L502x page, I wonder if that is due to compatibility?

 

Didnt your l702x come with a drivers cd? I just ran the autorun that checks your machine for hardware and I installed all the drivers one by one.
What strange is that after installing Windows 7 I had no problems with bluescreens and I checked the registry and BIOS and they were all correctly setup for the ssd by default. I used the dell supplied Windows 7 dvd btw.

 

Yes, it did come with a driver CD but I couldn't see anything about AHCI, the only chipset drivers were the same as the ones on the site, nothing for SATA/AHCI. I used an OEM Windows 7 Pro CD and forgot/didn't think to load drivers when it asks for them during installation!

 

its the R289307 download and then the \WIN7 dir has a file: cougahci.inf i did try to install that file first one time (and that did fail) after that i did change the registry setting, i guess that trying to load the driver did do the tricky for me so that windows does have that driver.

as far as i know is the R289307 just the chipset driver that you download from dell.

 

Perhaps the windows 7 dvd that came with my l702x has it setup by default as I had to restart a couple of times after installing it but never had any issues with the ahci/sata drivers.

 

Could you please do me a favour and take a screenshot of your device manager SATA/AHCI tree expanded, also if possible could you check what driver files it is using (via properties, Driver then Driver Details).

Thanks

 

Have attached a screen capture of my sata/ahci device.

What I did was insert the dell resource dvd and run AUTORCD.exe which loads all the drivers,etc used by your system. Then went down installing the ones I needed.

The one you want is the Inter Huron drivers R289307.exe

Drivers and Downloads

 

Thanks a lot for that, could you please do another screenshot or just list the files on the page that comes up when you click 'Drive Details' on the page that you just took a screenshot of.

 

Ok have done another capture

 

I have attached 2 crystaldiskmark runs 1 with random data and the other with 0 filling.
The SATA600 is working thats for sure.

 

I had no problems with installing Windows on new Vertex 3 120 GB drive. However I am having problems now with Windows restart. After a restart, BIOS does not recognize the hard drive, most of the times. Shutdown and turning on always works fine, same with hibernate and sleep. Only restart is the problem. I have all the latest drivers and BIOS (A08). I tried downgrading BIOS to A07 and A05, but it didn't help. Any ideas?

 

Awesome! Finally someone has posted benchmarks of a SATA 3 (6gb/s) drive in their L702x. I'm so glad our laptop takes advantage of the faster bus. I can't decide if I'm going with OCZ, Corsair, or Crucial.

 

be careful with a Sandforge based SDD (yes i have bought one and now i am seeing the problems)

Dell and OCZ/SF based SSD's don't love each other:

Technical Discussion Dell and Laptop users with issues please look in

or more generally: Vertex problems with AHCI:

Support Question ***** OCZ Vertex 3 Problems, Help Needed ASAP *****

milan really seem to have the problem now that people reporting in the first thread. I don't have that problem (at least now) but i can't suspend to ram and then resume (then i get a BSOD with CheckBug F4)

So i think if i now have to choose again i would go for the Intel 510 serie...
(i had in my previously laptop the Intel G2 160GB and never had any problem)

 

I have an XPS 15 L502x that has had the exact same issue, but the workaround has a slight twist.

I installed with the controller in AHCI mode --> installed fine, but afterwards, no amount of rebooting and registry fiddling would get it to boot in AHCI mode again.

Then I did a fresh install (re-formatted and started over), this time with the controller in ATA mode during the installation. After a successful installation entirely in ATA mode, I then did the registry change & BIOS change, and then it booted in AHCI mode just fine.

 

Take a look at the Micron C400/ Crucial M4. Better performance and just as reliable for less.

 

That's wierd. I just threw the SSD in, changed the bios to AHCI, and installed. Have had no problems now for over 3 weeks.

 

Now i have resolved all my issues i think i will go for the vertex 3 again

When installing windows 7 you should use the latest "F6" driver of Intel (that can be downloaded from Dell, the 10.1.xxx driver

Then as far as i know now, you can install in AHCI mode just fine.

Then after that do make sure that you disable the LPM commands that Intel is sending to the Vertex for example: Support Question New OCZ Vertex 3 Stalls

now i have it fully running and it is fast and stable, resume fast and correctly all the time.

 

well i did install AHCI driver before windows installation (files taken from intel rapid storage)...
and after that i was able to successfully install in AHCI mode and boot .
but system would hang for a while after short intervals(most probably same stalls in your link)...so i set back to ATA mode..
can u please explain those LPM commands disabling a bit more????
and u got 320GB vertex 3????? i thought there are only 120 and 240GB models

 

I'm having exactly the same problem with my new 702x and Vertex 3. I had no choice but to install Win 7 in ATA mode in the bios. If I tried to install Win 7 using the bios set to AHCI, then Win 7 installer would crash...
I have tried the drivers as suggested in this thread...all BSOD and I have tried the reg change too...all to no avail. I'm starting to resent this drive...currently running at 3G speeds only

 

All i did was to load AHCI driver before windows installation (files taken from intel RST driver)... then u will be able to boot just fine....
And 2nd thing: as soon as windows install complete ,u have to disable LPM commands .... i have just created registry file ,so all i have to do is double click on it and select yes.
And that's it .... u will have Vertex 3 in AHCI mode running upto its full potential.
You can see my attachment for both of these

 

I really don't want to have to reinstall Win 7 all over again, there's a lot of apps installed and it takes me several days to get my install fot for my needs. Is there a way i can install this driver post Win 7 install? I've tried to install the drivers from the Intel site but I get an error message from the installer saying that my hardware doesn't meet the minimum spec!

(UPDATE)
Thanks for the unpacked drivers!
I've got it working! What i did was to manually update the ATA driver in Device Manager>IDE ATA/ATAPI controllers>last item on my list (there were 4 ATA ports and 2 Intel Sata ports, the first port BSOD when i updated the driver, the last one worked). It's taken me about 8 man hours to get this working...it shouldn't be this hard to get a driver to work...but that's the wonderful world of MS/Windows I guess. I'm now getting a crystal mark read of 470mbs (up from 270) and a write speed of 287mps (a little slow still)

 

.............

 

Can someone explain the process for loading the ACHI drivers that were posted by Gull s 777? Do I need to burn these to a cd first? I'm assuming after I follow these steps I should be able to use my vertex 3 problem free in my L502X?

 

ok here we go:
copy the files from AHCI x64 folder into usb flash drive.
then connect it to your laptop....
after that insert your windows disk and boot the system ...
when you reach the step where you choose in which partition to install the windows, look for ""Load Driver" link on that page. Click on it select browse and got to your usb flash drive and select ok. system will scan your usb for driver and will detect it automatically. Then it will ask if u are sure to install it.Click ok or yes whatever it is. After that select your partition to install windows as u do normally and continue to install. At the end of installation,when u see desktop , be sure to run LPM registry file and restart it once.
That's it.

PS: I have also tried integrating AHCI drivers into my windows 7 ISO and it worked. No need to load driver manually on each installation. You can install OS as simply as you do on other hard drives.

 

What do you think about thos SSD?? will work on XPS L702X?
Amazon.com: Samsung 128GB Solid State Drive MZ-5PA128: Electronics
or
Amazon.com: Crucial Technology 128 GB Crucial RealSSD C300 Series Solid State Drive CTFDDAC128MAG-1G1: Electronics

What about Intel?

 

Can you install a Vertex 3 without having the OEM version of Windows 7? Is it OK to use the recovery discs, although I know this will load the Dell junk onto the drive?

 

i think both will work just fine.
that C300 serie also has the same problem with the LPM settings so make sure that you apply the registry patch after an install.

 

that's bad
thought this issue is only with new sandforce based drives....

 

no that is not a specific sandforge issue, others have the same problems, i found the fix first for a C300: Solution: C300 Disk Freeze-ups in Windows 7 solved... - Crucial Community

 

Ok, I foolishly bought a Vertex 3 240GB for my L702x AFTER reading its great reviews but BEFORE reading of all the problems users are having with it.

My problem is poor performance. Real life experience is below expectations and this was confirmed in HD Tune benchmarks. These show read speeds around 200MB/s.

I really do NOT want to reinstall windows having already spent several days getting the machine set up the way I want. The BIOS shows that AHCI is enabled and it boots properly. I updated the AHCI driver and installed the reg fix provided by gull_s_777, using the method described by Gazzajagman. However, my performance was REDUCED to between 150 and 200MB/s.

Any idea what is going wrong? Any idea how to fix it?

 

Make sure your power options are set to "High Performance". I installed a Crucial M4 and had the same problem. Once I did the reg fix and set the power options from "Balanced" to "Full" - I was good to go!

Good Luck

 

Squigglyline you're spot on. Actually my machine was running on battery (and powersaver) at the time but I had no idea it was impact SSD performance to that extent, so discounted it as a factor.

I'm pretty happy now and am posting sequential reads in the 470s.

This machine is upgrading from a Vaio Z (1st gen i7, dual core). This had 4xSSDs in RAID 0 and consistently posted scores of almost 600. It's pretty impressive that the single Vertex 3 comes within a country mile of it actually.

TBH, when getting the Dell I'd utterly failed to appreciate the colossal difference an SSD makes to the overall user experience. Coming back to a magnetic HDD was a real let down.

 

I just upgraded my L502X to the Vertex 3 with zero problems (besides getting the dang palmrest off). I even forgot to remove the CMOS battery, as the OCZ "ABCs of SSDs" recommends. After the clean Win7 install, my WEI score didn't change from the stock 5.9. After some head scratching, I removed the battery during the repasting job I did, and after putting it all back together (no spare parts - Yeah!) I reran WEI and got a 7.9. I haven't benchmarked it yet, as I'm not sure of the best one to use, but I will soon.

All in all, very happy with the Vertex 3, and the Vertex 2 in my Dell XPS400 desktop.

 

I bought my XPS 17 (L702x) with the 2 500gb HDDs planning on buying a SSD drive in the future when prices go down. At that time I will be taking out both the HDDs. Can someone tell me what drive specs I should look for and what is necessary to physically install and then to config the drive in BIOS/Win7 install?

Thanks!