Need help switching back to ahci on XPS M1530

Hi i have a brand new xps m1530 and i recently removed vista and installed windows xp on it. i've been reading through many of the discussions in this forum but i still can't figure out how to switch back to ahci in the bios.

what i did so fat is switch to ata in the bios. i installed xp on the computer and got all of the drivers working. including the chipset, audio, video, card reader, ethernet, etc. everything in the device manager looks good.

so far what i've learned is that i need to install the Intel Matrix Storage Manager in order to switch back to ahci. i found 2 differnt files mentioned on other posts to use. iata82_enu.exe and iata78_enu.exe i've tried using both of them but it always says "this computer does not meet the minimum requirements for installing this software. setup will exit".

i dont know if this is related but i've also noticed that my dvd burner now only goes up to 4x. it used to go to 8x with vista. but that might be a completely different problem.

i've run out of ideas and i would really appreciate if anyone can help. please let me know if u have any ideas. thank you!

 

Here's how I did it taken from this post:
http://forum.notebookreview.com/showthread.php?t=254815&page=10

As far as AHCI/RAID drivers I went to device manager, IDE ATA/ATAPI controllers then found the correct storage controller and updated the driver using the 'have disk' method (be sure to select F6 floppy folder and use the file "iaahci.ifn" and reboot, go in to BIOS (or you'll blue screen) and set the controller to AHCI. Boot again and it will say found new hardware, it will configure it, then require a reboot again. Then I was able to install Matrix Storage Manager and I'm up and running!
Good luck, I know this works because I used this method on my desktop in my signature to udate the drivers as well.

 

Or you could just look into slipstreaming the drivers into your XP CD. It is very very easy to do. Just google it, also there is a good guide buried somewhere on here. Only downside is that you will have to reinstall XP.

 

Here is the real solution: Get the ACHI driver from Intel. Save it on a disk or USB Stick. Change BIOS to AHCI. As you install vista, at the screen where you have a chance to load a driver, insert your intel AHCI driver and setup your partion and continue install. Dell does not offer this driver but it is an Intell chip after all.

 

fiveo: I'm sorry i dont understand what you mean by F6 floppy folder and use the file "iaahci.ifn". is that the same file that is in Udi_M1530_XP_Drivers\AHCI\Floppy_Method\iaahci.inf ? I tried using that inf file to upgrade the ata driver for Intel(R) ICH8M 3 port Serial ATA Storage Controller - 2828 and Intel(R) ICH8M Ultra ATA Storage Controllers - 2850 but it didn't do anything. I dont think they need to be upgraded. If i try to switch back to ahci i get BSOD. What exactly do i need to do in the storage controller? I thought that i just had to upgrade the Intel Matrix Storage Manager

Tusin: Thanks for the advice but i want to try and do it without reinstalling win xp. I guess this can be a a backup plan

MrCrawdad: Sorry I dont understand. I dont want vista or any partions on my hard drive. If i do this will i be able to get rid of vista and run win xp in ahci mode?


Does anyone else know anything that can help? Thank you

 

in XP installation, u can press F6 to use other drivers..

not really sure how to help u further, because i dont deal with xp much anymore

http://www.notebookreview.com/searc...F;GIMP:0000FF;FORID:11&hl=en&btnAction=SEARCH

 

uman, I've been out of town, sorry for not replying sooner. I just sent you the more details in response to your PM you sent me.

 

Thanks fiveo! I still can't get it to work tho. I was wondering if it matters that I switch it back to AHCI? I've been using the laptop under ATA and have not had any problems with it. Does anyone know if this would cause any kind of problems in the future?

 

No problems leaving it as ATA, just supposed to be a bit faster on data transfer speeds.