NP8662 eSATA Issues

I've read:
http://forum.notebookreview.com/showthread.php?p=4905018

But it had no solution. Has anyone come up w/ any solutions w/ hot-swappable eSATA?

My eSATA port works when the external HDD is connected prior to the laptop being on (and Windows 7 not booted). When booted, Windows 7 will recognize the external drive, and everything will work. If I unplug the eSATA, it just disconnects and no freezing.

If I were to plug the eSATA in while Windows 7 was running, no recognition. The laptop doesn't freeze or anything; it just shows no response. BIOS of my laptop shows AHCI mode, so that shouldn't be the problem.


This external HDD connects to my desktop via eSATA perfectly fine (hot-swappable).

Any solution?

 

Is your desktop running W7 as well?

 

Yes, both computers are running Windows 7x64 RC.

*EDIT*:
When the eSATA cable is connected, the external HDD (powered separately via AC-adapter) starts spinning up. With no cables connected, if I were to turn the HDD on, the HDD doesn't start spinning. So it seems to me, that the external HDD detects that the eSATA cable is plugged in, but my laptop just can't seem to read it when its running (i.e. hot-swappable).

I've been forced to using the USB cable, but I'm sick of this "slow" transfer rate :/.

FYI: It is an internal WD 1TB 7,200RPM HDD enclosed in an External Rosewill Enclosure.

 

Is this issue exclusive to win7?

 

I highly doubt it seeing how it works perfectly fine on my desktop. I have had some system instability due to me tweaking some things in Windows 7, so I've had to reformat Windows 7 on my laptop 3x so far. eSATA never worked (hot-swappable).

I see this more as a hardware issue (i.e. the hardware is just not capable of hot-swappable eSATA), since many people seem to have this issue, and no setting will change it.

 

I think it's a setting that you need to set in the drive's properties, whether it's permanent or not.

 

But I never had to do that on my desktop :/.

Any instructions on how to do that? I'll try it.

 

I am sorry for reviving a 2 month old thread but this was a problem I had. I knew the fix which was to install the Intel Matrix Driver. The problem is it would not install because it has not met minimum requirements. After talking with Intel I found out it was because AHCI or RAID was not enabled. As the laptop does not have a RAID setup but only has AHCI you have to enable AHCI in the BIOS. But wait don't do that yet. This is because if you do, do that your OS won't boot. You don't want to reinstall the OS right, good for you because there is a way to change to AHCI without reinstalling the OS. I am on Windows 7 so I am not sure if this will work on Vista. You have to use regedit. Go to Computer\HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SYSTEM\CurrentControlSet\msahci. In that folder there is one called Start. Double Click it and change the value to 0. Mine was 3 at default. Now restart your computer and push F2 for Sager NP8662 to enter BIOS. Go to Advanced section and change IDE to AHCI. Now boot into Windows and you will see drivers installing. After it has installed restart computer and install Intel Matrix Driver from their site because Sager's is kind of outdated like with the rest of their drivers. And you should be set. Now if anyone can tell me how to get to safe mode on the SAGER cause I mash F8 and it results in nothing but a regular boot.

Oh and to add this worked for me and it should work for you but for the chance it doesn't work for you, you should backup your Hard Drive to an external one before enabling ACHI and I take no responsibility if this damages your computer in anyway.

 

The problem for me seemed to be the Esata cord I was using. I recently purchase a SIIG Esata cord and now it works perfectly and hot swappable on my Sager and my Dell Desktop.