Solved after change to SATA AHCI mode in BIOS the drive shows removable

So after I changed to SATA AHCI mode in the BIOS, the main boot internal hard drive shows as a removable device in system tray. So how do I fix this issue, and I did follow the instructions in the Microsoft Knowledge Base article 922976, http://support.microsoft.com/kb/922976
to enable the sata driver first before I changed the BIOS setting. However in the Vista on the
same hard drive in the same computer, with the same SATA AHCI fix done to enable the needed
drivers, the internal hard drive does not show in the system tray as removable. So possibly if
I install the Intel Matrix Storage Manager from their site for this ASUS P5QL Pro motherboard
with a Intel P43 express chip set, known as ICH10, then after a re-boot it may no longer show
as removable. This computer is a 2009 store built desktop that has only one 500 GB SATA hard
drive installed. I had it set in the IDE compatible mode, so that I could mult-boot with XP, Vista, 7, and Ubuntu Linux.
http://support.microsoft.com/kb/922976

That's not an issue at all, and it's perfectly normal. AHCI offers, on some boards, hot swap capabilities. It's nothing to worry about.

DeaconFrost said:

That's not an issue at all, and it's perfectly normal. AHCI offers, on some boards, hot swap capabilities. It's nothing to worry about.

Click to expand...

If you right-clicked on that, would you be able to "eject" (logically) that hard drive right then and there?

Yes that would be correct if that drive was not the one with 7 installed, and all my other operating systems also. So sata as removable is okay if the hard drive shown is either a second internal, or a external drive, but this is the main boot internal drive.

When you switched to AHCI the Microsoft drivers were installed for your SATA ports most likely. The MS msahci driver has the ejectable feature.

To remove this feature you will need to install the Intel iastor driver.

Okay then and thanks for the help, I will install and run that Intel one the next time I boot up that computer. And after that will I be able to hot plug a external eSATA drive just like as USB ?

If you have an eSata port on the motherboard as I do on the rear panel it is a different driver- different controller than the Sata ports.
My Asus moboard uses Intel P55 Sata controller and a JMicron eSata for instance.

Asus will have your eSata driver for your motherboard. Of course it is probably already installed. It should be???

I may be wrong, and would be happy to test on another computer, but I don't think you can eject your system drive anyway, so there's nothing really to be worried about.

As for eSATA, yes, assuming you have the drivers loaded for the eSATA port, you'll be able to eject.

Here you go, how to disable hotswap for Microsoft AHCI drivers:

My internal SATA device appears in Devices and Printers and in the - Microsoft Answers

You don't need to install the Intel drivers (but you should ), just do this registry fix.

Just used Gene0's link.

I have four drives. Initially it got rid of two. For the other two I changed 'Channel0' to 'Channel2' & Channel3'. That got rid of the other two.

If you have just one drive just the first one should do it.

Okay and thanks, I had the eSATA adapter put in when I bought the PC in 09, so yes it should have the driver and work in that AHCI mode.

This issue is all solved by installing the Intel Matrix Storage Manager which put in the Intel SATA AHCI drivers and now the sata port channels do look correct in the device manager under ATA controllers. Thanks for all the help, and happy computing.

Glad you have it sorted.

Mike

I have an external 2TB WD Hard Drive that is connected
to an E-SATA PCI Rail to my Biostar 790GXE Motherboard.

I boot and the external drive icon shows in My Computer,
I remove it and no drive. What are the advantages of AHCI, other
than not needing to be sure of a hard drive connect?

The main advantages to setting your sata to AHCI in the BIOS and having the correct drivers installed, are just a few. One main one is that eSATA becomes hot plug type function just like a USB connection, so your external hard drive does not need to be on during the boot. Just do a google search for AHCI and there is lots of information, Advanced Host Controller Interface - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia , and AHCI allows for full power management features, and that mode also has faster performance too. See here; How Do I change from IDE to AHCI for my hard drives in windows 7? - Microsoft Answers