Windows 7: Sata 3 and Safely remove hardware

I just installed a new WD SATA 3 harddrive and it shows up in safely remove hardware. I found this fix:

How to Stop Drive appearing in Safely Remove Hardware
It appears that in Windows 7 some sata ports are incorrectly installed as external ports by default.


A fix can be found in the document located at:


http://www.microsoft.com/whdc/device/storage/eSATA.mspx


Right Click the command prompt and select 'Run as Administrator';


Copy and paste the following command into the command prompt:


reg.exe add "HKLM\SYSTEM\CurrentControlSet\Services\msahci\Controller(n)\Channel(N)" /f /v TreatAsInternalPort /t REG_DWORD /d 0x00000001


Change (n) for the contoller number – 0 on my machine ie. 'Controller0' and change (N) for the SATA port number – 1 – 5 on my machine ie. Channel1, Channel2, channel3....etc


You can check which controller number and port(s) by using regedit to check the registry keys. The keys can also be be added while your there.

on this forum but don't know how to find which controller and channel my new drive is under. The poster says I can do this with regedit but I don't know where to look or what to look for. Can someone help?

There is no SATA 3.
It is either SATA.
SATA2 or SATA6.

Mike

PS
If like my board it has a blue SATA2 connector on the board. It has 4 ports for four HD's to plug into. All internal HD's plug into it.
You are probably plugged into the e-SATA port for external hardrives.

Select Config

If the above is your board the HD's plug in where the pics are marked with yellow highlight.
D-E on left
D-E Deluxe right.

My board has 4 internal Sata 2 ports which are colored blue. I have my spare Sata 2 drive plugged into one of these (it does not show in safely remove hardware). It has one black port labelled e-sata above those which I have nothing plugged. It then has two grey ports labelled Sata 6 GB. I have my main Sata 3 drive plugged into one of those (it shows in safely remove hardware).

There is no SATA3.

You have a SATA2 or SATA6.

A SATA 6 will go in the SATA 6 port.
You need to find out for sure what model # WD you have.

Some people call the SATA6, SATA3 but that is not right. I'm just trying to keep your board and drive undamaged.

Did you install the driver for the SATA6 Marvell controller from ASUS?

The ports you have highlighted are for external drives. Mine is an internal drive. Here is it's description from WD website:
WD Caviar Black 1 TB, SATA 6 Gb/s, 64 MB Cache, 7200 RPM
Here is a link to WD web page for my harddrive: WD Caviar Black 1 TB SATA Hard Drives ( WD1002FAEX )

I'm pretty sure I have it plugged into the correct port.
Yes, I installed the Marvel controller.

That is what I was trying to confirm. I didn't want to give you wrong info- no assuming.

Yours is the P7P55D-E correct?

You installed the Marvell driver for the SATA6 ports?
IT is a seperate download not on most mobo CD's.

Mike

ASUS sight find yor mobo Click download tab. Enter OS
Top download under SATA.

P7P55D-E correct. This is the driver I downloaded: Marvell9123-9120_V1001042_XpVistaWin7

Good.
Give me a few minutes.

In the search bar of the start menu type partition. At the top will be Create and format partition.
Click on it and let it open.
There may or may not be both drives showing.
The numbers marked in yellow are what you need for the Command Prompt in place of N.
If you have just a Disk0 showing then the new one can be numbered 1 in Comm Promp replacing the N.
Then you can run the Command Prompt. BUT I have no idea if the Command prompt will work.


I have no way to test it and can find no further info.

I hope soneone else can come up with some help.

Sorry I can't help further. What I would do I won't suggest for someone else to try.