What is the correct setting in BIOS for eSATA?

whest · 08 Sep 2009

Intel® Matrix Storage Manager - What is Hot Swap?

Hot swap (also referred to as hot plug) is a feature supported by the Advanced Host Controller Interface (AHCI) and the Intel® Matrix Storage Technology. Hot swap allows devices to be removed and inserted while the system is running.

In order to take advantage of hot swap, you need the following:

The Intel® Matrix Storage Manager software must be loaded.
OEMs/motherboard manufacturers must correctly enable hot swap capability in the system BIOS.
The system must include an Intel® chipset using a controller hub that supports AHCI. Hot swap (also referred to as hot plug) is a feature supported by the Advanced Host Controller Interface (AHCI) and the Intel® Matrix Storage Technology. Hot swap allows devices to be removed and inserted while the system is running.

kenabi · 08 Sep 2009

as a side note: w7 doesn't play nice with all boards/optical drives when installing in AHCI mode. most notably: asus dvdrws and the evga 730i. however, changing it once installed only required me to switch settings and reinstall the motherboard drivers.

seems i lucked out and didn't have to change the registry entry/manually swap the drivers. ^_^ ms coders paying attention perhaps?

also; you don't need any of that garbage unless you run one of the intel chipsets that require it. via or nforce based chipsets don't always use intel controllers, which in turn don't require the matrix software. when in doubt, find a tech who knows what the deal is.

nate42nd · 08 Sep 2009

This seems like an odd way to go about creating an interface. (eSATA)

With all of these variables. I suppose it's just an extension of SATA so it was not built from the ground to be more like USB. When USB 3 comes out eSATA will become obsolete. I guess it has about 6 months to live.

We'll see how it goes. I must have pretty good hardware for it because it works. I will run it in AHCI and wait until USB 3 comes out and get twice the speed (about)

Thanks for all the info.

whest · 08 Sep 2009

Well, being of an open mind I thought i would try the registry key technique to see what happens - well now i have the option to eject any 3 of my hard drives - the driver installed and required a reboot.

Error message when you start a Windows 7 or Windows Vista-based computer after you change the SATA mode of the boot drive: "STOP 0x0000007B INACCESSABLE_BOOT_DEVICE"

My apologies to antman with that other post by roo7s - but i was only reacting to what i was seeing - after going to the intel site i found the truth, a raid /ahci driver will be installed automatically with vista and w7, as long as you have either raid or ahci enabled in the bios prior to installing the OS - my info was coming from the read me file in the driver package - however, if you want the latest driver the F6 method is the way to do it.

pbcopter · 09 Sep 2009

I have the same board as you GA EP45-UD3P and I have Hotswapped from both controllers. With Jmicron (purple connectors) I set it to ACHI in the BIOS and
they work fine for Hotswap, including providing the "safe to remove" icon in the system tray.

I am currently using a port on the Intel (yellow connectors) for Hotswap. This controller is set up for RAID. There is no native support for "safe to remove" so I installed the HotSwap progam mentioned by someone previously. It allows you to specify which drives on the other ports that you don't want to hotswap as well.

There is one caution for the Intel controller since that is where your operating system is most likely installed.
Make sure the hotswap drives are not connected to the same power supply connector cable as the system drive or the power transient during the install and removal of the hotswap drive could freeze your system and possibly cause data corruption. I use a separate power cable with only fans on it to power my Hotswap drives.

Antman · 09 Sep 2009

The board's design intent - use AHCI on the JMicron controller to support eSATA.

nate42nd · 10 Sep 2009

pbcopter said:

I have the same board as you GA EP45-UD3P and I have Hotswapped from both controllers. With Jmicron (purple connectors) I set it to ACHI in the BIOS and
they work fine for Hotswap, including providing the "safe to remove" icon in the system tray.

I am currently using a port on the Intel (yellow connectors) for Hotswap. This controller is set up for RAID. There is no native support for "safe to remove" so I installed the HotSwap progam mentioned by someone previously. It allows you to specify which drives on the other ports that you don't want to hotswap as well.

There is one caution for the Intel controller since that is where your operating system is most likely installed.
Make sure the hotswap drives are not connected to the same power supply connector cable as the system drive or the power transient during the install and removal of the hotswap drive could freeze your system and possibly cause data corruption. I use a separate power cable with only fans on it to power my Hotswap drives.

Thank you VERY much for this post. This is something I would have overlooked in the future. (separate power cable for system drive)

Antman said:

The board's design intent - use AHCI on the JMicron controller to support eSATA.

Antman, Thank you as well. You are right as usual. The JMicron controller is intended to be used with the included eSATA bracket. This bracket they include also has a male molex and female molex to SATA power. Very nice.