IDE vs AHCI setting in BIOS


  1. erdos
    Posts : 16
    Windows 7 Ultimate x64 / Enterprise
       New #1

    IDE vs AHCI setting in BIOS


    Greetings!

    My PC (a HP Pavilion Elite d5100t ATX) is a dual boot box, with windows 7 on HDD, and Devuan linux on SSD, I've been running linux exclusively for several years until found out I couldn't boot win7 anymore. so I tried to reinstall win7, however windows bootable disk refused to install on the HDD partition. then I remembered that I did something in bios before when I had issue with booting linux. After changed bios setting for SATA controller to 'IDE' from 'AHCI', i was able to reinstall and boot into windows 7. but now linux on SSD won't boot.

    It seems I can only boot one OS at a time, either windows 7 with 'IDE' enabled, or Devuan/linux with 'AHCI' enabled in bois setting.

    my question is what is difference between IDE and AHCI booting? is HDD designed for 'IDE' and SSD for 'AHCI' and mutually exclusive?
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  3. SIW2
    Posts : 16,554
    7 X64
       New #2

    SATA Controller Modes Explained | Crucial UK
    either windows 7 with 'IDE' enabled, or Devuan/linux with 'AHCI' enabled
    you could make some registry changes so your win7 can boot in ahci mode

    load the system hive and change
    ControlSetxxx\services\msahci to start type 0
    ControlSetxxx\services\pciide to start type 0
    ControlSetxxx\services\iaStorV to start type 0
    Last edited by SIW2; 3 Weeks Ago at 13:23.
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  4. MisterEd
    Posts : 499
    Windows 7 Home Premium 64-bits
       New #3

    I have a computer with a dual-boot of Windows 7 and Windows 10. Last year I noticed that in the BIOS, SATA=IDE. After I changed that to SATA=AHCI the computer wouldn't boot. I changed it back to SATA=IDE. After I made the necessary registry changes in Windows 10 I was able to boot with BIOS changed to SATA=AHCI. Unfortunately, I couldn't figure out how to do the same thing with Windows 7. I ended up reinstalling Windows 7.

    BTW, if the computer only booted to Windows 7 then I might have figured out how to make changes to boot with SATA=AHCI. It seemed to complicate things by having a dual-boot with Windows 10.
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  6. torchwood
    Posts : 7,228
    W7 home premium 32bit/W7HP 64bit/w10 tp insider ring
       New #4

    depends on where/what the Grub loader has been positioned within the SSD
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  7. siliconbeaver
    Posts : 307
    Windows 7 Pro 64-bit
       New #5

    I would go the solution of ahci mode, SIW2 mentioned.
    that's a way I do often on my XP W7 systems.
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  8. erdos
    Posts : 16
    Windows 7 Ultimate x64 / Enterprise
    Thread Starter
       New #6

    thanks for the replies, guys!

    Yesterday I tried loading linux for the first time since reinstalling windows but was unsuccessful - after i changed sata controller to 'AHCI'. receiving Error 'missing operating system' - this surprised me since I had grub bootloader installed on SSD. somehow windows 7 overwrites grub during reinstall process.

    I'll have to pull the ssd and put in another computer to see if linux loads.
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