Odd problems with RAM and AHCI

[Surgikill]

Hey guys. Just got on my computer after a while and when booting up, at the post screen, it says AHCI device 1 support failed. I am also having some problems with drives not showing up and not wanting to transfer files and it is only saying that I have 3.99gb usable out of my 8gb of total RAM. I have a feeling that one of my drives is failing but im not concerned about that. The ram has got me puzzled and the AHCI error has me wondering.

 

[gregrocker]

Test your HD's with each maker's HD Diagnostic extended CD scan, followed by Disk Check if necessary run from Command Line as shown in Option 2.

Test your RAM - Test with Memtest86+ bootable CD test for 5-6 passes or overnight.

If these pass then work through the Troubleshooting Steps for Windows 7

 

[Surgikill]

RAM was memtested not too long ago and it all checked out. I can't run check disk on the drive in concern because it will not show in my computer. I had the AHCI error before this started happening. If you would like I could try to get a screenshot of it. All other drives have been scanned and there were no problems found and they are all in good health.

 

[gregrocker]

The drive diagnostics as stated should be run from boot CD and will determine with certainty the condition of HD.

I also offered the option 2 to run Disk Check from Command Line from the Win7 DVD or System Repair Disk .

You can also install and run Partition Wizard Check File System if drive will show in PW as sometimes this will revive a drive that's not seen by explorer and only experiencing file system problems.

 

[Surgikill]

The hard drive in question has been removed. It was an empty drive just for temp files that I would use when doing video editing or stuff like that. However, I now have a new problem. She will not boot. I shut it down to remove said drive, and when I turned her back on I am left with a black screen with a blinking underscore. The boot devices are in the correct order in the BIOS. It is not acting like it is reading the wrong drive, because usually it would say no boot record found, or something along those lines. It is acting as if the drive is not responding. Unfortunately I do not have a recovery cd on hand. Any other suggestions? I can still access the BIOS but that's about it. I am going to try disconnect all drives except the OS drive and see what happens.

 

[gregrocker]

Make sure the Win7 drive is set first HD to boot in BIOS setup.

If it still won't boot mark the 100mb System Reserved (if you have it) or C partition Active: Mark Partition Active from the installer Command Line, or from Disk Mgmt after plugging back in the other drive to get it to boot.

Then unplug all other HD's and run Startup Repair - Run up to 3 Separate Times until Win7 starts on its own.

If probs persist plug back in the drive and post back a screenshot of Disk Management - Post a Screen Capture Image - Windows 7 Help Forums.

 

[Surgikill]

I unplugged the 3 other hdd's and she boots. Removed the ram, cleaned it, reinstalled and now it is showing a full 8 gigabytes. Now just to see if the hard drives have problems.

 

[gregrocker]

Plug the other HD's in one at a time to determine which is causing problems.

Depending on how it is interfering sometimes issues can be cleared by moving the data off of the suspect HD to run Diskpart Clean Command then repartitioning in Disk Mgmt.