Show us your SSD performance

[Fumz]

I have this installed... delayed start. I just have the icon set to show notifications only so I never see it. Everything is running saucy!

 

[profdlp]

The driver gets loaded at started and is independent of the service. The service appears to be necessary if you are running a RAID array off the motherboard controller, though there is scant information on what it actually does. Don't take this as a definitive answer because I'm going mainly by what conditions Intel says it is used for, though I haven't found any real explanation for exactly what it does.

 

[essenbe]

OK thanks. I just couldn't understand that if you disable the source of the driver, would it work? Like I said, last time it started running my cpu about25% all the time, so I uninstalled it. So I have set it to manual now. The intel boards say that to secure erase with the toolbox, you need to be running the iastor driver and it needs to be set to automatic, not automatic(delayed) which is default.

 

[Fumz]

The driver gets loaded at started and is independent of the service. The service appears to be necessary if you are running a RAID array off the motherboard controller, though there is scant information on what it actually does. Don't take this as a definitive answer because I'm going mainly by what conditions Intel says it is used for, though I haven't found any real explanation for exactly what it does.

Yeah... I got all that... I was just chiming in with how I run. I installed the driver when I loaded Windows. As for iastore, I never gave a second thought to not running it as it's recommended by Intel... at least that's how it went down when I went to Intel to update my drivers. I don't have a cpu hit, I even forget it's there, I just take Intel at their word they know which software packages of theirs work best on their chipsets.

 

[essenbe]

Thanks Fumz. I just don't understand exactly how this works. But, I'll try most anything, at least for awhile. I have just always run with msahci. I don't run raid so don't run the raid driver. I did install it when I built this machine and it started running away with my CPU so I uninstalled it. I'm trying it again with the service set to manual. But, thanks for the help.

 

[profdlp]

Yeah... I got all that... I was just chiming in with how I run...

As noted before, I'm a slow typist. I was actually trying to answer essenbe's earlier question.

 

[Hopalong X]

IRST won't install. Used driver shown here.
Intel® High Performance Solid State Drive — Unable to run Secure Erase on Intel® SSD Toolbox 2.0

It either spins the little cursor for a couple seconds and then nothing or window comes up saying it didn't install properly . It gives option to try "compatibility" or it "installed properly".

It didn't install. Clicking compatibility the window closes and nothing else happens.

Used double click, right click then Open, and Run as Administrator all the same results.

® High Performance Solid State Drive Unable to run Secure Erase on Intel® SSD Toolbox 2.0

Knowledgebase Article

The Intel® SSD Toolbox 2.0 User's Guide states that when running Secure Erase after replugging the SSD's data cable and clicking Refresh, the Secure Erase can be launched. However, even if the system BIOS is set to AHCI, the following error may occur; "ATA Security is enabled. Secure Erase cannot run until security is disabled."
To resolve the issue, ensure that Intel® Rapid Storage Technology is installed in the system. Secure Erase may not launch even if it is set to AHCI.
1. Install Intel® Rapid Storage Technology.
2. On windows 7*, Click Start select Run then launch Services by typing services.msc and hitting on the Enter button.
3. Change Intel® Rapid Storage Technology settings from Automatic(delay) to Automatic.
4. Reboot the system.
5. You should be able to run Secure Erase on the Intel SSD Toolbox now, and even have a faster refresh rate when replugging the SSD.

 

[essenbe]

Hoppy, If I am not mistaken, there are different IRST drivers for different chipsets. Make sure you are using the correct one. See if your MB manuf has an IRST for your MB. That's how I got mine.

 

[Hopalong X]

None for ASUS.

ASUS only has Intel Matrix available which I did not install ever.
It is stricly for RAID. No AHCI option for one hardrive.
The set up requires two hard drives be listed in the set-up to even use it.
Checked out how to install and how to use it after one installed it earlier today. I didn't install just reading.

So it is useless and strictly for RAID configuration.

I can run 6 drives in RAID with it! But not one AHCI!

The driver probably isn't compatible.
Oh well Diskpart Clean will have to do in the future as it did the other day.
They may have something by the time I need it if and when I do.

 

[essenbe]

Someone wiser than me is going to have to help you on that one, but the way you explain it,that's what I thought the IRST was. It just has the iastor driver with it. I don't use raid either.

 

[Hopalong X]

Someone wiser than me is going to have to help you on that one, but the way you explain it,that's what I thought the IRST was. It just has the iastor driver with it. I don't use raid either.

From what I could gather from reading Intel pages I thought the same.

Everything works fine with the Msahci drivers except the Toolbox.
I thought it would be nice to try the IRST driver and see if performance was different or if the Toolbox would work properly.

Not a biggy.

 

[essenbe]

The Intel forums say the toolbox will work better with the iastor driver. I installed IRST used the driver for ahci and disabled the service. So, we'll see.

 

[profdlp]

Hoppy, is this the chipset driver you are using?

From the ASUS site:
Intel(R) Chipset Software Installation Utility V9.1.1.1020 for Windows 32/64bit XP & 32/64bit Vista & 32/64bit Windows 7.(WHQL)

 

[Hopalong X]

Hoppy, is this the chipset driver you are using?

From the ASUS site:
Intel(R) Chipset Software Installation Utility V9.1.1.1020 for Windows 32/64bit XP & 32/64bit Vista & 32/64bit Windows 7.(WHQL)

Yes that is it. Tried to see if there was a newer one at Intel. Intel says no. :sarc:

 

[profdlp]

I'm wondering if it's due to the differences in the X58 and P55 chipsets.

 

[Hopalong X]

I have no idea.

 

[Dave76]

What I found at Intel. Now all I have to do is figure out what IRST is.

Unable to run Secure Erase on Intel® SSD Toolbox 2.0

Knowledgebase Article

The Intel® SSD Toolbox 2.0 User's Guide states that when running Secure Erase after replugging the SSD's data cable and clicking Refresh, the Secure Erase can be launched. However, even if the system BIOS is set to AHCI, the following error may occur; "ATA Security is enabled. Secure Erase cannot run until security is disabled."
To resolve the issue, ensure that Intel® Rapid Storage Technology is installed in the system. Secure Erase may not launch even if it is set to AHCI.
1. Install Intel® Rapid Storage Technology.
2. On windows 7*, Click Start select Run then launch Services by typing services.msc and hitting on the Enter button.
3. Change Intel® Rapid Storage Technology settings from Automatic(delay) to Automatic.
4. Reboot the system.
5. You should be able to run Secure Erase on the Intel SSD Toolbox now, and even have a faster refresh rate when replugging the SSD.

Intel RST drivers (iaStor) are required to pass the Trim command for SSDs, the MS driver will also pass the Trim command, (msachi).
They are both ACHI drivers, RAID falls under ACHI.

For the Intel RST drivers, they are RAID drivers but you do not have to have anything in RAID to use them, the drives will be listed as non-RAID drives. They do enable all the ACHI benefits.

These drivers are for all motherboards that use an Intel Chipset, have read that they will work on other chipsets but haven't tried it.
This includes OEMs and Gigabyte, Asus, etc.
I have used the Intel RST drivers in Dell's, Acer's, built systems, laptops and desktops. All with no drives setup in RAID.

The Intel RST drivers have supported the Trim command since Version:9.6.0.1014.

The current Intel official Version: 10.1.0.1008. (I'm using the 10.1.2.1004 10.5.0.1027 version, sshhh...)
The File name:iata_enu.exe is the english version, the other one is multi language, so larger file.

Download it, run as Admin and it will install.

I've used these drivers since they first came out, so I could hot swap my eSATA external HDDs, and now to enable Trim on my SSD.

The early versions listed all drives for 'Safely Remove Hardware' but I don't see my internal HDDs listed anymore.

essenbe, I think the 25% CPU usage you were getting might have been the indexing running, it should return to normal after 'A while'.

These are the chipsets for the version 10.1.0.1008 driver:

It also provides AHCI support on:
>select Intel® 5 Series, 4 Series, 3 Series, 965, 975X, 955X, 945, 925 and 915 chipset-based platforms, as well as on Mobile Intel® 915/910 chipset-based platforms.

Note: Intel® RAID Technology requires the Intel® ICH9R/ICH9M-E/ICH10R/PCH-PCH-M SATA RAID controller hub, Intel® 82801HR I/O controller hub (ICH8R), Intel® 631xESB/632xESB I/O controller hub, Intel® 82801GR/GH I/O controller hub (ICH7R/DH), Intel® 82801FR I/O controller hub (ICH6R).

These drivers will work for your X58 and P55 chipsets.

Chipset and ACHI/RAID drivers are different drivers.


Intel® Rapid Storage Technology
Official latest driver from the Intel Site
Version:10.1.0.1008



Official and WHQL Intel RST drivers.
10.5.0.1027
6 May 2011

Intel Rapid Storage Technology Version 10.5.0.1027 WHQL - Production Version Release Notes

Download
intel drivers pour Raid/Sata/Ata/Ahci

Run as admin.

I have used the drivers from this site with no problems, got the original link from pg 76 of this thread.

Latest Intel Chipset Driver Release for Windows 7​

WHQL version: 9.​2.​0.​1030
Release Date: April 21st 2011

WHQL Intel Chipset Download Link​

Edit: Just checked my motherboard driver list at Gigabyte and it lists Intel SATA RAID Driver 10.5.0.1027.
So it is an official driver.​

 

[A Guy]

Tried the IRST after imaging the drive. The benchmarks were all slightly lower with the intel installed, so went back to the previous image. Done playing now, gonna just let it be

A Guy

 

[Dave76]

May be due to some other settings.

Generally, I've seen slightly better benchmarks from the Intel RST drivers, have also seen high scores with msachi drivers.
The Intel Toolbox is one issue that may give the RST drivers an edge.

Do these drivers give different levels of noticeable performance?
Probably not.
YMMV

 

[Hopalong X]

The current Intel official Version: 10.1.0.1008. (I'm using the 10.1.2.1004 10.5.0.1027 version, sshhh...)
The File name:iata_enu.exe is the english version, the other one is multi language, so larger file.

Download it, run as Admin and it will install.

Same result as the other Intel driver. Click reinstall cursor spins for a couple of seconds and then nothing else happens.