HP Z240 how to set AHCI mode?

[Simon_Weel]

We have a bunch of HP Z240 workstations. Last week, I installed an additional Samsung SSD. Now Samsung Magician claims it can't determine the interface and AHCI mode is disabled. This would reduce performance. So I checked the BIOS settings and there's no setting for AHCI. There's a setting to enabled Intel RST, so I did. Reboot into Intel RST BIOS and while there's notting to change, it does display the settings to be SATA mode and AHCi mode.

But Magician still report it cannot determine the interface and AHCI is still disabled. Installed Intel RST in Windows including the latest driver. But that doesn't make a difference.

So how do I convince Samsung Magician the SSD is in SATA AHCI mode?

Simon

[mdklassen]

> How do I convince Samsung Magician the SSD is in SATA AHCI mode?

Are you sure that you have the newest version of that software?

From: http://www.samsung.com/semiconductor/minisite/ssd/download/tools.html

Notice : Latest version of Magician software is recommended for optimal performance.

Or, what does the software do for you?

Can you get similar functionality from the Intel RST software?

Will your system function, in AHCI mode, when this software is not present?

[Simon_Weel]

I do have the latest version, altough I'm unable to download anything from the URL you provided to Samsung's website - there appear to be no download links. Anyway, the version I have is 5.0.0. What the software does (or did) was making adjustments to the OS, by choosing from different performance profiles. In oder versions, there also was an option 'Overprovisioning' - I don't see that one in version 5 either.

Intel RST doesn't do anything with SSD's.

As for AHCI-mode - that's the question. Magician can't establish if the machine is configured for AHCI.

Simon

[mdklassen]

> I'm unable to download anything from the URL you provided to Samsung's website - there appear to be no download links. Anyway, the version I have is 5.0.0. 

After I clicked one "+", I can see the "download" icons (downward-pointing-arrow-into-an-In-Basket).

I'm using Internet Explorer 11 under Windows 7 Professional.

What web-browser and Operating System are you using to access the web-page?

[SDH · Accepted solution]

This has been going on for years..... Magician incorrectly detects and reports incorrectly the AHCI SATA emulation status of HP workstations running Samsung SSDs.  A free software tool that is accurate is AS SSD, and if you go to this link and go down about 1/2 way you can see the difference between having or not having AHCI drivers installed:

http://superuser.com/questions/757936/check-if-my-ssd-in-runing-on-ahci-mode-inside-windows-7

With the correct system install method virtually all HP workstations let you run in IDE (legacy), and some let you run in AHCI mode by itself, but most instead give you IDE and a "RAID + AHCI" option in BIOS.  Both  HP and Intel recommend that second setting.  To make things even more confusing the BIOS in some HP workstations gives the options of IDE or "RAID"  (which actually means RAID + AHCI just like "RAID + AHCI" meant).  It took me quite some time to finally figure this all out.

HP sends their workstations out with the cloned HP builds having both the RAID and the AHCI drivers installed (plus the IDE drivers), but if you do a clean install from a Microsoft system builder DVD you have to make sure to first set BIOS to "RAID + AHCI " or ("RAID" if that is what your BIOS offers instead) so you get the full set of drivers for IDE, RAID, and AHCI.  This is a situation where what you set in BIOS then very much determines what gets installed during the OS load.  Setting that correctly keeps all your options open, and you can always go back into BIOS and subselect IDE ("IDE Separate" usually) if you need legacy mode for some reason.  You should then switch back to the more advanced drivers later.  For example, I've needed to do that for difficult SSD firmware updates, and even have needed to change SATA emulation in BIOS to "IDE separate" and attach the SSD to the SATA 0 position to update firmware in..... yes.... some Samsung SSDs recently.  

So, don't trust Magician on this.....  get the free AS SSD utility and it will give you an accurate answer.  As for why Samsung makes finding the latest version of Magician hard to find and confusing when you find it..... well, that is why I like Intel SSDs and the Intel Toolbox software so much better.