Install problems ahci raid

[fattyu]

Hello all,

I just aquired a z600.

x5670 X2 48gb udimm

2x 500gb ssd

What I tried to do is create a raid 0 and install 8.1 all went fine until reboot after install is done. booting up. loading screen and it just shows the dots chasing each other.

hmm. tried in no raid. raid delete just install to ssd. Same outcome.

w10 raid. same outcome. w10 just ssd. same outcome.

( linux managed to install with ahci plus raid setting  )

once i selected IDE it installed and booted correctly windows as well. 

We could call it a day but I bought this pc because i want raid0. what is going on? bios fw is latest 3.57

Also might be related that ahci bios not installed message is shown.

Any help is greatly appreciated.

Regards,
Greg

[SDH]

3.60 actually is the latest BIOS.... worth getting.

Are you building up a clean install from a MS System Builder DVD?  You always need to have SATA emulation set in BIOS correctly or the install will not load the correct drivers.  On a Z600 that is under the Storage tab, Storage Options, SATA Emulation, set that specifically to "RAID + AHCI".

If you are trying to launch an OS that was installed with SATA Emulation set to IDE during the clean install you will get much grief because the necessary drivers are not present.  This is one of those odd cases where what you have set in BIOS during OS install very much alters the success of the entire install thereafter.

Another idea.... these are still SATA II workstations and HP has put out notices that if a SATA III drive (I've assumed this means HDD and SSD) is used it needs to be HP branded with the HP special firmware to guarantee it will work properly with the SATA II HP workstations.  I also have seen some very strange behavior from some Samsung SATA III SSDs that cleaned up after I did the Samsung firmware update.  That was a convoluted process.  I personally advise using Intel 320 series 300 or 600GB SSDs that I buy used off eBay.  Years of good performance and no oddness from those.

I clean install onto SSDs only (I don't do RAID) and I take the correct steps to always make sure the small System Reserved partiton gets installed.  I'm still mainly using W7Pro64, but the same goes for W10Pro64.

[fattyu]

Perhaps i wasnt clear.

I am trying clean install and with raid + ahci setting it will not boot up after the first restart. just loading screen.

so i can not do a clean install with raid + ahci.

if i set to ide no issues.

[fattyu]

Installed 3.60. no change. Can not install windows while sata is set to ahci + raid.

if ide is enabled it installs fine.

I really cant figure this out but would need a solution...

[fattyu]

Solved...

win ahci/raid drivers were the issue. the built in ones saw the drives in raid or simply ahci sata mode but win could not load the drivers upon boot.

loading the intel ich10r drivers upon install solved it.