SATA Drives running AHCI (Tips)

Did you try to install Windows XP and get an error that it can’t find any HDs? Well that is because your drive is in AHCI mode. AHCI means Advanced Host Controller Interface. There are debates on whether Native IDE is equal or even faster than AHCI, but let’s not get into that now.

If you want to switch it to Native IDE, go to the BIOS screen and adjust your HD type. There are a few ways to get AHCI working:

• Windows Vista (If you have WLAN, I wouldn’t try it)
• Windows XP with SP2 on the same disk; i.e. either slipstreamed or purchased
• A Floppy Disk with your HD drivers that either came with your motherboard or you copied from the motherboard’s CD.

The problem is the first Windows XP CDs didn’t have AHCI drivers in them, and when they ask you for them there is yet another problem. They only want the drivers from a floppy drive!.

There is a way to get AHCi after installing Windows XP, but it sometimes doesn’t work and is not recommended for the beginner user.

Hope these tips help!

Kenny

From Linux to Windows… (A Helpful Guide)

Hello everyone, I hope this guide will help you if you ever want to switch back from Linux to Windows.

First lets just assume this:

• Linux is installed
• You have a STARTUP CD of the Windows 98/95 and the version that you want to switch to

Now there are a few ways to do this, you can either:

• Dual Boot with Linux and Windows
• Delete Linux and Install Windows over it

Note: It is possible to just slip in your Windows CD and install it, but if that doesn’t work continue reading…

Note #2: If you would like to dual boot I will make a separate post about that later…

TO DELETE LINUX AND INSTALL WINDOWS

1. First you will want to put in your Windows 95/98 CD.

2. When it loads select Run without CD Support

3. While you are at the Command Prompt type Fdisk

4. Select Delete Partition/Logical Drive or something similar

5. Select Non-DOS Partition, and follow the Yes/No to delete it

6. Press ESC and select again Delete Partition/Logical Drive

7. Select the one that says Delete Extension DOS Partition or something similar, follow the Yes/No to delete it.

8. Press ESC to return to the main menu

WOW, now we have deleted Linux from our computer, lets create a primary partition for our new Windows OS

1. Select Create Primary Partition from the menu, and select the MSDOS Partition. If it asks you if you would like to have a FAT32 system say Yes.

2. Once that is done, restart the PC and boot up the CD again the same way you did last time.

3. Instead of typing Fdisk, lets type in Format C: /s

4. It should format, and once it does put in your Windows 2000/XP/Vista CD and boot it and your off.

Note #3: If the format command doesn’t work you can either do one of the following:

• Type in extract ebd.cab format.com
• Put in the Windows 2000/XP/Vista CD, it should still work but you would still want to format the HD just to make sure.

I hope that helped those of you who had WIndows 95/98 CDs and stashed them somewhere, and hoped you would never see them again; but you wanted to switch to Windows so you did what you had to do.

Kenny