Most current motherboards (MOBOs) have AHCI enabled in UEFI or BIOS by default. However, some older motherboards may have IDE enabled by default instead. In this post, we are going to learn how to enable AHCI in Windows 11/10 even after installing the operating system.
What is AHCI?
The Advanced Host Controller Interface (AHCI) specifies the operation of Serial ATA (SATA) host controllers in a non-implementation-specific manner in its motherboard chipsets. The specification describes a system memory structure for computer hardware vendors to exchange data between host system memory and attached storage devices.
What is IDE?
Integrated Drive Electronics (IDE) is an interface for connecting a motherboard to hard drives and other storage devices. Its development increased Data Transfer Rate speed and reduced storage device and controller issues. It has its own circuitry and includes an integrated disk drive controller
Difference between AHCI and IDE
AHCI and IDE are two modes in which a hard drive communicates with the rest of the computer system using a SATA storage controller. SATA hard drives can operate in a backward-compatible PATA/IDE mode, a standard AHCI mode, or vendor-specific RAID.
Essentially, IDE is considered adequate for the average computer user and is the most compatible with other technology, particularly older devices. However, it lacks support for new technologies. AHCI supports some important new features that IDE does not, such as native command queuing and hot-plugging hard drives. It also offers an improved performance (speed) over IDE.
Enable AHCI in Windows 11/10 after Installation
Before you begin, create a system restore point and backup your Registry first so that if things do not work out, you can always go back.
Press the Windows + R, in the Run dialog box, type regedit, and hit Enter to launch Registry Editor.
On the left pane of Registry Editor, navigate to the location-
HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SYSTEM\CurrentControlSet\Services\iaStorV
In the right pane, double-click the Start DWORD to modify it. In the box that pops up, type 0 in the Value data field. Click OK.
Again, on the left pane of Registry Editor, navigate to the location-
HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SYSTEM\CurrentControlSet\Services\iaStorAVC\StartOverride
On the right pane, double-click the 0 DWORD to modify it. In the box that pops up, type 0 in the Value data field. Click OK.
Now, on the left pane of Registry Editor, navigate to the location-
HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SYSTEM\CurrentControlSet\Services\storahci
On the right pane, double-click the Start DWORD to modify it. In the box that pops up, type 0 in the Value data field. Click OK.
While still on the left pane of Registry Editor, navigate to the location-
HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SYSTEM\CurrentControlSet\Services\storahci\StartOverride
Check if you have the StartOverride there.
If the StartOveride folder is not present, exit Registry Editor.
But if the folder is present as shown above in the screenshot, on the right pane, double click the 0 DWORD to modify it. In the box that pops up, type 0 in the Value data field. Click OK.
Next, navigate to this key:
HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SYSTEM\CurrentControlSet\Services\storahci
Double-click the Start key, and set its value to 0.
Now, navigate to this key:
HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SYSTEM\CurrentControlSet\Services\iaStorV
Double-click the Start value on the right. Set its value to 0.
Finally, Navigate to this key:
HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SYSTEM\CurrentControlSet\Services\iaStorAV\StartOverride
If this key is not present, look for this key instead:
HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SYSTEM\CurrentControlSet\Services\iaStorAVC
Select the StartOveride key.
Change the value of the 0 value to 0 if you have the iaStorAV key. Set its value to 3 if you have the iaStorAVC key.
Now proceed to boot the computer to your BIOS or UEFI firmware settings.
In your BIOS or UEFI firmware settings, enable AHCI, and save & exit to apply and restart the computer.
Note: The settings will vary depending on the brand and model number of the motherboard. Refer to your motherboard manual for more specific details about how to change SATA settings for it.
On boot, Windows will automatically install AHCI drivers.
When the drivers’ installation completes, you’ll receive a prompt to restart.
Restart the computer and you are all done.
Read: Fix AHCI Port0 Device Error on Windows computer
How to enable AHCI in BIOS Windows 11?
After making the registry changes mentioned earlier, boot into BIOS, then look for the SATA Operation option and change it to AHCI if it is set to RAID. Finally, save the settings and start your computer. Your computer will detect the change in BIOS and install all the required drivers.
How do I know if my SSD is in AHCI mode Windows 11?
To check if your SSH is in AHCI mode, open the Device Manager by Win + X > Device Manager. Then, look for IDE ATA/ATAPI controllers, expand it, and see if you have a Standard SATA AHCI Controller. If you can see that option, AHCI is enabled on your system.
Also Read: Slow SSD Read or Write Speed on Windows 11.
