I heard a lot of urban legends about the Windows Update service that messes up your machine. Of course, I dismissed all of them with the classic “worksforme” as didn’t happen to me. Until Microsoft delivered a 3rd party driver update via an optional package. You know, like the stuff that comes from the vendor and it isn’t properly tested. I had the lack of inspiration to check that too instead of simply ignoring it, like I usually do with Bing Desktop and Silverlight. The next thing was a BSOD at boot.
Had to disable the AHCI in BIOS and revert to using IDE mode for the SATA ports. Which kinda sucks for some reasons. The most important: the SSD performance is hurt under IDE mode, the TRIM command won’t work under IDE mode without 3rd party software since only the MSAHCI driver implements TRIM from Windows 7, and the fact that my HDD array doesn’t support NCQ under IDE mode.
When it comes to drivers, AMD is still a shitty company. Even more, their engineers didn’t grasp the concept of backward compatibility. Uninstalling the driver that broke my installation and installing a driver that works proved to be a non-trivial task. Fortunately I found this post on pchelpforum.com.
For the sake of avoiding the link rot, I’m going to reproduce the essentials for posterity, with the same disclaimer as the original – you’re on your own if you mess up your machine and I’m not taking any responsibility if you follow these:
- Delete any older version of the amd_ahci driver from here: C:\Windows\System32\DriverStore\FileRepository. The folders with older AMD AHCI drivers are named something like: amd_sata.inf_amd64_neutral_c85cc6046149a413 (i386 on 32-bit and most probably another hash). In order to remove the directory, you need to either elevate your explorer / shell to SYSTEM privileges, or take the ownership of the driver directory, add proper permissions, then delete it.
- From HKLM/SYSTEM/CurrentControlSet/services delete amd_sata and amd_xsata. There’s no need to remove the entries without the underscore (amdsata and amdxsata).
- Reboot the computer. Don’t change from IDE to AHCI. The driver that actually worked for my combination, which is AMD 780G / SB700 is this one. Execute the installer, wait till it finishes to copy the files to C:\ATI\Support, then cancel the setup when the Catalyst installer starts.
- Open the Device Manager. Action » Add legacy hardware » Advanced mode » Show All Devices » Have Disk. Browse the extraction path for the above package: C:\ATI\Support\11-12_vista32-64_ahci\Packages\Drivers\SBDrv\SB7xx\AHCI. There’s a couple of directories: LH – for 32-bit and LH64A – for 64-bit. Select “AMD SATA Controller” then continue. Unlike the author of the original material, I didn’t get an error about the device not starting.
- Reboot the computer. Don’t change from IDE to AHCI. Go to Device Manager. Under IDE ATA/ATAPI controllers should be at least an entry with a yellow exclamation mark, AMD SATA Controller. Uninstall “AMD SATA Controller” without checking “Delete the driver software for this device”. Reboot the machine.
- Go to BIOS, enable AHCI. After boot, the OS installs the proper drivers, then prompts for another reboot. Reboot the machine. Done.
In my case, it simply fixed the driver installation from the failed Windows update as the driver that runs on my machine is from 2013 and the driver used in the above steps is from 2011. The drivers from the latest Catalyst, 13.4 failed to install via the “Add legacy hardware” method or via a standard Catalyst setup.
Some benchmarks with a SSD drive under IDE mode:
And some benchmarks under AHCI mode:
I guess the sharp drop was due to TRIM doing its job. Yes, it’s enabled:
Worked for me. 11.12 series driver as linked. Thank you.
Oh, and I have an M3A78-T.
Glad it helped. This wasted too many hours not to make some notes about what worked for me.
Link to old 11.12 drivers no longer works and I soooooooooooooooooooooo need this to resolve a problem with my old workstation!
I would like to add that I have overcome this problem on various AMD SB7XX boards using a slightly simpler method with the latest drivers.
Follow the instructions above but completely ignore everything to do with 11.12 drivers. Just download the latest AMD chipset drivers. As of today that was 13.12. Above where it says “•Reboot the computer. Don’t change from IDE to AHCI. The driver that actually worked for my combination, which is AMD 780G / SB700 is this one.” Ignore that part and just follow along with the latest drivers.
Once you do as instructed – by starting then cancelling the install of the newest drivers – go to the extracted folder (for me, I mostly work with Windows 7 64bit machines, the location is generally x:\AMD\support\13-12_win7_win8_32-64_sb\Packages\Drivers\SBDrv\SB7xx\AHCI\W764A ) find and edit amd_sata.inf, find the line “HKR, “Parameters\Device”,”AmdSataPMDisabled”,%REG_DWORD %, 0″ and change 0 to 0xFF.
Now continue following the above instructions from where it picks back up again at this part – •Open the Device Manager. and just adjust what you read above for your extracted folder location.
THIS DOES WORK! It has worked for numerous fixes I have had to do for clients.
I will quote from another forum that offers another trick that works the same and offers more explanation.
“This problem seems to be related with a PM value that’s been modified in newer amd_sata.inf files. The driver by itself is OK, so it can be easily corrected either by changing its *.inf file before installation, or later via registry if you can boot your system via Native IDE.
The AMD AHCI driver results in blue screen (Stop 0x0000007b) or similar.
Changing the value below will fix this issue –
HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SYSTEM\CurrentControlSet\servic es\amd_sata\Parameters\Device\AmdSataPMDisabled”=d word:000000ff
from 0 to 0xff and you can boot again.
Additionally, this has also worked very well for me and here is the simpler method I was describing. *NOTE – this should work even if things are botched and you have to go back to IDE mode. BUT it may not depending on how bad your system is or what you have/have not done.
Simply put – run the most current driver package install, then cancel it. Go to the extracted folders, make the edits I list below then go to the main extracted directory – typically something like X:\AMD\SUPPORT\13-12_whatever_sb and run SETUP.exe. Yes, the AMD program will install the drivers correctly after you make the edits. Read below for Win 7 and Win 8. Just adjust folders as necessary if you are running Vista or a 32 bit OS.
W7 64bit solution:
x:\AMD\support\13-12_whatever _sb\Packages\Drivers\SBDrv\SB7xx\AHCI\W764A
Open amd_sata.inf
HKR, “Parameters\Device”,”AmdSataPMDisabled”,%REG_DWORD%, 0
change to
HKR, “Parameters\Device”,”AmdSataPMDisabled”,%REG_DWORD%, 0xFF
(add xFF)
Run setup.exe
W8 64bit solution:
x:\AMD\support\13-12_whatever _sb\Packages\Drivers\SBDrv\SB7xx\AHCI\W864A
Open amd_sata.inf
;HKR, “Parameters\Device”,”AmdSataPMDisabled”,%REG_DWORD%, 0xFF
change to
HKR, “Parameters\Device”,”AmdSataPMDisabled”,%REG_DWORD%, 0xFF
(remove the ; character)
Run setup.exe
Thanks for the updates. I didn’t find anything about the inf editing when I had the issue. The old “have disk” install didn’t work with 13.12, obviously.
HI can you help me out guys. For some reason my fresh Windows 7 64 installation on my new SSD, works fine with AHCI enabled and all, but will not properly connect my maxtor sata hdd drive. Other older sata hdd’s it will connect with ahci enabled. If I disable AHCI in bios however and use IDE windows 7 will connect this maxtor drive properly. But not with ahci. Why the F is this?
After a bunch of hours wated testing what couldve been the problem I think it’s these sheisty sheisty amd drivers which I installed lately. The AMD catalyst installer wont deinstall the ahci driver and northbridge driver it itself installed. Please help me how to revert back to the previous ahci drivers (whichever they were, I hitnk it’s the old MS ahci driver?), This is driving me insane!
I could not get the 13.12 SATA driver to work on my TX2500 (Windows 8.1) following any of the instructions here. The device would always fail to start (code 31 I think).
I managed to get it to install and work with the Vista 11.12 driver. The problem now is that in the device manager under the ATA channels there is nothing in the advanced properties tab. When I had windows 7 installed it used to show 4 ATA devices, now it only shows 2. It also showed DMA mode 6 under under the advanced tab.
The newer drivers have changed this fix. I know for a fact AMD Chipset drivers version 13.12 do work. Google search will help you find them.
Here is one source –
http //drivers.softpedia com/get/GRAPHICS-BOARD/AMD/AMD-Catalyst-Graphics-Driver-1312.shtml
I would sincerely recommend upgrading these old 7 series boards. They are old and it is time to get the new and it can be done affordably. You got your money’s worth but things just stop getting support after a while.
Please remember to recycle your old tech properly!
I finally found the “11-12_vista32-64_ahci.exe” and fixed the problem, as it is described in the article. It worked for my ASUS board with 790GX SB750 on Windows 7 64bit.
You can find it here:
http://thepiratebay.se/torrent/11097306
11-12_vista32-64_ahci – AMD driver for AHCI (SATA)
Hello,
Sorry but your reproduction of the solution is WRONG!!! You refer to link rot while both your links are broken! I’ve managed to find the original guide and it is nowhere near your misleading guide. Please, correct your blog post and save us all from wasting our time trying to fix things the wrong way.
So unprofessional …
@Dimitris:
1. The solution WORKED FOR ME while the original information needed some slight adjustments. There’s a bunch of screenshots showing the difference. That doesn’t mean that I’m here to offer tech support or hand holding. In fact, on my blog I can write just about anything. I don’t have to ask for your permission for that.
2. In case you didn’t notice, the original link to the pchelpforum.com doesn’t work anymore. The article was written more than a year ago and I’ve better things to do than check the content I’m linking. By writing the solution that WORKED FOR ME I am trying to avoid exactly what link rot means. You don’t even understand the definition of “link rot”, but you’re blaming me. So cute.
3. You make blank statements like “your misleading guide”. Unless you say exactly what’s the misleading part and where’s the wrong part, I am just going to assume that you don’t know how to read some instructions that aren’t dumbed down. Again, I’m not here for hand holding. If you don’t understand the technical language, you’ve some options: learn more, stay with IDE mode, or ask somebody who knows their elbow from their butt to do it for you. Harassing people on the Internet does not solve YOUR issues.
4. If you complain about the lack of 11-12_vista32-64_ahci.exe, it took me less than 5 seconds to find the file on google.com. It’s easy to find drivers online. It’s hard to find information about specific issues. I didn’t want to host the file because: bandwidth and I didn’t research if I’m allowed to distribute the file. If you don’t know what EULA or DMCA takedown stands for, the discussion is above your understanding level. You’re the one interested in a solution for YOUR problem. Probably you should be the one that should research. I did mine and I solved MY problem.
5. The only one who’s unprofessional is you. If you make a statement, you need to be able to demonstrate it. You didn’t show even a shard of proof. As for professional experience, I don’t think this is a competition you’re willing to take with me. You take time to write rants on people’s blogs instead of looking for another solution if the one presented to you doesn’t work. I, on the other hand, spend my time researching things I don’t know. Take for example my latest article: “Forging an 802.11 beacon frame”. Now please, can you tell me if you even understand what the title says?
6. My blog, my rules. Read #4. First and final warning.
Looking at Brian’s fix above, which makes a lot of sense, there’s something else in the newer .inf that looks wrong. I’ve been having the crash problem with SATA AHCI drivers extracted from Catalyst 14.4 (later than discussed here; it’s November 2014); sure enough Brian’s AmdSataPMDisabled line in the .inf file has parameter “0” instead of “0xFF”.
Comparing this .inf file with an older one that does work, there’s something else suspicious. The two lines in the new file (for my Win7/64) are
HKR, “Parameters\Device”,”AmdSataPMDisabled”,%REG_DWORD%, 0
HKR, “Parameters\Device”,”AmdSataCCC”,%REG_DWORD%, 0xFF
In the older, working, file they are
HKR, “Parameters\Device”,”AmdSataPMDisabled”,%REG_DWORD%, 0xFF
HKR, “Parameters\Device”,”AmdSataCCC”,%REG_DWORD%, 0x3F
Most of the other lines are pretty much the same, with new ones added in the newer file. Also, in one .inf file for Win8 it’s been much discussed that the AmdSataPMDisabled has been preceded by a semicolon, converting it to an ignored comment. So these lines are messed with a lot.
This all makes me think of someone editing the files carelessly. The previous lines end in “, 0”; it looks as if someone put an extra 0 in the line where it should have been 0xFF then, still copying carelessly and seeing a 0xFF put it in the next line, where it actually should have been 0x3F. Unfortunately I have no idea what the AmdSataCCC line does, so I can’t tell what difference 0xFF and 0x3F make.
The older, working, AMD drivers don’t work quite right with the Intel Toolbox my SSD requires (which is why I’ve been trying to update) , so for the time being I’ve reverted to the old (2006) Microsoft SATA AHCI driver, which works OK, and I’m not going to experiment until after my next full backup.
But Brian’s 0 ==> 0xFF change looks very promising, and the following 0xFF ==> 0x3F looks worth trying.
HTH
I posted a longish comment that seems still to be awaiting moderation. To summarise: Brian’s simplified solution for AMD SATA AHCI update (change a “0” to “0xFF”) works well. Comparing the following line of the .inf file with earlier versions, it looks as if there’s another possible typo: “0xFF has been used there where “0x3F” was always used before. I don’t know if it made any difference, but I changed the TWO lines (last argument only changed) to:
HKR, “Parameters\Device”,”AmdSataPMDisabled”,%REG_DWORD%, 0xFF
HKR, “Parameters\Device”,”AmdSataCCC”,%REG_DWORD%, 0x3F
Until then I was getting, not BSOD, but on reboot after install the Windows flag endlessly pulsated on the screen, with no progress; with this change the same drivers worked beautifully.
All the older AMD AHCI drivers I used didn’t allow the Intel Toolbox program to recognise an Intel 320SSD; the Microsoft AHCI driver did, and so did the newer AMD one from Catalyst 14.4.
The procedure is actually very simple if explained without step-by-step instructions (detailed in other posts): extract the AHCI drivers subdirectory for your Windows (e.g., W764) from the Catalyst download for the chipset (or from anywhere else they may be available), edit one (or two per my suggestion) lines in amd_sata.inf or amdsata.inf, then use Device Manager to update the drivers, navigating to Have Disk.
Very helpful blog! I used the info you gathered here to initially bump my driver version from 1.2.001.0317 (11.12) to 1.2.001.0349 (13.12).
Newest driver 1.2.001.0376 (14.12) mentions SB700 issues fixed, I upgraded to this and all is working as intended.
You might want to test it out.
@pol098: Sorry for that. I was unavailable. I approved both of your comments.
Just wanted to chime in with my experiences on this subject with Windows 7 64-bit.
To start off, DriverMax blows chunks, NEVER USE IT.
OK, so it “updated” the AMD SATA drivers and it failed during the install (BSOD). On reboots, it got to the point where it is animating the windows logo annnnnd BSOD. Safe mode… BSOD. Boot repair… nothing. I was able to get into “repair windows” mode, which I found out just now is because that boots a Windows PE environment (google it) for fixing stuff that is located in a special boot partition. You can use the command line here to run regedit to edit the registry.
*IMPORTANT*
The registry that will be loaded is for the Windows PE repair environment. To get your registry loaded, you must do this: http://mattterrabyte.wordpress.com/2011/07/17/modify-windows-registry-startup-repair/
Make sure you open the correct drive and navigate to your registry files. The drive letters will be all different than normal, so make sure you find the right one.
Back on task. This allowed me to *try* some of the registry things people posted in the comments, but to no avail. Here’s the trick though, I had the older AMD SATA drivers installed on the disk when I first installed windows (so this may or may not work for you). In the registry (same locations as commented above) I had both AMD SATA entries with and without the underscores. The ones with underscores were the new ones and without were the old ones. I simply backed up amd_sata and amd_xsata and deleted the registry entries. This allowed me to get the thing to boot and I was able to take care of the rest by installing some older ones.
Hope this helps anyone in a similar situation.
P.S. Before finding that final solution, I did one thing that may or may not have had an effect on the final outcome. I downloaded the AMD SATA driver from my mainboard manufacturer’s website and got the inf/sys/cab files and essentially did this from within the repair environment. https://social.msdn.microsoft.com/Forums/windowsdesktop/en-US/60f4b917-93c9-400a-b91a-15375a8793bf/installing-driver-using-inf-file-from-command-line-on-windows-7-64-bit-failing?forum=wdk
AGAIN, I don’t know if this had any effect as I believe it simply installed the driver in the repair environment and not in my actual system, but it may have had an effect.
Helped me out massively! Had tried everything else, was getting desperate until I found this page 🙂 Thanks so much!
Thanks a lot for the guide! My ASUS M4A78-EM motherboard was giving me some trouble to enable AHCI. Instead of using the AHCI drivers from Catalyst 11.12, I used the drivers from this guide: http://www.win-raid.com/t29f25-Recommended-AHCI-and-RAID-Drivers.html
They are working perfectly for now.
Has anyone got an update on this issue?
As of Nov 2015 the AMD chipset drivers for SB700 are up to version 15.7.1.
Do these drivers cause trouble? I’m hoping this was fixed long ago and I can go ahead with upgrading an ancient laptop. SSDs are crazy cheap enough now to make it worth it imo.
Thanks for the blog SaltwaterC. Really appreciated and still at the top of google results 2 years later!
I am using drivers straight from AMD and they’re perfectly fine. Microsoft still pushes bad update for SATA drivers. Whenever I see it in Windows updates I choose the option to hide the update.
Had to reinstall my box as MS broke their updates system on my RAID 1 system array, therefore I took the opportunity to move to an SSD as system drive. I failed to hide the SATA driver update. Long story short, I took a trip to boot recovery to use system restore.
Ah I see. Thanks for the clarification mate, you’re a star.
Did anybody get it to work with Windows 10 x64?