can't boot off intel ssd320 in dell e521 (nForce4)

[Fernando 1]

What do you think I should do? Do you think I should go ahead with your Plan B from your post above and reinstall with the HDD unplugged and with your custom drivers?

Yes, that is what I suggest to do.

[magreen]

Ok, I'll let you know how it goes.

[magreen]

Yes, you may try the following:

1. Download >this< 32bit driverpack and unzip it.
2. Unplug the HDD and then boot off the Vista DVD.
3. When you get the option to load any driver, load the content of the SATA_IDE folder, which is part of the downloaded package. Choose the "NVIDIA nForce Serial ATA Controller".
4. Let Vista Setup delete and recreate the partition, where you want to get Vista installed.
5. Let the Vista Setup do its work.

Good luck!
Fernando

Ok, I tried it with no success. I'll tell you exactly what I did, in case I did something wrong.

I unplugged the SATA connector from the HDD. I rebooted from the Vista install DVD, and deleted the existing partition and then had it recreate the partition, and formatted it. Then I loaded your custom driver (I had it on a USB key). Note that it listed NVIDIA nForce Serial ATA Controller twice (even though both listed the exact same .inf file). I chose the first one. Then I installed.

When I reached the desktop, I looked in device manager. It listed the intel 320 as a SCSI device, and under Hardare IDs in Properties->Details on the drive, it listed it as a SCSI\... and didn't list the proper firmware there.

Then I shut it down, reconnected the SATA connector to the HDD and rebooted from the SSD. I installed the Intel SSD Toolbox (the installation file was stored on my HDD). It wouldn't work -- couldn't read the serial number or firmware of the SSD nor run Optimize. Then I set a system restore point, changed the SATA controller drivers in device manager to the Standard Dual Channel PCI IDE Controller drivers, and rebooted. And I got the same BSOD 7B/0xC0000034 error as before.

Did I do something wrong?
Thanks for bearing with me on this.

[Fernando 1]

@ magreen:
The experience, that you got the SSD detected as SCSI device is nothing to worry about.
Nevertheless the behaviour of your system after having tried to replace the NVIDIA nForce Serial ATA Controller by the Standard Dual Channel PCI IDE Controller is very strange. It seems to me, that your SATA Controller has been set to "RAID" mode.
Do you see any "Storage Controllers" section within the Device Manager? If yes, which device is listed there?
Furthermore I would like to get the HardwareID's of the "NVIDIA nForce Serial ATA Controller" resp. "Standard Dual Channel PCI IDE Controller", which are listed within the "IDE ATA/ATAPI Controllers" section of the Device Manager. You will get the HardwareID's by right clicking onto the Controller > "Properties" > "Details" > "Property" > "HardwareID's".

[magreen]

@ magreen:
The experience, that you got the SSD detected as SCSI device is nothing to worry about.
Nevertheless the behaviour of your system after having tried to replace the NVIDIA nForce Serial ATA Controller by the Standard Dual Channel PCI IDE Controller is very strange. It seems to me, that your SATA Controller has been set to "RAID" mode.
Do you see any "Storage Controllers" section within the Device Manager? If yes, which device is listed there?
Furthermore I would like to get the HardwareID's of the "NVIDIA nForce Serial ATA Controller" resp. "Standard Dual Channel PCI IDE Controller", which are listed within the "IDE ATA/ATAPI Controllers" section of the Device Manager. You will get the HardwareID's by right clicking onto the Controller > "Properties" > "Details" > "Property" > "HardwareID's".

Hi Fernando

I did a system restore (boot w/ last known good configuration, actually) to get back to your custom drivers before I had switched to the Standard Dual Channel PCI IDE Controller driver that caused the BSOD.

Here's what Device Manager shows:

Under Storage Controllers:
- Microsoft iSCSI Initiator
- NVIDIA nForce Serial ATA Controller
- NVIDIA nForce Serial ATA Controller

There is no entry for IDE ATA/ATAPI Controllers in the Device Manager. (That entry showed up for me when I booted from the HDD and used the SSD as a secondary drive, and switched the Storage Controllers drivers to the Standard Dual Channel PCI IDE Controller drivers. As you'll recall, that was successful for me and then the "IDE ATA/ATAPI controllers" heading showed up in Device Manager, and the Intel SSD Toolbox Optimize tool would work. But no dice when the SSD was the boot drive.)

Here are the Hardware Ids you requested:

NVIDIA nForce Serial ATA Controller (#1)

Port 0 = Intel SSD, Port 1 = DVD
Hardware Ids:
PCI\VEN_10DE&DEV_0266&SUBSYS_01ED1028&REV_A1
PCI\VEN_10DE&DEV_0266&SUBSYS_01ED1028
PCI\VEN_10DE&DEV_0266&CC_010185
PCI\VEN_10DE&DEV_0266&CC_0101

---
NVIDIA nForce Serial ATA Controller (#2)
Port 0 = empty; Port 1 = HDD
Hardware Ids:
PCI\VEN_10DE&DEV_0267&SUBSYS_01ED1028&REV_A1
PCI\VEN_10DE&DEV_0267&SUBSYS_01ED1028
PCI\VEN_10DE&DEV_0267&CC_010185
PCI\VEN_10DE&DEV_0267&CC_0101

---

Thank you!

[Fernando 1]

@ magreen:
The HardwareIDs verify, that your Dell System has an nForce 430/410 (=MCP 51) southbridge and not an nForce4 one as you have written within the thread title.
Nevertheless I have no idea why you are not able to replace the NVIDIA nForce SATA driver by the generic MS IDE driver named PCIIDE.SYS.

EDIT:
Have you ever tried to connect your SSD with the second SATA port and to change the SATA cables?
If not, unplug the HDD and the CD/DVD device and connect your SSD with the SATA cable, which you had used with your HDD until now.
After having done that, boot into the OS and try to replace the "NVIDIA nForce Serial ATA Controller" by the "Standard Dual Channel PCI IDE Controller".

Good luck!
Fernando

[magreen]

@ magreen:
The HardwareIDs verify, that your Dell System has an nForce 430/410 (=MCP 51) southbridge and not an nForce4 one as you have written within the thread title.
Nevertheless I have no idea why you are not able to replace the NVIDIA nForce SATA driver by the generic MS IDE driver named PCIIDE.SYS.

EDIT:
Have you ever tried to connect your SSD with the second SATA port and to change the SATA cables?
If not, unplug the HDD and the CD/DVD device and connect your SSD with the SATA cable, which you had used with your HDD until now.
After having done that, boot into the OS and try to replace the "NVIDIA nForce Serial ATA Controller" by the "Standard Dual Channel PCI IDE Controller".

Good luck!
Fernando

Thanks for the information about nForce 430/410, and also for the suggestion re: the cables. I will try it.

[magreen]

Fernando,

I just came across this Microsoft article: http://support.microsoft.com/kb/922976

Error message when you start a Windows 7 or Windows Vista-based computer after you change the SATA mode of the boot drive: "STOP 0x0000007B INACCESSABLE_BOOT_DEVICE"

To resolve this issue yourself, enable the AHCI driver in the registry before you change the SATA mode of the boot drive. To do this, follow these steps:
1.Exit all Windows-based programs.
2.Click Start, type regedit in the Start Search box, and then press ENTER.
3.If you receive the User Account Control dialog box, click Continue.
4.Locate and then click one of the following registry subkeys:
HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\System\CurrentControlSet\Services\Msahci
HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\System\CurrentControlSet\Services\IastorV
5.In the right pane, right-click Start in the Name column, and then click Modify.
6.In the Value data box, type 0, and then click OK.
7.On the File menu, click Exit to close Registry Editor.

--
During the Windows 7 or Windows Vista installation process, any unused storage drivers are disabled. This behavior speeds up the operating system's startup process. When you change the boot drive to a driver that has been disabled, you must enable the new driver before you change the hardware configuration.

For example, assume that you install Windows Vista or Windows 7 on a computer that contains a controller that uses the Pciide.sys driver. Later, you change the SATA mode to AHCI. Therefore, the drive must now load the Msahci.sys driver. However, you must enable the Msahci.sys driver before you make this change.

This issue affects only the boot drive. If the drive that you change is not the boot drive, you do not experience this issue.

do you think this could solve my issue? that my Pciide.sys driver could somehow be "disabled," whatever that means?
it certainly explains the mystery that I only have the problem with the SSD as boot drive, not as a secondary drive.

do you think I should try this regedit after switching to the generic MS IDE driver and before rebooting?

[Fernando 1]

Error message when you start a Windows 7 or Windows Vista-based computer after you change the SATA mode of the boot drive: "STOP 0x0000007B INACCESSABLE_BOOT_DEVICE".

do you think this could solve my issue? that my Pciide.sys driver could somehow be "disabled," whatever that means?
it certainly explains the mystery that I only have the problem with the SSD as boot drive, not as a secondary drive.
do you think I should try this regedit after switching to the generic MS IDE driver and before rebooting?

I don't think, that the quoted Microsoft article has anything to do with your problem.
As far as I know you only changed the SATA driver of the boot drive, but not the SATA mode (IDE/RAID mode, has to be done within the BIOS).
If both drives (HDD and SSD) always have been run in IDE and never in RAID mode, you will never get the issue mentioned within the quoted MS article.

By the way: "IDE mode" does not mean, that the in-use SATA driver has to be the generic MS IDE driver named PCIIDE.SYS. After having set the SATA Controllers to "IDE mode" within the BIOS you can switch without any problem from the MS IDE driver to the suitable NVIDIA nForce SATA driver (named NVATA.SYS/NVSTOR.SYS/NVSTOR32.SYS/NVGTS.SYS etc.). Only the name of the SATA Controller, which is shown wthin the Device Manager, will be changed, but not the HardwareID's and the function of the Controllers.

[Fernando 1]

@ magreen:
After having thought about your problem again, I got another idea:
Is it possible, that you have set the SATA Controller to "RAID mode", when you tried to get Vista installed the first time onto your SSD?
If yes, your SSD now has a Master Boot Record for the "RAID mode" and not for the "IDE mode". That might be the reason why you get a BSOD, if you choose the "Standard Dual Channel PCI IDE Controller" (a NVIDIA nForce RAID absolutely needs the NVIDIA nForce SATA driver, otherwise it doesn't work).

This would be the solution:
1. Unplug the HDD.
2. Make sure, that the SATA Controllers have been set to "IDE" mode.
3. Boot off the Vista DVD.
4. Use the "Repair" option of the OS DVD and let Setup build a new boot sector (MBR and bootloader).
5. Reboot and retry the complete a fresh Vista installation.

If this should not work, I recommend to safely erase the SSD by using a tool like PartedMagic or HDDErase. This will erase even the hidden track Zero of the SSD, where the partition table is stored.

Good luck!
Fernando