What are AHCI drivers?

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Advanced Host Controller Interface (AHCI) is an interface specification that allows the storage driver to enable advanced Serial ATA (SATA) features like Native Command Queuing and hot swap. AHCI is built into chipsets with the following controller hubs: Intel® PCHM RAID/AHCI controller hub.

Do I need to install AHCI driver?

Drivers are one of the most crucial things to have properly installed on your computer. They allow you to use components that aren’t natively handled by Windows 10 and allow your computer to fully function. This is why it’s important to have the correct drivers installed for your Standard SATA AHCI Controller.

How do I enable AHCI drivers?

Right-click the Windows Start Menu once more. Choose Command Prompt (Admin). Type this command and press ENTER: bcdedit /deletevalue {current} safeboot (ALT: bcdedit /deletevalue safeboot) Reboot once more and Windows will automatically start with AHCI drivers enabled.

How do I know if AHCI driver is installed?

Check for an entry that contains the acronym “AHCI.” If an entry exists, and there is no yellow exclamation mark or red “X” over it, then AHCI mode is properly enabled.

How do I update my AHCI driver?

Right-click on the controller driver entry and select Properties, then click the Driver tab, then Update Driver Software.

Why do I need AHCI with a SSD drive?

AHCI mode as previously explained enables NCQ (native command queuing) which is really not required for SSDs as they do not need optimizing in this way as there is no physical movement of heads or platters. In many cases, it can actually hinder SSD performance, and even reduce the lifetime of your SSD.

Should you update SATA drivers?

You do not normally need to update the SATA driver as Windows provides a fully functional one and will keep it ‘up to date’ if needed.

Is it safe to enable AHCI?

The matter us that if you just enable AHCI mode after Windows installation, you will face a BSOD error, INACCESSABLE_BOOT_DEVICE (which is known as “blue screen of death”) or your system will refuse to boot, getting stuck in a series of restarts. That is why it is recommended to enable AHCI before installing Windows.