How do I configure AHCI settings?

Question

Accepted Answer

The best way to enable AHCI is to go to BIOS and enable AHCI mode, and then install the operating system.

When Windows is installed without enabling the AHCI mode in BIOS setup, an error may occur while Windows is booting.

Change the settings as shown below, or reinstall Windows.

Windows 7:

Go to Start>Run, and then enter "regedit" in the Run window and press Enter to launch the Registry Editor
HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE > SYSTEM > CurrentControlSet > services > msahci

In this menu, you will see an item named Start. Double-click it to change it to "0"and then reboot.

Windows 8/8.1/10/11:

Click the Start Button and type cmd
Right-click the result and select Run as administrator
Type this command and press ENTER: bcdedit /set {current} safeboot minimal (ALT: bcdedit /set safeboot minimal)
Restart the computer and enter BIOS Setup
Change the SATA Operation mode to AHCI from either IDE or RAID
Save changes and exit Setup and Windows will automatically boot to Safe Mode.
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 to enter BIOS setup for different mainboards :

** These are generalized steps for major manufacturers, steps may vary for additional motherboards and models.

Configuring AHCI