SATA Drivers in cMP Bootcamp: RAID/AHCI or IDE?

[voraciousvegan]

I recently purchased the Caldigit FASTA-6GU3 Plus for a 4,1 cMP (flashed to 5,1). I'm installing their drivers on the Bootcamp partition (separate HD), and the SATA drivers have 2 methods of installation depending on the system mode. The issue is, I can't determine whether it's running AHCI or IDE mode thru Device Manager. 1st look suggests it's IDE mode, but then under the IDE controllers the new card is listed as "AHCI Controller." See the pics for reference. Any ideas?

I just realized, even if it's in IDE mode, it wants you to switch to AHCI to finish installing. A bit convoluted. From the Readme:

1. If you are installing the operating system on a system
configured for RAID or AHCI mode, you must pre-install
the Asmedia 106x SATA Host Controller Drive driver using the
F6 installation method described in section 5.3;

If you are installing this driver on a system configured
for IDE mode, you need do the following steps to finish
the installing:

a) double-click on the self-extracting and self-installing
setup file and answer all prompts presented

b) enter the following path:

<bootdriver>\Program Files\ASM106xSATA\Driver

you can find a directory named "PREPARE", open it

c) double-click the script "install.cmd"

d) reboot system, and switch to AHCI mode, operating system
will automatic installed this drivr.

2. To install the Asmedia 106x SATA Host Controller Drive,
double-click on the self-extracting and self-installing
setup file and answer all prompts presented.

3. By default, all installed files (.inf, .sys, .cat)
are copied to the following path:

<bootdrive>\Program Files\ASM106xSATA\Driver

 

[ActionableMango]

Looks like AHCI to me. ACHI is backward compatible with IDE, that's why IDE is also displayed.

 

[voraciousvegan]

Looks like AHCI to me. ACHI is backward compatible with IDE, that's why IDE is also displayed.

Thanks for the reply. I still haven't installed it since it turned out to be much more confusing than identifying b/w AHCI & IDE. I sent the CalDigit folks an email asking about this, but I'm wondering if you might have more insight in the meantime.

Their readme (attached) for installing the Windows SATA drivers are actually giving 2 sets of instructions...Section 5.1, #1) says to follow sec 5.3 to "preinstall drivers using F6 installation method." But then, sec 5.2 says you can just use the included Setup.exe file to install for AHCI -- Which exactly is it? Both sets say for "RAID/AHCI." Is it even possible to do F6 installations on W10? There's obv no BIOS for us to access on Bootcamp. Also, would Driver Signature Enforcement need to be disabled for W10 too?

I'll update when I hear from CalDigit too.

 

[ActionableMango]

Thanks for the reply. I still haven't installed it since it turned out to be much more confusing than identifying b/w AHCI & IDE. I sent the CalDigit folks an email asking about this, but I'm wondering if you might have more insight in the meantime.

Their readme (attached) for installing the Windows SATA drivers are actually giving 2 sets of instructions...Section 5.1, #1) says to follow sec 5.3 to "preinstall drivers using F6 installation method." But then, sec 5.2 says you can just use the included Setup.exe file to install for AHCI -- Which exactly is it? Both sets say for "RAID/AHCI." Is it even possible to do F6 installations on W10? There's obv no BIOS for us to access on Bootcamp. Also, would Driver Signature Enforcement need to be disabled for W10 too?

I'll update when I hear from CalDigit too.

I really can't speak to their specific instructions or why there might be seemingly conflicting information. However, F6 is a keyboard command in the Windows installer, not BIOS, so it would be available (assuming Windows 10 still uses it, I have no idea). I used to do RAID in Windows and the purpose of F6 is to install the RAID driver right then in the installer, so that the RAID is enabled for the installer and the subsequent Windows installation. Because it is a non-standard storage driver, it is needed to install and boot up--it's not a driver that can be added after installation.

 

[voraciousvegan]

I really can't speak to their specific instructions or why there might be seemingly conflicting information. However, F6 is a keyboard command in the Windows installer, not BIOS, so it would be available (assuming Windows 10 still uses it, I have no idea). I used to do RAID in Windows and the purpose of F6 is to install the RAID driver right then in the installer, so that the RAID is enabled for the installer and the subsequent Windows installation. Because it is a non-standard storage driver, it is needed to install and boot up--it's not a driver that can be added after installation.

That's what I gathered from searching around, but I was hoping it wouldn't be the case. I'll skip the drivers on Windows, unless it lets me boot from the installer to install drivers w/o reinstalling whole OS. I'm thinking W10 doesn't use F6 anymore -- or as far as Bootcamp, it doesn't work -- but their readme lists W10 under that method. What I was getting at is that since it won't let us into BIOS, I didn't think the F-options would work either. As for CalDigit, I'm surprised with their lack of documentation with this card. I guess they assume whoever buys it will already know how to have it installed. Whatever they have online seems haphazardly thrown together.

 

[ActionableMango]

What I was getting at is that since it won't let us into BIOS, I didn't think the F-options would work either.

I think you are confusing pre-boot environment keyboard commands with a post-boot environment.

F6 is the Windows Setup keyboard command for loading storage drivers. During Windows Setup you'll see something like "Press F6 now to install third party storage drivers" or something like that. Whether or not you can get into a BIOS has nothing to do with F6-triggered Windows Setup storage driver installation.

 

[trifero]

I hope anyone can help me. Extracting a FASTA 6GU3 fronm my Mac Pro I broke two condensors. Anyone can post a deatiled picture of the card? I need to know the exact values son I can resolder. Thanks.