Intel RAIDFix – RAID Driver Repair
Download RAIDFix 1.1.0
45 KB, .exe – Requires .NET 3.5
RAIDFix is a small application that allows you to enable RAID on an Intel ICH-based motherboard after installing Windows with RAID disabled.
Often, enabling RAID in the system’s BIOS after installing Windows with RAID disabled results in the dreaded Blue Screen of Death and immediate reboots, followed by hours of frustration and searching the Internet for a solution.
I had previously detailed how to enable RAID after installing Windows, which has helped countless people fix their computers without having to reinstall the OS from scratch. The process is pretty straightforward, but for those afraid to tweak their registry, it can be a daunting task. Enter RAIDFix.
RAIDFix takes the guesswork out of fixing your system:
Simply download the application, select the driver version you would like to install, choose your system drive (typically C:\), specify whether you have a 32-bit or 64-bit version of Windows, and click “Patch my System“. It’s that easy!
The drivers are verified by Intel to work on Windows XP, Vista, and Windows 7. Give RAIDFix a try and banish those BSODs for good!
RAIDFix offers the following features:
- One-click fix for Intel RAID Issues
- Automatically installs missing drivers and registry entries
- Easy to use interface
- UAC Compatability
- Automatic update notification – RAIDFix will automatically check for application updates so you always have the latest version at your fingertips
Updates to the software can always be found on this page. I can usually be found in the Team Hack-a-Day Chat Room, but feel free to leave comments.
Changelog
RAIDFix 1.1.0 – 2009.12.08
- Added Windows UAC compatability to allow for elevated credentials at runtime
- Added ability to specify different system drive paths
- Added option to retain temporary files after RAIDFix is finished
RAIDFix 1.0.0 – 2009.09.09
- Initial Release
Peter,
I stand corrected, and your statement regarding the location of the configuration metadata is right in most cases.
As for the user I replied to, he was looking to move his array to a completely different controller as there were no further drivers for his motherboard/controller combination that compatible with Windows 7. In that case, while his config was more than likely stored on the drives, different controllers store their metadata in different ways, and he would likely lose his configuration by changing motherboards. Sometimes even variations in firmware revisions make moving a RAID array from a controller to an identical (in hardware) controller impossible.
I have however come across scenarios in the past where it seems the configuration was stored on the RAID card itself.
One that sticks in my mind from several years ago is a Promise RAID controller that was running RAID 5 hosting MS Exchange. The controller failed, and upon moving the array to an identical spare (Yes, same FW revision) we had in-house, the data could not be retrieved. Try as we might, the RAID configuration could not be restored. This might have been specific to the controller we used, but I cannot say for certain.
Thanks for the info!
Bloody brilliant, Doc!
Worked like a charm!….well almost…
I have a dual boot xp/win7 on 1 mirrored raid. I have another raid mirror setup for data only. Win 7 boots up no problem. Xp hangs on boot.
Here’s the thing, if I physically remove the data drives (raid array 2), xp boots fine. So I reinstalled the raid driver (via raidfix) in AHCI mode then rebooted. Same thing. Seems that the second raid mirror makes XP freak out.
Any ideas on how to whip XP (Pro) into shape?
Thanks again for Raidfix!!
Dee
Just to clarify, it’s winxp pro 32 bit and win 7 64 bit. XP will boot if i physically remove the 2nd array or if I ‘unraid’ them. I’ve tried reinstalling via Raidfix but same results always. I’m really at a loss!
Your help would be greatly appreciated!
Dee.
Dee,
Switching from AHCI to RAID is sometimes troublesome, so I want you to try the following:
After running RAIDFix in AHCI mode in Windows XP, change the following setting in the registry:
HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SYSTEM\CurrentControlSet\services\msahci\Start
My Windows 7 x64 RAID box says this value should be set to “3″ without quotes. Others state that this should be set to “0″.
Try setting it to 3, then rebooting, enabling RAID in the BIOS along the way. If that does not work, try changing it back to AHCI, switching the value in the registry to 0, and rebooting/enabling RAID again.
Let me know how you make out.
Thanks for your suggestion Doc.
I don’t have that entry in my registry! I browsed and searched, nothing came up. Strange, no? Maybe you’re on to something here…
Since that entry is not in your registry, I would search for “AHCI” via regedit. There is likely some setting in there (possibly in the Intel section) asking Windows to look for AHCI.
I would think there will likely be a “Startup” value or similar in the key related to AHCI on your system.
Hi Doc,
There is a start for the intel ahci controller under: HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SYSTEM\CurrentControlSet\services\iastor
and
HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SYSTEM\ControlSet001\services\iastor
and
HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SYSTEM\ControlSet002\services\iastor
Also, I tried using system restore to go back before raidfix and tried it again. windows dialog pops up searching for a driver for a device (raid I would assume) with the regular options but doesn’t locate the driver properly nnot matter where I point it to. I seem to remember this the first time around as well. But the raid driver does work (for 1 array).
Thanks so much for your help. I’ve searched everywhere and haven’t come across the same problem elsewhere…
Dee
Hey Doc,
Here are some further updates,
Installing the iata89enu file makes the found new hardware wizard go away.
Changing the reg value (current control set) to anything but 0 causes bsod.
Thanks for you help!
Dee
So does that mean your problem is 100% solved, or are you still having issues?
Sorry for not being clear.
The problem is still there.
Whenever the second array is physically plugged in, win xp will hang/spin on boot. If I unplug the 2nd array xp boots fine. Changing the start value on the registry entry causes bsod.
Win7 works fine with both arrays.
Thanks!
Dee
Dee,
What motherboard do you have (brand and model)? It sounds to me like your Intel controller is working fine in XP as you can use one array there. Adding a second array really should not (at least in my experience) cause a BSOD, unless the second array is on a different controller. Some older motherboards use two different controllers, e.g. Intel and Promise to allow for more than one array. This may be the case on your board.
I have an itel DP55WB. It’s not a bsod on boot, it just hangs. That’s why I’m tending to think it’s a registry issue as Win7 boots fine (dual boot system). But I’m plum out of ideas…
I have an Intel DP55WB and everything with this fix worked great except Windows Updates will not run. Windows 7 64bit. As soon as I enable Raid in bios and then boot into windows and try and run windows updates it says the service is not running, but it is. If I go back into bios and change the sata settings back to ide and then boot into windows and run windows updates again it works fine.
I have reloaded Windows 7 and it still does the same thing. Just wondering if anyone else has come across this?
Dee,
The registry settings are typically the same between Windows 7 and XP as far as RAID is concerned – you might try setting a system restore point in XP, then exporting the proper keys from your Windows 7 installation and then importing them into XP. You can find the keys here:
http://drnathan.teamhackaday.com/misc/W7x64RAID.reg
Mike,
That is a pretty odd issue you are having. I have never personally seen the activation or deactivation of SATA RAID affect the ability for Windows to run updates. I assume you have tried stopping and restarting the Windows Update service to no avail.
I’m not sure what your issue might be, and I don’t see anything online regarding this issue. I assume you are using a full, legit copy of Windows, right?
Hi Dr. Nathan,
Well, it turns out that Win7 would get pretty unstable after a while with 2 raid arrays up. I would get bsod’d right out of the os. I removed the array that the os was on and everything is smooth so far. Xp boots as well. Could there be a bad controller chip or some other hardware realated problem? I’m bummed that I don’t have the security of the os raid mirror.
[...] not a new build http://drnathan.teamhackaday.com/software/raidfix/ ftw I only really run firefox, so im not i can be bothered to reinstall everything for that minor [...]
Dee,
If Win7 was having issues with the two arrays, there is definitely something amiss. It could be something wrong with the controller, but then again one would assume the issue would affect all drives then.
Where is your OS, on a standalone drive? RAID0? RAID1?
DrNathan,
The Os is a on a WD320gig dual boot (Xp/Win7) Raid1 array.
Yes, it’s strange alright.
Thanks for your insight!
Hmm, if it’s on RAID1 and you are getting random blue screens, it’s hard to tell what the issue might be. Sure, it could be the controller or disk, I suppose but I would likely think it is something else. Anything interesting in the system logs?
This is a great utility found it while trying to help someone out of a bind, a similar utility for NVidia chipsets would be awesome.
Hi Dr. Nathan,
I messed up when I was using your utility and ran into a problem – I’m hoping that you can give me some advice.
I installed Win 7 on a new PC without initializing RAID in the BIOS. I ran your utility and it worked just great. I was able to initialize RAID and install the Intel Matrix Manager.
After the Intel Matrix manager was installed, I installed the disks from my old RAID 1 array. i could see the disks in Windows but not not in the RAID manager.
I thought that maybe the reason that I couldn’t see the disks was because they were not installed in the PC before I ran the utility so I decided to start over with the disks installed. I ran the Windows Systems Restore utility to a restore point that I created right before I ran your tool, and then re-initialized the BIOS to IDE. The PC rebooted fine in IDE mode.
I then re-ran your tool with the disk installed. The tool ran fine. I rebooted the PC and set the BIOS to RAID. The PC booted, but windows immediately went into a recovery install. It was not able to recovery install correctly, despite running the recovery install several times. So, I once again did a systems restore and rebooted the PC (sucessfully) back into IDE mode.
I subsequently found out that you sometimes need to do a low level format on a disk that has been previously used in a RAID array in a new RAID array – that was probably my original problem.
But now, I can’t re-run your utility successfully to get back to RAID mode. I’d really hate to have to start from scratch and do a clean install.
Any idea about what I might have messed up when I went back to IDE mode, and how I might recover??
Thanks,
Paul
Paul,
Sorry to hear you are having issues with your RAID configuration. The strangest thing to me is that when you do enable RAID using RAIDFix, your system boots into the recovery install.
Reverting to the previous Windows configuration using the system restore should take your system back to exactly how it was before you tried RAIDFix. Offhand, I cannot see any reason as to why reapplying the RAID settings would not get you back up and running in RAID mode.
Have you tried booting with only your first disk connected to the RAID controller after running RAIDFix to see what happens?
Again, I find it odd that it is looking to do a recovery install automatically after running RAIDFix – all of the information related to the booting of your Windows installation should still be intact.
If things continue to be really flaky, you might want to consider installing again from scratch, though I know that is not your preferred course of action.
Thanks for the response.
Not sure why the system is doing this, but took the easy way out … Realized that I have two unused SATA ports that are controlled by a JMicron controller, not the Intel on.
Enabled RAID on that controller, hooked my disks up to that and all set.
Thanks for your help.
This tool is great. Worked well on Dell Optiplex and Precision machines.
Paul,
Within your solution lies my gripe with the Intel/Windows combination. Why does Windows require specific drivers and RAID configuration in the registry for the Intel controller, while the JMicron controller works just fine without any manipulation?
I start to wonder who is responsible for this BSOD issue in the first place, MS or Intel…
[...] http://drnathan.teamhackaday.com/software/raidfix/ __________________ [...]
Works Great!!
Just used the program on a Asus P5Q-E, Windows 7 64-bit install. Now running raid and Intel Storage matrix. Had IDE previously. Thanks so much!!
Kevin, glad to be of help!
Thank you so much! You just saved me about 6 hours of rebuild time. I was looking at your long solution and was seconds away from starting on it, but then, I read some comments and got here! Active migration in progress and will be done in 1.5hrs. Windows 7 32bit worked like a charm. Now I can use this on my home system if I ever break my RAID5 array and have to image to one drive without RAID, but want it back later. Peace of mind. Thanks again.
Intel has released a new Storage Matrix controller software package as of 3/23/2010. Hope to see support for this with RAIDFix soon! Thx!
Chromium,
Thanks for the heads up, I had not seen that. It looks like Intel has changed the name of the software suite again as well. Matrix Storage Manager is no more, Rapid Storage Technology (RST) is the new deal. I am already working on adding it to the app.
Thanks again!
Fantastic, thank you very much!
Fantastic, solved my problem !!!!
it was on a HP Z400 workstation, when I wanted to install a standard Xp Sp3… very good!
Hi,
I posted this on the earlier page on this topic, but I thought I would also post here. I apologize if the double post causes a problem.
I recently built a computer using an Asrock X58 Extreme mobo. I installed Windows 7, but realized only afterward that the mobo’s default setting for the HDDs was IDE rather than SATA. I’d like to implement a RAID configuration, but it appears I need first to get SATA running.
I followed the registry hack instructions to change the “start” parameter for the MSAHCI driver to “0″ (http://support.microsoft.com/kb/922976), rebooted, changed the BIOS setting to AHCI and everything worked fine. The SATA drivers loaded and things were looking good!
However, a few days later I had a problem with going into “sleep” mode. The computer hung, and after several minutes I just switched if off and rebooted.
Now, I cannot get it to boot properly with the BIOS in AHCI mode. The registry entries are still the same as when AHCI was working, but it will not boot in SATA mode. I get the message “Problem loading OS”. Changing the BIOS back to IDE allows me to boot.
Any ideas as to what went wrong (was it the hard shutdown that messed me up?), and any ideas on how to get SATA working again?
I’m reluctant to try the RAIDFix program unless I can first understand my problem a little better. I’d hate to really mess things up!
Thanks.
MikieB,
I would try rolling Windows back to the last known good configuration and then trying again. During your hard shutdown, something might have gotten hung up, but it is hard to say what exactly.
You could try RAIDFix, as it will not do anything that would damage your system to the point of not restarting. All it does is install the registry entries used for SATA RAID, as well as the driver. After running RAIDFix, I have been able to use my machine in SATA or IDE mode with no crashing issues at all.
Unfortunately, the problem occurred a couple of weeks ago, so rolling back now (even if I could recall which day the hard shutdown occurred) is difficult.
I ran RAIDFix as you suggested. I’m still having the same problem, though. I can only get the operating system to load if the BIOS is in IDE mode. Both RAID mode and AHCI mode result in the “Problem loading OS” message.
Any other suggestions?
Typically, when there is a severe issue with the RAID controller and the OS, you will find yourself faced with BSODs rather than the “Problem Loading OS” message you are receiving.
In this case, I would try booting from your install disc and seeing how far you can get with the Windows 7 Boot Repair option in the Recovery Console.
I tried as you suggested … booting from the Win 7 install disk and taking the “repair” option. The tests all completed successfully, but other than that nothing has changed.
MikieB,
At this point I personally would likely reinstall Win7. Reinstalling however, depends on how much time you have invested in your current install.
When RAIDFix works, I am more than certain the Windows install is solid, and that it will run without issues. When you start running into the problems you are having, I am more likely to recommend a reinstall.
Is there a way to fix the problem? More likely than not. Would I be willing to put in the time to fix it rather than reinstall? Not too likely.
Thanks, Dr Nathan. Makes sense. The one idea remaining that I haven’t tried is to try this solution (for Vista, I note), which I found on another blog:
Bios setting should be set on IDE mode before attempting this.
You can install the Miscrosoft standard AHCI driver from within Vista
throught Device Manager. In Device Manager select you IDE/Sata cotroller
and properties and selected updriver. The select browse my computer for
driver software. Select let me pict from list. In the screen untick the
box “show compatible hardward”. Scroll dowwn under the Manufactuer
column and select the Standard AHCHI driver and select next. This should
the Microsoft AHCI driver. Reboot. Then go into the bios and change your
IDE configuration to AHCI. Once your reboot you can then install the
AHCI driver for your particular motherboard..
What do you think?
Thanks.
Mike
Mike,
That sounds like a reasonable option to try. I kind of forgot that you can do that for the AHCI driver. I don’t think that works with the RAID driver, but Microsoft’s AHCI driver might do the trick in this instance. I say give it a go.
Hi,
Your application looks nice and I think that it is what I need. But the question is whether you are planning to add to program support for newest version of raid driver (I mean 9.6.0.1014)?
I installed winXP on IDE mode and after quite a long time I decided to buy 2 new HDDs and put them in RAID0 but without reinstalling system. I searched the net and I managed to put my controller into AHCI mode without bsod but now I can’t force it to run on raid mode. I set raid mode in the bios menu, then I use intel tool to create raid array but after that I get blue screen just after windows logo appears. I just can’t load system from my old HDD when raid mode is on.
It looks that your application might resolve my issue but I installed the latest ahci drivers and I don’t want to make a mess in my system by fixing it by 8.9.0.1023 release.
Any help needed.
Regards!
johnnieB,
Yes, I do plan on supporting the newest version of Intel’s RAID driver in my application – it is currently a work in progress.
As for your current situation, you can very easily use RAIDFix to enable RAID with the older driver, then install the new driver once you reboot into Windows. Once the driver is installed and you can boot, you are good to go – the newer driver will install using Intel’s installation package without issue.
Thanks for your reply. I have done what you’ve written and everything is ok – raid mode is on, newest driver installed and also Intel’s Rapid Storage Technology (former matrix storage manager).
Right now I’m testing my raid0 array because I want to check which stripe size is the most optimal for my configuration. Now system starts from old HDD so I can easily delete raid volume and create another one with different stripe size. After that, I want to put fresh installation of winXP on this raid0. Maybe you can suggest something in case of stripe size?
Most guides on this topic are quite old (often written 2 or more years ago) and since then both, controllers and drivers changed so other size might be better.
Once again a lot of thanks for your help and for great application RAIDFix.
Best regards!
johnnieB,
As far as stripe size is concerned, it is all dependent on what you would like to do with the drive. If you are going to use it for your OS, I would use a stripe size somewhere in the middle of the available range, perhaps 64KB. If you are using it for storage of music, movies, etc, I would go with the largest stripe, probably 128KB.
Hope that helps!
OK, here goes… some malicious file kills my laptop, system won’t boot. After hours of research, I try switching the SATA setting in the Bois from AHCI to compatability and voila the computer boots. But doesn’t this kill my RAID setting and can your program fix this?
Thanks!
You switched your BIOS setting from AHCI back to IDE mode?
RAIDFix, run in IDE mode, should install the drivers for SATA RAID mode, enabling you to boot with RAID enabled. I’m not 100% sure on AHCI mode however.
Hi DrNathan
Just wanted to say thank you and that you saved me a lot of time and headaches with your brilliant RAIDFix tool.
I just bought a new PC today with 1 HDD and Win7 preinstalled. After using RAIDFix and switching from AHCI to RAID in BIOS, I could boot again and install Rapid Storage Manager 9.6.0.1014 without a problem.
Data migration is running as I write this. Thanks again for your little tool!
I’m glad to hear it helped with your issues. There’s nothing like avoiding a full Windows reload!
Dear Herr Doktor!
I am trying to fix a friends Dell XPS Gen 2 monster! He had a RAID drive die and screwed up trying to put a very small one in its place that could not hold all data. I have two new drives, but cannot get RAID 1 implemented! Dell is as usual, useless unless you want to spend $59 for them to tell you they can’t help! I got his data recovered, with a TON of software loaded I do NOT want to redo, and ran RAIDfix. After adding Net 3.5, and others wanted, it would boot fine. Now, I assumed (with the usual results!) that I would need but to restart the machine and enable RAID before booting. BEEP! No boot. Data is intact on drive but cannot be accessed, partition fixed, etc. Did I not understand the process. I couldn’t find any real step by step for using RADIfix and then restarting with RAID enabled. HELP!!
Paul,
It honestly looks like you don’t even need RAIDFix. The program is meant to allow you to boot into Windows after enabling RAID when Windows was installed with RAID disabled.
If your friend already had a RAID array established, then Windows was installed with RAID enabled from the beginning.
It sounds like you were able to save one of the hard drives from the original RAID array in its entirety. RAID 1 simply mirrors the data from one physical drive to another, so you should be able to boot into Windows from the drive that survived his attempt at repairing the array.
It sounds however, like something went amiss in the process.
Typically you should be able to boot from the surviving drive, enter the RAID configuration that comes up after the POST, and repair the array.
If you cannot even boot from the surviving disk, I’m not sure what you can do aside from trying to use the Windows recovery tools to get it up and running again.
Dear sir, you are my new hero! After many tiring hours of research some forum hotlinked me to your old tread (http://drnathan.teamhackaday.com/2009/03/09/how-to-enable-intel-ich-raid-after-installing-windows-vista/) and with the help of your RAIDfix it’s all good now.
Thanks a bunch, and keep up the good work!
It’s great to hear from another satisfied customer!
I’m glad to be of help.
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Hello DrNathan,
Firstly “Thanks” for some of the clearest explanations around RAID and windows yet !
My problem is that I have Vista Home Premium on a DELL XPS 420 – Disk Controller Intel ICH8R/ICH9R SATA RAID – Driver 7.8.0.1012
I foolishly turned off RAID in the BIOS, got the blue screens, then tried to turn it back on. It will now boot OK (startup shows disks as non-RAID).
However whilst most of my files appear OK – none of my WORD and EXCEL documents open correctly, I get the following text in a File Conversion window;
“IF YOU EDIT THIS FILE IN ANYWAY IT WILL NOT BE RECOVERABLE”
Do you have any suggestions please, is there a way to get the documents back. I guess your RAIDFix will sort out the RAID but will all my data be intact ?
Many Thanks – Great Work
Andy
Andy,
Were your startup disks part of a RAID array, or did you just have RAID enabled with no arrays defined?
When you re-enable RAID, the controller usually sees that you have an array established. However, it might state that the array is broken or requires repair. You should be able to repair the array in the controller’s interface (You can enter the controller’s interface by pressing CTRL-I when prompted).
I switch back and forth between RAID and non-RAID mode on my computer at home without any file-related issues like those you are experiencing.
Like I mentioned your drives really should be fine, but I would start off by trying to fix the arrays if you had any defined, then work from there.
As far as your file issues go, I have a sneaking suspicion that something else is going on. When you Google “If you edit this file in any way it will not be recoverable” you get zero results for that particular string. I would guess that you may have some sort of malware infection that you need to take care of, especially because the problem seems to only affect Excel and Word files. It sounds more like some piece of software is holding you hostage rather than your data being corrupt. Give SuperAntiSpyware Portable (just Google that name) or the Kaspersky Rescue CD (Available as a free download) a try . Either one should do a good job at finding what malware is on your machine if it happens to be infected.
As far as RAIDFix is concerned, you really only need to use that on a computer if you have installed Windows with RAID disabled. Since you were already running Windows with RAID enabled, there is no need to use my software. I would recommend however installing the latest version of Intel’s Rapid Storage Technology software to ensure you have the latest drivers from Intel.
Good luck, let me know how you make out.