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Can't set SATA mode to AHCI? nForce 630i Problem!


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Hello everyone. I'm no rookie on the OSX86 project. But, a friend of mine asked me to install 10.6.7 on his nForce 630i chipset. I know how to do this since my chipset is the same, and I have installed 10.6.7 with everything supported.

 

But when I go into his BIOS, there is no AHCI sata mode? only greyed out RAID mode. Do you know why this is happening? thanks!

 

When I boot with the S-ATA connected to the enclosure with USB, I can boot fine. But when I put the S-ATA back inside the PC and try to boot in with S-ATA connection. It gives me "still waiting for root device"

 

I know this is an AHCI problem, so, why isn't the AHCI option there? Please help!! the nForce 630i is considered to be full AHCI compliant!! WHAT IS GOING ON HERE!?

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Google/Forum Search verdant's nforce guides.

 

I've read it so many times.. Can't get anything out of it. AHCI mode is just nowhere to be found!!

 

verdant's guides are really nice, but they can't help me for this case, please. not 1 has experience something similar for the LOVE OF GOD!?

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You're not looking for AHCI mode, that would be pointless since you don't have it.

 

You're looking for a driver for your SATA controller that doesn't require it to be in AHCI mode.

 

Oh, is that so? Where can I find that driver?

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Oh, is that so? Where can I find that driver?

 

Invariably on nForce MOBOs with a BIOS that does not have an explicit SATA Controller Mode with an AHCI mode setting, enabling RAID but disabling each SATA RAID channel in BIOS (assuming that you are not using a RAID setup) implicitly enables AHCI mode........

 

From my nForce Snow Leopard Retail Install Guide:

 

*************************************************************

INTRODUCTION

 

*************************************************************

 

Remember that despite nForce chipset MOBOs now being able to run the Snow Leopard kernel, you still are dealing with the nForce chipset and OS X.......So:

 

 

[1] Check your BIOS settings against the recommended settings for OS X........depending on your MOBO nForce chipset, check in either my OS X Leopard on Series 7 nForce chipset + Intel CPU MOBOs thread or in my OS X Leopard on Pre-Series 7 nForce chipset + Intel CPU MOBOs thread......

 

Ensure that your IDE/SATA settings are set correctly e.g. enabling the SATA Controller or AHCI Mode depending on your BIOS options, and setting HPET Function/Support to [Enabled]....

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Invariably on nForce MOBOs with a BIOS that does not have an explicit SATA Controller Mode with an AHCI mode setting, enabling RAID but disabling each SATA RAID channel in BIOS (assuming that you are not using a RAID setup) implicitly enables AHCI mode........

 

Look man. The ONLY S-ATA mode option in my BIOS is one saying RAID. There is no IDE or AHCI or anything. Just greyed out RAID. I flashed my BIOS yesterday, to a newer one, but still, only RAID. My BIOS don't even mention AHCI..

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I've said many times before that RAID is enabled by default and it is greyed out. that means I can't change it. SATA mode is on RAID. but that doesn't help..

 

This is my main BIOS: 27419872.jpg

 

This is my Advanced Chipset Features: 47438720.jpg

 

And this is nVidia RAID setup: 73661586.jpg

 

 

 

I hope this helps you guys understand my problem. As you can see, RAID is set and it is greyed out. There is no option to change to AHCI whatsoever.

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So nobody has an answer? That's a bummer. This is the only forum I have left :/

 

Your initial description of "only greyed out RAID mode" was misleading.....in fact, your BIOS has the entire SATA Mode Select function 'greyed out'........ :P

 

Seriously though, I understand your frustration.....so let us try to help.....it appears that RAID is the fixed default mode implying that AHCI mode is already implicitly enabled.....

 

What happens when you enable RAID on just the SATA channel that the OS X HDD is connected to.....?

 

What is your friend's 630i MOBO brand/model number?

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I'm glad you understand. I'm about to pop a hole in my wall xD

 

I haven't tried that yet. I will film what happens and upload it on youtube and send you a link.

 

His MOBO is a MCP73PV from a brand named "Tornado" I think.

 

I did not need to film it. When I enbled RAID mode for Sec Master (HDD with OS X Installation) It just disappeared. Like it didn't even exist! I disabled RAID and it popped back again.

 

I'm going to explode from anger..

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  • 5 months later...

I changed to RAID and disk utility has see may HDD, and right now I have 10.6.7 fully working

Sorry for bringing this old thread up, but may I ask you to clarify "I changed to RAID"? you mean you formatted the drive as striped in the RAID utility? And what was your procedure of installing 10.6.7 on it?

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No, he changed the BIOS setting. Because of architectural differences, OS X does not work with PC motherboard hardware RAID.

 

However, as has been mentioned in this topic several times already, enabling RAID mode implies AHCI, which has better driver support on OS X than non-AHCI mode.

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But as you can see in my BIOS, the default option is RAID and greyed out. Enabling a channel forces me to format the HD that is on that channel to striped or mirrored RAID so that I can use it.

 

Finding an AppleNForceATA kext for my mobo isn't possible either since I have the 630i MOBO which is supposedly fully AHCI compliant. I've tried so many of them by putting them in /E/E (and in /S/L/E) via macdrive and nothing happens.

 

I don't think I'm going anywhere here.

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It IS AHCI compliant but it needs to be in RAID mode. If there really is no non-AHCI mode driver or patch for the 630i, then you're going to have to find a way around this 'forcing you to format' thing so that you can enable RAID without actually RAID'ing any drives.

 

I read somewhere that Intel actually recommends enabling RAID mode on the ICH10R even if you're not going to RAID any drives, before installing Windows. I don't see why that wouldn't be possible on an nforce chipset as well. I'm sure there is a way.

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Not possible. If I enable RAID on the channel that my SL installation is on, the HD just disappears from the BIOS. (boot priority, etc.) It has to be formatted to RAID to be on RAID mode. That's the part I don't understand, since AHCI is not like that...

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Yes. I understand that. But the point is that even after I formatted my HD that had the SL installation in it, and it became a RAID HD, I tried booting with [url="http://www.insanelymac.com/forum/topic/279450-why-insanelymac-does-not-support-tonymacx86/"]#####[/url] and then with the retail Snow Leopard DVD, and I still got waiting for root device... But even if I got to the installation, I would have to format to MAC OS Extended (Journaled), and the installation would get a panic or something.

 

Other than that, this is the way I installed SL this time. http://www.insanelym...howtopic=257546 And now, I popped the HD back, and if I format it, I'll lose the installation... endless cycle.

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Yes. I understand that. But the point is that even after I formatted my HD that had the SL installation in it, and it became a RAID HD, I tried booting with [url="http://www.insanelymac.com/forum/topic/279450-why-insanelymac-does-not-support-tonymacx86/"]#####[/url] and then with the retail Snow Leopard DVD, and I still got waiting for root device... But even if I got to the installation, I would have to format to MAC OS Extended (Journaled), and the installation would get a panic or something.

 

Other than that, this is the way I installed SL this time. http://www.insanelym...howtopic=257546 And now, I popped the HD back, and if I format it, I'll lose the installation... endless cycle.

 

Set up your BIOS to RAID mode on two SATA channels for two SATA HDDs, and then since the Chameleon bootloader needs to be set up properly to boot OSX using two or more HDDs set up in a OS X software RAID mode, see this procedure here......I suggest for simplicity that you set up a two HDD RAID 1 (mirroring) configuration.......

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Hey verdant! Glad you are here :P

 

Can you be more specific? what do you want me to do? If I want to set a HD to RAID it has to be formatted. So, I can't do what you told me to do Krishna21's way, neither can I boot into a OS X installation with a RAID HD, because it will require formatting to Mac OS X Extended (Journaled)

 

What I thought of doing earlier was to create a HD image of my hard drive with Krishna21' way, and then restore it on the HD that is already formatted as RAID. But then it would need to be Mac OS X Extended (Journaled) so that can't work either... I don't know if I'll ever get this to work god damn it!

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Hey verdant! Glad you are here :P

 

Can you be more specific? what do you want me to do? If I want to set a HD to RAID it has to be formatted. So, I can't do what you told me to do Krishna21's way, neither can I boot into a OS X installation with a RAID HD, because it will require formatting to Mac OS X Extended (Journaled)

 

What I thought of doing earlier was to create a HD image of my hard drive with Krishna21' way, and then restore it on the HD that is already formatted as RAID. But then it would need to be Mac OS X Extended (Journaled) so that can't work either... I don't know if I'll ever get this to work god damn it!

 

Since RAID Mode is enabled in your 630i BIOS, then perhaps using a RAID array might work but AFIK it is still the case that you cannot run MOBO/BIOS native software RAID i.e. fake-RAID with OS X......

 

ONLY Apple's own OS X software RAID or OS X compatible hardware RAID using a RAID PCI-E card may work..... e.g. with Sil3124 or Sil3132 chipsets....or other OS X compatible RAID firmware such that from FirmTek....

 

As Apple say:

 

RAID, or Redundant Arrays of Independent Disks, is a technology that enables two or more hard disks to act as one, allowing you to achieve data redundancy or greater effective disk speed. Types of RAID are named for "levels" 0 through 5. The numbers represent different combinations of redundancy, speed, and other attributes.

 

so your starting point would be to try with two internal SATA HDDs (ideally identical models for matched performance characteristics) connected to 2 SATA Channels.........use OS X Disk Utility to set up a Mirrored or Striped RAID array on the two HDDs......

 

Clone your existing working USB HDD OS X volume using Disk Utility or Carbon Copy Cloner BUT ensure that the 'erase/reformat target volume' option is not selected because the mirror or striped RAID array that you have just set up will be erased! You only want to clone the files.

 

You will now have a RAID drive array that is a copy of your existing working OS X system on the USB HDD but it will not boot..........so follow the guide (I gave the link earlier) on setting up Chameleon 2 to boot a RAID array.......

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I believe his issue is that when his drives are plugged in internally, OS X cannot see the drives at all (in disk Utility or in the installler). Correct me if I'm wrong.

 

From my knowledge, the OSx86 ModCD has support for many nForce chipsets through a few different drivers. Try booting with the ModCD (I have a link for it in the guide in my signature), and see if it can boot it internally. If not, install it externally, then put it inside again.

 

If you using a USB drive or the driver doesn't get installed properly, I compiled nawcom's drivers in this disk image.

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