Raid drivers prior to Win 7 Install

[Rockydog1947]

Asrock Z77 OC Formula board with Intel Core i7 3770K processor.

Is this the correct raid driver (Intel SATA Floppy Image (RST) ver: 11.7.0.1013) to install prior to installing win 7 x 64 operating system?

Do I extract all the contents to a usb stick or just the contents of the f6flpy-x64 folder. I know it should be simple but just want to be sure so I don't screw it up.

Any advice would be appreciated.

Thanks, Ken

[parsec]

Re: Raid drivers prior to Win 7 Install

The F6 driver download is a zip file, extract its contents, that will automatically go to a new folder. That folder will contain six files, just copy them to the root folder of a USB drive. No folder for them is necessary, but Windows would likely scan the f6flpy folder if you copied it to the USD drive, I've just never done that myself. I know the simple six (or seven with earlier versions of IRST) file copy works fine.

Have the USB drive in a USB 2.0 port on the rear I/O panel, or a hub connected to said USB port. When you are on the Load Driver option screen, click that and follow the directions. When Windows searches for the driver, it should find it quickly, and list it. Follow the directions and let it run. Don't remove that USB drive until the Windows installation reboots, then just pull it.

Actually, with Intel RAID, Windows 7 supposedly has a native driver it will use, but who knows what version it is. Meaning no driver installation is necessary, apparently. I've always done the F6 driver installation, which works fine. I recently did a Windows 8 installation, using a RAID volume for the OS, and for some reason it would not work, the driver search just went on and on and failed. So I skipped the driver load, continued, and the installation finished fine. Just FYI

[Rockydog1947]

Re: Raid drivers prior to Win 7 Install

Great, thanks for the info parsec.

[odiebugs]

Re: Raid drivers prior to Win 7 Install

When you go to install driver, if you put the RAID driver on USB you will see a lot of choices, if you put the F6/ floppy on the stick, you will only see a few, you want to pick the RAID and which ever OS bit-32-64 driver.

Hey par, same for me on win 8, something about the driver not being signed, so none of them would show while loading.

After install, check devise MGR for storage, check the RAID for driver, it should show 11.7 if you loaded the right one.

[parsec]

Re: Raid drivers prior to Win 7 Install

Hi odie, back in town over here? OMG, do you think I don't know how to check the version of IRST I have?! (It's written next to my name on my underwear )

You may be right about the signed drivers. What's weird is I did another Windows 8 install, and downloaded the IRST 11.7 F6 driver again from Intel. This time it worked fine as usual. I could swear I had downloaded the earlier 11.7 F6 driver from Intel, since I trust it more than the one from... you know. Is there any difference between the Win 7 and Win 8 IRST 11.7 F6 download? I thought they were identical. Then again, my problem might be related to the UEFI secure boot feature, I had downloaded the F6 driver on another PC, but the one that was fine I downloaded on the PC I did a reinstall on (changed to a RAID 0 volume for the OS.)

I installed the full IRST 11.7 driver package once Win 8 was running, but I think I saw that MS used a different version that was unrelated to Intel's numbering scheme, but I'm really not sure.

Win 8 has, for example, a native driver for the Intel USB 3.0 controller, and they make a point of indicating that it is a MS driver, even on the main entry for the device in the Device Manager tree structure, not just in the driver details. Even with automatic driver updates turned off, I only had to install four things, INF chipset files, IME, the full IRST package, and the video card driver. I only did the video driver since I was not sure what Win 8 had loaded!

BTW, you said you see multiple driver choices from the F6 files on the USB drive? That must happen in AHCI mode, which I have not used for a loooong time. True, RAID and AHCI driver files are included.

[odiebugs]

Re: Raid drivers prior to Win 7 Install

Hi odie, back in town over here? OMG, do you think I don't know how to check the version of IRST I have?! (It's written next to my name on my underwear )

You may be right about the signed drivers. What's weird is I did another Windows 8 install, and downloaded the IRST 11.7 F6 driver again from Intel. This time it worked fine as usual. I could swear I had downloaded the earlier 11.7 F6 driver from Intel, since I trust it more than the one from... you know. Is there any difference between the Win 7 and Win 8 IRST 11.7 F6 download? I thought they were identical. Then again, my problem might be related to the UEFI secure boot feature, I had downloaded the F6 driver on another PC, but the one that was fine I downloaded on the PC I did a reinstall on (changed to a RAID 0 volume for the OS.)

I installed the full IRST 11.7 driver package once Win 8 was running, but I think I saw that MS used a different version that was unrelated to Intel's numbering scheme, but I'm really not sure.

Win 8 has, for example, a native driver for the Intel USB 3.0 controller, and they make a point of indicating that it is a MS driver, even on the main entry for the device in the Device Manager tree structure, not just in the driver details. Even with automatic driver updates turned off, I only had to install four things, INF chipset files, IME, the full IRST package, and the video card driver. I only did the video driver since I was not sure what Win 8 had loaded!

BTW, you said you see multiple driver choices from the F6 files on the USB drive? That must happen in AHCI mode, which I have not used for a loooong time. True, RAID and AHCI driver files are included.

ROLOLLMFAO- underwear.


My bad, its because I un-check drives for this devise, that's why I see so many.


Speaking of that, drivers, installing chipset, USB, after installing the packages, I have to go to each chipset hardware and point it to the download file because its an older driver for some reason, each time it updates and installs, also for the intel USB,
have no clue why I run the newest package but it doesn't load the newest one, real weird.


I just posted at first because I forgot about the check, I was thinking he would see four items, the AHCI 32-64, and RAID 32-64 . I think he will only see the AHCI & RAID of what ever the OS is for bit.

Hope you doing good.

I'm getting to old, forgetting to much, almost time for the pasture. LOL

[parsec]

Re: Raid drivers prior to Win 7 Install

You can still jump over the fence around that pasture, don't give me that nonsense...

I see what you did, unchecking the "Don't show incompatible drivers" I believe it is... ever the rebel you are, putting a round driver in a square chipset... or thinking about it.


Speaking of which, did you ever get the SATA driver you wanted on your X79 chipset? As in a version of IRST that runs on X79? That's the same one that is used for Win 8, right? Did you need to do that to get IRST listed for your X79? If so, now it makes sense.

Wait a Minute...

You you YOU are using Win 8?! OMGawd, I figured you might be in the Win 8 Haters club. No offense, some of my best friends are Win 8 Haters... no one is perfect...

I'm impressed, good for you, not for the Metro thing, which is an Ok toy for the weather, etc. Did you try an UEFI Win 8 installation? I did on my Z77 board, it's not hard at all as long as you get the few settings right in the UEFI for secure boot and have a Win 8 USB installation drive.

I also got the Ultra Fast boot working, only for UEFI booting with Win 8. It seems like there is no POST in Ultra Fast boot mode, it's almost as fast as coming out of Sleep, seriously. Well, with your OS on a good SSD too. You must use the ASR utility Restart to UEFI to even get into the UEFI, otherwise you can't without a CMOS clear. The ASR utility works fine so far for me.