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IT Support & Hardware · Intermediate

Advanced Host Controller Interface (AHCI)

The storage controller mode that enables SATA features like native command queuing and hot-plugging.

Definition

AHCI is the standard SATA controller mode in firmware, replacing legacy IDE emulation. Switching between IDE, AHCI, and RAID modes after Windows is installed can cause a boot failure (INACCESSIBLE_BOOT_DEVICE) unless drivers are prepared. NVMe SSDs use the NVMe protocol rather than AHCI.

Example

Changing SATA mode from RAID to AHCI on a laptop to install Linux.

Exam tip

An INACCESSIBLE_BOOT_DEVICE stop error after a BIOS change often points to a changed SATA mode.

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