If a blue screen appears on your laptop. Do you often get blue screens? Checking RAM with Windows Memory Checker

At all, blue screen of death occurs when an unexpected, fatal operating error occurs Windows systems. This means that in most cases this error occurs unexpectedly while the computer is running. And, as a rule, blue screen of death, does not occur constantly, but only a couple of times if this error occurs while the computer is running. But what if The blue screen of death occurs constantly when the computer boots, due to which Windows completely refuses to start.

Such BSOD error when booting computer, can be caused by various reasons. The Blue Screen of Death BSOD error message usually says: “A problem has been detected and windows has been shut down to prevent damage to your computer.”

First of all, I want to say that this blue screen of death, can arise either due to damaged operating system, or due to problems with the hardware of your computer. That is, either software or hardware problems. Let's look at what can cause such problems and how to solve them.

Software problems

Software problems include any incorrect settings or malfunction of the operating system, drivers, services and other programs. For example, this may be due to incorrect installed drivers. It also often happens that blue screen of death, may appear after noticing any boards in the computer, that is, hardware, and especially after replacing motherboard or simply after installing a hard drive, with already installed system Windows to another computer.

In order to understand that blue screen of death, arises precisely because of software problems, you can try to boot Windows in safe mode by pressing the F5 key at the very beginning when booting Windows. And if the computer boots in safe mode quite successfully, then there are certainly software problems with your Windows system. You can also try to boot your computer using a bootable Live-CD with Windows, for example, based on BartPE. If Windows boots normally, without blue screen of death, then it's for sure software problems.

In any case, all software problems can be easily resolved by simply reinstalling Windows. You can, of course, try in safe mode to roll back installed drivers and remove new ones installed programs, drivers and so on. That is, dig deeper into the system and make Windows work as before. But the easiest way is to reinstall Windows.

Hardware problems

Hardware problems include problems with the hardware of your computer, when any device conflicts with motherboard, for example, either an incorrectly configured device or incorrect BIOS settings. Well, if your computer is not portable, then solving hardware problems is not so difficult. It’s much worse if you have a laptop or netbook. Then, if there is a hardware malfunction with your laptop, then you will have to contact service center for repair.

But if you have an ordinary non-laptop computer, then to solve hardware problems, just try to remove the boards and other devices from the computer one by one and catch the moment when the computer starts working normally. Because, indeed, there are situations when a device conflict occurs. So the solution is most likely to replace boards or devices, or abandon some boards or devices.

Quite a few users have encountered the phenomenon of blue screen of death. Not everyone knows what to do (Windows 7 is most often susceptible to such trouble) in this situation. And therefore the sight of a blue screen is terrifying. However, sometimes error codes help correct the situation. They indicate a problem. And based on it, you need to make certain decisions regarding the treatment of the computer. Today we will learn how to deal with some of the causes of a blue screen, and also find out what should be done to eliminate this problem once and for all. Some advice from professional system administrators often helps even the average user overcome problems. Let us begin to study our current problem as soon as possible.

What's happened

But let's start by figuring out what we're going to be dealing with. Only after this will it be possible to think about how to remove the blue screen of death. To be honest, this issue requires special attention.

So, what kind of phenomenon will we become aware of today? death is a kind of system error. And it appears when the operating system boots or directly during operation. In this case, you get a blue screen for a while. Hence the strange name. Blue screen of death codes are written on it. More precisely, codification of the errors that have arisen. Based on them, you can figure out what is causing the problem. And sometimes even eliminate it.

But, as practice shows, a blue screen of death or some other) is the first sign that your computer is going into oblivion. This means that he will have to be treated quickly. We can say that our phenomenon is a demonstration that the operating system and hardware of the device refuse to work. Therefore, it is worth knowing how to behave in a given situation. Let's try to find out what can be done.

Screen problem

Let's get you started by learning about some common blue screen of death error codes. After all, they will help you not to be scared when it appears, but to quickly move on to decisive action. For example, quite often a blue screen of death occurs, error code 0x00000116. There is no need to be afraid of this phenomenon.

The thing is that this codification indicates that when loading the operating system, an attempt was made to reset and restart the display driver. And since we got an error, the action didn’t work. Decide this problem possible in many ways. But there are some tips that will help you save your data as well.

First, you should try to reinstall the drivers on your computers. And that's all. And start with those related to the monitor and video card. Also, update your codecs. This helps a lot.

It would also be a good idea to disable antivirus programs when errors appear. Sometimes they cause a blue screen of death. What to do? Windows 7, as you know, is most susceptible to this phenomenon. This means that you will have to be very careful with antiviruses in it.

System boot

There is no point in listing all the blue screen of death codes. Windows 7 will give you errors when errors occur. And then, based on the data obtained, it will be possible to use a special directory of computer errors. This lists all the codes that relate to a blue screen. But still, we will look at one more option.

Quite often this blue screen of death appears: 0x0000007b. This error always occurs directly when the computer boots. If the previous option can appear while working with programs, applications, games, then this one always “does not allow” Windows.

Code 0x0000007b indicates that access to the system partition was lost while the computer was booting hard drive. The reasons can be different - from a banal virus to major damage to the iron. But this problem always needs to be fixed.

Helps here reinstalling Windows with complete formatting and reworking of hard drive partitions. But sometimes the problem does not go away even after such a radical step.

In this case, download the latest system configuration. To do this, when you boot your computer, press F8, then select “Last Known Known Configuration.” The computer will boot. You can be happy with the result.

Check the compatibility of the hard drive and other hardware. If there is any discrepancy, replace the components. After this the problem will disappear. Often, code 0x0000007b appears after connecting a new or additional hard drive.

Rollback

Now it’s worth learning the general provisions on how to remove the blue screen of death. Sometimes all the advice turns out to be quite effective, regardless of the error that occurs. And the first option that can be recommended is to perform a system rollback. The technique is relevant when the system boots initially.

In order to rollback, you need to go to “Start”, “All Programs”. Next, find the “Standard” section there, and from there go to “Service”. Select "System Restore". A window will appear in front of you with a welcome message and a warning that the process is irreversible. Agree and select a rollback point in the next menu that opens - to the moment when the computer was not bothered by the blue screen of death. Click "Next" and wait for a while.

During the entire process, the computer will reboot itself about 2-3 times. This is fine. After the rollback, some settings should be reset. But all programs and personal data will remain in perfect order. Quite often, this technique helps to permanently eliminate the problem.

Checking the contents

If you suddenly have a blue screen of death, you don’t know what to do (Windows 7 or any other operating system), then it’s time to check the configuration of your computer. Sometimes even an old cable can cause a lot of inconvenience. Particular attention should be paid to components in cases where you have recently changed something in your computer.

As already mentioned, often problems with the blue screen of death arise due to a hardware conflict. This may even apply to a flash drive. So be careful. If you suspect a hardware conflict in your computer and do not have the necessary knowledge about compatibility, it would be better to take your device to a specialized computer help service. They will help you quickly fix the problem.

In general, carefully study the compatibility of all components on your computer. This will help you avoid many problems. It will also prevent you from seeing the blue screen of death. Why else does it occur? And how to deal with it?

Overheat

For example, sometimes this phenomenon occurs when the computer or processor overheats. In the case of stationary options, everything is fixed quickly and easily - either an additional cooler is installed, or the hardware is cleaned (or it is better to start from this point), or it is completely removed from the case for greater air penetration.

But the blue screen of death on a laptop due to overheating is already a serious problem. Firstly, the device will have to be taken to a computer service for cleaning. Secondly, you may additionally need to install a cooler (and this service is not that cheap). Third, put less load on your computer while working. This will help avoid overheating and its consequences.

Applications

For some unknown reason, did you experience a blue screen of death? What to do? Windows 7 is an unsurpassed leader in this regard. And it was also in this operating system that application conflicts and their incompatibility with each other began to arise. This may be a consequence of the appearance of the death screen.

What to do in this case? First, remember after installing which program the problems started. After that, set the compatibility parameters. Sometimes this technique helps. But you shouldn’t rely too much on it.

If compatibility mode does not help, then remove installed application. Don't want to spend a long time dealing with the problem? In this case, if you have nothing to lose, then simply reinstall the entire operating system. In this situation, this is often the best solution.

Update

Some users complain about the appearance of a blue screen of death after updating the operating system using the built-in center. If you notice that all the troubles started after this, you will have to do a system rollback and also disable process automation.

Go to the "Center" Windows updates". There, go to the settings. Select the option that is marked as “not recommended”. That is, do not carry out automatic check, downloading and installing updates. Never. This will help avoid many problems in the future. And they will not necessarily be associated with the blue screen of death.

Drivers

Another problem that can arise and cause our current phenomenon is nothing more than hardware drivers. Sometimes they are the ones that cause the blue screen of death. What to do? Windows 7 offers a fairly fast, simple and secure solution. This is nothing more than reinstalling all existing drivers and updating them in a timely manner.

To prevent the process from causing inconvenience, it is best to use the official websites of manufacturers to download applications. They will not introduce infection to your computer. And there is always only high-quality content. After updating and installing all drivers, it is better to restart your computer. That's all. Now you will notice that the Blue Screen of Death problem will disappear. But this doesn't always happen. After all, there are other reasons for this phenomenon.

Antivirus

Occasionally there are situations in which a blue screen of death appears for no apparent reason. What to do? Windows 7 or any other operating system - it doesn't matter. The main thing is that there is one small but - this is an antivirus. If you have it, then it's worth turning it off for a while. Or delete it completely. And watch the computer. After all, sometimes it is this application that causes the blue screen of death.

Most often, owners of Avast and Kaspersky suffer from this phenomenon. As a last resort, replace the antivirus. Did it help? You can rejoice. No? Then completely remove the antivirus, and then take the computer for repair. Tell us about the problem - professionals will definitely help you there.

Viruses

And of course, the blue screen of death can appear due to viruses on the computer. Some infections are aimed at just this. Indeed, with this phenomenon, the entire operating system is destroyed. Do you suspect an infection? Then take your computer and treat it.

Scan it with antiviruses, antispyware and other healing content. Cure all dangerous objects, and then remove those that did not respond to the process. Usually this is enough. Also clean your computer's registry - this is important. Now look at the result. If all is useless, then reinstalling the operating system will help. But it's worth trying a rollback first.

The question is how to what to do if your computer crashes into a blue screen BSOD(Blue Screen of Death, which translates as “blue screen of death”), users of computer devices often ask themselves, since the phenomenon of BSOD is quite common. The symptoms of a blue screen are very eloquent, or rather, “blue screen”: the computer turns on and starts to boot, after which the Windows screensaver appears, and after a while the PC, without fully loading, displays a blue screen with white inscriptions on it.

BSOD: cause and benefit

Many users are unhappy with Bill Gates' brainchild - Windows. They say I wrote a crooked operating system that now produces blue screens of various configurations. But such an attitude is wrong and unfair. Many people do not know that if it were not for BSOD, if the OS failed, many computers could be damaged and a lot of data could be lost.

The fact is that Windows operates directly with the hardware of the computer, and if something suddenly goes wrong, the hardware of the computer device will be given the wrong command, which can be anything (for example, delete all data from the disk). Of course, the consequences of such a command are obvious: data loss and PC breakdown.

But this does not happen, since BSOD comes to the rescue - a special protective reaction of the Windows operating system, which occurs when the OS is no longer able to account for and control its actions, and therefore is forced to take decisive actions aimed at its own emergency stop. They say, so as not to mess up the computer.

Thus, a BSOD error, or STOP error, appears in cases such as:

• error in Windows OS operation,
• hardware conflict,
• driver incompatibility,
• damage to the driver with which the OS controls the computer,
• damage system files,
• physical damage to some components.

It often happens that a STOP error occurs when:

• running pirated or inadequate software,
• when viruses enter,
• in case of launching third-party incorrect drivers,
• using false antivirus programs and other “leftist” products.

If a blue screen occurs, you should begin to eliminate the causes of BSOD and the consequences of operating system errors. Dealing with a blue screen is not so difficult, and even an ordinary user can get rid of bsod in computer on your own.

STOP error identification

Sometimes STOP error identification does not seem possible. The message about the blue screen of death, as a rule, does not look entirely clear, since it is impossible to make out what is written in the mysterious STOP error, since the computer is constantly restarting and does not allow reading the already illegible “non-Russian” text.

In order to understand what your operating system wrote to you and begin to take some action to solve the problem that has arisen, you need to press the F8 key on the keyboard and hold it down the next time you restart your PC. After this, the login menu will appear. safe mode. Find the “Disable” option in the menu automatic reboot when the system fails”, then enter the menu. Now when you start your computer shows blue screen with white records and will remain in this position until you press the Reset key.

To get rid of the blue screen of death, do the following. Start by trying to boot your computer from a diagnostic Live-CD. This will help determine what type of problem you have - hardware or software: if it is hardware, you will not be able to boot from the Live-CD, and the PC will persistently issue a BSOD.

Then proceed as follows:

1) Restart your computer, or better yet, turn it off and turn it on again after a while.

2) Remember what you inserted into the computer the day before the problem appeared. Or, perhaps, you changed some kind of hardware - maybe it didn’t make friends with Windows? Perhaps you installed some incorrect program? Try putting everything back “the way it was” and see what happens.

3) If the OS boots, and the STOP error appears only occasionally, update the operating system by taking the update from the official Microsoft website.

4) Check if the computer has enough voltage. Because if it is insufficient, the computer may issue a BSOD.

5) Check RAM. This can be done using the Memtest utility (available on the Live-CD) or using the RAM checker that is available on installation disk OS.

6) Check HDD for sufficient volume free space, and then to the broken zones using the MHDD utility (you will find it on the Live-CD).

7) Go into BIOS, find the Default settings option and enable it. Save the changes and restart your computer.

8) It would be a good idea to launch the “System Restore” option or activate the “Load last known good configuration” option (you can call the options via F8).

One of the following methods should help you fix blue screen on computer. If this does not happen, check your computer for viruses - they often cause problems. Good luck!

The seventh version of the Windows operating system from Microsoft, although considered one of the most stable, is nevertheless not immune to critical failures. One of the most unpleasant phenomena is the “blue screen of death” in Windows 7. Not every user knows what to do when it appears. Some people believe that the problem will disappear on its own after a reboot (and for good reason). Others believe that a complete reinstallation of Windows 7 will be required. But before you decide to fix the problem, you need to know what it is.

BSoD Death Screen: What is it?

So, let's assume that the user experiences a Blue Screen of Death. What to do? Windows 7, as well as any other system in this family, can offer several options for solving the problem, depending on what was the root cause.

But in some cases, in order to get rid of this scourge in the future, without special utilities not enough. We will dwell on them a little later, but for now let’s see what it is from the point of view of the system itself.

Roughly speaking, BSoD is a kind of protective reaction of Windows to a critical failure in the system when a memory dump occurs. In other words, the system cannot neutralize an error in operation using its own means and because of this it reports that such and such has happened. In each specific case, deciphering the Windows 7 “blue screens of death” can tell a lot. Typically, the message on the monitor begins with the word “STOP” followed by an error code. What does this mean? Yes, only that at the moment some important process was stopped, vital for the functioning of the system as a whole. We’ll look at how to remove the “blue screen of death” in Windows 7 a little later, but for now let’s look at the reasons for its appearance.

Reasons for failures

Exploring possible problems, you need to clearly divide them into two large categories: software failures (including the system itself) and physical problems with the equipment (for example, when replacing a hard drive, video card, RAM, etc.).

In addition, in Windows 7, solving problems with such problems may also involve the fact that there is simply not enough space on the hard drive, which is especially noticeable when automatic system updates are turned on.

Classification of groups

Today, there are two main groups of failures. Group “A” includes problems with updating or replacing hardware, updating drivers or the system itself, and damage to system components. Group “B” includes incompatible versions of the primary BIOS input/output system, driver mismatch for a specific device, driver conflicts, lack of space on the hard drive, breakdowns of hardware components of the computer system, overheating of the processor or power supply, power outages, malfunctions of the boards RAM, problems with video cards, overlocking (overclocking) results, etc.

Windows 7 Blue Screen of Death Codes

As you can see, there can be many reasons for errors and failures. In any case, when such a screen appears, you should first pay attention to the description that is present at the bottom of the message. Separately, we can highlight the most common codes that occur most often:

• 0x0000006B;
• 0x00000000 (0022);
• 0x0000007E;
• 0xC0000005;
• 0x80000003;
• 0x80000002;
• 0x804E518E;
• 0xFC938104;
• 0xFC937E04 and others.

Of course, the list is not limited to just these codes (you never know what situation may arise). However, the most common one that appears is the Blue Screen of Death (0x0000007E), in which case Windows 7 displays a description indicating that some exception was not handled.

But this is just a brief information. To view Full description error or crash, it is better to use a small utility called Blue Screen View. It is this program that can give the key to understanding how to treat the “blue screen of death” of Windows 7. This can be done using the system’s own tools, which will be discussed further.

Blue Screen of Death: what to do (Windows 7)? The first and simplest solution

In the case where the failure is short-term, for example, due to a sudden power outage and a switch to the unit uninterruptible power supply, you can use a normal reboot with a forced shutdown by long pressing the power button.

But if the “blue screen of death” appears again when loading Windows 7, this will already indicate serious damage. To begin with, you can try to simply disable the recording of dumps and mini-dumps. This is done through the properties section, called up from the right-click menu on the computer icon, where you need to through the tab additional settings go to the download and recovery point. In the settings window, you need to disable automatic reboot and recording of small dumps, and then perform a complete restart of the system.

If even after this the problem is not resolved, it is very likely that it is no longer software glitch, but physical damage to the hardware (most often the problem is the hard drive and RAM).

Viruses

One of the reasons for failures may be viruses and malicious codes that deliberately affect the system. They cause a lot of trouble by overwriting system components and replacing them with their own files, and can also cause a “blue screen of death.” What to do? Windows 7 has no tools in this case, apart from its own primitive tools in the form of a defender and a firewall.

In the simplest case, you should check the system with a standard anti-virus scanner, but most likely you will have to use more powerful programs. The best option would be free disk utility Kaspersky Rescue Disk, which can perform its own loading even before the system starts and detect viruses that have penetrated deep into the RAM.

System component failures

If it is the system that is damaged, recovery may not work. In this case, it is best to boot into Safe Made mode using the F8 key at startup, and then, if you have constant access to the Internet, perform an online recovery using command line, run as administrator, the command that is shown in the image below.

The process will take 5-10 minutes, after which you should enter the sfc /scannow command and wait for the scan verdict. If the integrity of Windows 7 is compromised, system files will be restored automatically.

Lack of space on the hard drive

Lack of space in system partition can also lead to the “blue screen of death” in Windows 7. How to fix the situation? To do this, the system has its own disk cleaning tool. It is advisable to use it, and not modules of optimization programs, since the latter do not interfere with the system part.

In Explorer, right-clicking on the disk or partition being checked brings up the properties menu, in which, on the tab general settings you can see the clear button. After clicking it, in the window you should select all components to be deleted and confirm your actions.

Incorrect installation of updates

Quite often, the cause of BSoD is incorrectly installed or underloaded updates. It makes no difference whether it's on automatic update, or the search for updates was carried out manually.

How to remove the Windows 7 Blue Screen of Death in this case? You need to go to the appropriate section of the “Control Panel” and view the latest installed updates. They will have to be removed one by one, rebooting the system each time after uninstallation. Perhaps they are the reason. As a last resort, if you don’t want to do such things manually, you can try to roll back the system to its previous state. But it is worth considering that when enabled automatic installation updates will be integrated into the system again.

But in the first case, having found out which update failed, it can be excluded from the list when searching again manually.

Hard drive errors and damage

The most problematic situation is when the cause of the failure is the hard drive. In the simplest case, you will have to check it for errors.

To do this, use the checker from the properties menu, but in the settings the lines for automatic error correction and correction of failed clusters are activated. The same procedure can be performed from the command console, where you need to enter the line chkdsk /x /f /r.

If the damage to the hard drive is physical, nothing can be done, although some experts recommend using special program hard drive magnetization reversal called HDD Regenerator. True, there are legitimate doubts about the fact that it is possible to restore a disk this way (in the sense of using software). Nevertheless…

BIOS incompatibility

Another problem - outdated or incompatible with the system BIOS firmware. The screen will appear directly at startup. In this situation, there is nothing left but to contact the manufacturer’s resource on the Internet. As is already clear, you need to download the firmware and install it.

Information about BIOS version can be obtained in the system information section, which is called by the msinfo32 command from the Run console (Win + R).

Incorrectly installed drivers

But most often, the appearance of the deadly screen is influenced by drivers or conflicts between them (the most common problems arise with video cards). At the same time, if you access the “Device Manager” (command devmgmt.msc in the “Run” console or the section of the same name in the “Control Panel”), it is not recommended to update drivers.

It is best to remove the problematic driver and then install it from scratch. In some cases this may not work either. positive result. Therefore, you will have to completely remove the device. When restarting the system, it is advisable not to use the installation of the most suitable driver from its own database, but to install it, for example, from the Driver Pack Solution catalog or pre-load it required driver from the equipment manufacturer's website.

But to search for the driver itself, first in the same “Device Manager” for the problematic component you need to find the VEN and DEV identifiers in the properties and go to the details tab, where you select the hardware ID display from the drop-down list. To be safe, it is best to use the longest line in the description.

Damaged RAM

But let's assume that the Blue Screen of Death appears again. What to do? Windows 7 seems to have exhausted its capabilities. Apparently the problem is in the RAM.

The cause of the failure can be determined by using the appropriate testing program. The most powerful utility is Memtest86+. But there is also the other side of the coin. On desktop PCs, you can simply remove the memory sticks from the slots on the motherboard one by one, reboot the system and look at its behavior. You can’t do this with laptops, so you’ll have to contact a service center.

Problems with the remote control program

Finally, although infrequently, there is a problem with programs remote access. Specifically, this is an error in the Win32k.sys file. A way out of this situation may be to simply remove the faulty application. Only it is better to uninstall not using system tools, but use programs like iObit Uninstaller for this, which can not only delete the main program files, but also completely clean the system of residual files, folders and even system registry entries.

Instead of an afterword

As can be seen from all of the above, there can be quite a lot of reasons for failures in the form of BSoD. And it is not always appropriate to reinstall Windows 7. Finally, it remains to give advice to the majority of users who believe that such a screen means a “crash” of the system. There is nothing too critical about this. In most cases, a simple reboot or reinstallation of drivers helps, of course, provided that there is no physical damage to the hardware.

If you turned on the computer under Windows control and instead of the login screen or desktop you see the screen shown in the figure below, you have become the “lucky owner” of a STOP error, also known as the “Blue Screen of Death” or BSOD (“blue screen of death”). What's happened?

STOP error 0x7B in Windows 7 is caused by changing the SATA interface parameter in the system BIOS. Windows 8 displays other STOP errors.

Examine this STOP error (0x7B in this example) to determine why Windows 7 crashed.

Examine this STOP error (HAL_INITIALIZATION_FAILED in this example) to determine why Windows 8.x crashed

Blue screen errors can be caused by many issues. When launched, they are usually caused by problems with hard drive device drivers. If the blue screen error appears after booting to the desktop, it may be caused by corrupted applications, device drivers, or memory problems.

When you see a BSOD error, be sure to write down the values ​​listed after the STOP message, for example, STOP: 0x0000001E or 0x1E for short. If the error name is displayed, such as KMODE_EXCEPTION_NOT_HANDLED, make a note of that as well. Then you can look up the error number and its name on the website technical support Microsoft Corporation (), and find solutions offered by Microsoft.

The table below lists some of the most common STOP errors and possible solutions to them.

Common Windows STOP errors and their solutions

Unfortunately, Windows is usually configured to reboot the system immediately after displaying an error message, so you won't be able to read it. If you want to configure Windows so that the STOP error remains on the screen, you can determine what it is and find solutions, move on to the next article.

Advice. You can disable restarting the PC in case of a STOP error using the startup option “Disable automatic restart after a failure” or “Disable automatic restart when the system fails.”

Fixing 0x7B STOP error on startup

If you are building a computer, simply upgraded the hard drive in it, or replaced the motherboard battery that maintains system settings, it is possible that your computer has “forgotten” the correct configuration settings.

Almost all hard disks configured using Auto as its type. This way, if the setup information is lost, the default (normal) value will be "Auto" and the drive will be detected correctly.

However, the problem may be the configuration of the SATA interface your hard drive uses. There are several possible settings SATA interface (IDE, AHCI and ), and if your system is configured using one setting, but the system or UEFI firmware uses a different configuration, your computer will not boot, showing STOP error 0x7B.

If you know the correct parameter, follow these steps:

1. Turn off your computer and restart it.
2. Run the program BIOS installation or UEFI firmware.
3. Change the SATA settings to the correct value.
4. Save the settings and restart your computer.
5. When prompted, choose to run normal Windows configuration.

Advice. If correct settings If you don't know if the system is set to AHCI, select IDE (also known as ATA or Compatible), or AHCI if the system is set to IDE, ATA, or Compatible.

Switching to AHCI mode in Windows 7 and Windows 8.x

If your SATA drives configured to run in IDE mode, but you plan to install, keep in mind that an SSD not in AHCI mode will not provide you with higher performance. If the system freezes when changing SATA modes, how can I safely change the IDE mode to AHCI?

Before you switch, you need to start Windows and use AHCI drivers if necessary. The easiest way for Windows 7 is to use the Fix-It Wizard from . This page also details registry changes that make the same changes as the Fix-It Wizard.

After you run the Fix-It Wizard or make the necessary changes manually, you can, in the installation window system BIOS or UEFI firmware, it is safe to enable AHCI mode. After this, your system, having installed the appropriate drivers, will work properly.

To switch from IDE mode to AHCI mode in Windows 8.x, follow this procedure (taken from):

• Find and run msconfig.exe.
• Go to the tab.
• Select the empty Secure Boot option.

Make sure Safe Boot is selected before clicking OK.

To enable Secure Boot() on next restart, select the checkbox.

• Click OK.
• Move your mouse to the bottom right corner of the screen and click Settings.
• Click Change PC Settings.
• Click "Update and Recovery".
• Click "Recovery".
• Click the "Restart Now" button.
• Press the key or keys required to enter the UEFI firmware installer.
• Change SATA mode to AHCI.
• Select the option to save changes, and restart your computer.
• Find and run msconfig.exe.
• Select the Boot tab.

The "Reboot now" item allows you to change firmware settings (BIOS/UEFI).

Click on reboot and access the UEFI Firmware Installer (BIOS).

Preparing to change the system settings from IDE mode to AHCI mode.

Select SATA mode, select AHCI mode from the menu.

• Click OK.
• Open the Charms menu.
• Click "Settings".
• Select "Power".
• Click the "Restart" button.

Your computer, for full performance of your SATA devices, will reboot in AHCI mode.