Windows 8 - TRIM optimisations with AHCI & RAID

[idata]

Windows 8 detects SSD's and TRIMS instead of defraging.

It also looks like it can TRIM a RAID 0 array. I didn't think that was possible, but it certainly looks like it from the screen shot I took below.

[idata]

Mralpha is correct, but I wanted to put an update here. Intel has stated that its 7 series chipsets will pass the TRIM command through the Native controller using the 11. version of the Intel RAID ROM and 11. series drivers.

I have found that only the 11.5.0.0 and above version ROM and driver is allowing the TRIM to pass.

As the date of this post, the newest RAID ROM is the 11.6.0.1702, and the 12.0.0.1013 driver are allowing TRIM to pass to the controller and TRIM the drive when data is deleted.

This is working on windows 7, but have seen sporadic results in windows 8, now win 7 still shows a RAID array as a HDD, and windows 8 shows a SSD, but the windows tool to TRIM the drive does not seem to work, or is sporadic.

The X79 chipset is not considered a 7 series chipset, and any 6 series chipset will not TRIM the drive which Intel has also stated, but they have said they are working on it.

There are way's to mod the BIOS and drop in a modded ROM version to have the X79 and 6 series chipset to send TRIM.

For the X79, some Motherboard MFG's have placed in the BIOS a dual ROM option, that is, you can use the RST, or the RST-E, you must use the RST ROM, if you don't have that option, then you must use a modded ROM, same for the 6 series chipset.

All work, and modding, BIOS modding, knowledge of how to test TRIM pass, goes to two people, Fernando, Nodens.

These two people have done what Intel has failed to do from the beginning, along with Motherboard MFG's keeping the BIOS up on Beta firmware, Making sure that enthusiast have TRIM in RAID and new firmware in BIOS.

The biggest thanks to Fernando, Nodens.

They can be found here.

http://www.win-lite.de/wbb/board208-specials/board281-bios-bios-modding/16658-bios-modding-how-to-up... http://www.win-lite.de/wbb/board208-specials/board281-bios-bios-modding/16658-bios-modding-how-to-up...

http://rog.asus.com/forum/showthread.php?26501-RIVE-3301-Patched-for-TRIM-in-RAID! http://rog.asus.com/forum/showthread.php?26501-RIVE-3301-Patched-for-TRIM-in-RAID!

[idata]

Windows not being able to issue TRIM commands to an array has never been the problem. Windows 7 can do this as well. But the TRIM command won't get past the RAID controller so your not actually TRIMing the drives.

[idata]

so you are saying that windows 8 still cannot solve this problem? raid still cannot support trim even in wondows 8?

[idata]

Yes, that is what I am saying. Because the problem is not in Windows at all, but in the RAID controller. For TRIM to work the RAID controller needs to intercept the TRIM command and interpet it. Then it needs to figure out which parts of the TRIM command refers to which drives in the RAID array, and based on that construc and pass on new, individual TRIM commands for the drives in the array.

[idata]

Windows 8 installs standard drivers that have been modified. (I did not F6 the latest RST drivers). Standard drivers are identified as:

• AHCI driver: 6.2.8102.0 (win8m3.110823-1455).
• RAID driver: iaStorV.sys, 8.6.2.1012.

Intel have stated previously on this forum that TRIM on a RAID array is a hardware limitation. (I assume a controller limitation).

In AHCI mode Win 8 identifies my drives as being SSD and optimizes them accordingly with TRIM, which is something Win 7 can't do. When you switch to RAID mode the RAID 0 array can be selected and as per the screen shot in the 1st post it appears that the array is being TRIMed.

If it is actually working is another issue.