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I have both Windows XP and Windows 7 installed on my laptop. XP needs the IDE disk controller. While 7 needs AHCI. I have to switch between these 2 modes before I could use one of them. Does it have any effect on the health of my laptop?

Sathyajith Bhat
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Wern Ancheta
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1 Answers1

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It is safe to switch between AHCI (enhanced) and IDE (compatibility) mode, as it only changes the way the disk is accessed, but it doesn't change the data at all.

Windows 7 supports IDE mode, but it's not recommended because AHCI is faster. You can actually download the AHCI drivers for XP if you search for your motherboard (or computer model, especially if it's a laptop). Install those drivers, then reboot XP with AHCI enabled and it should work.

TuxRug
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