Uninstalling RST/Optane drv and app's the proper way...

[PerS]

Hi
Made an upgrade from Win10 to Win11 on my PC a week ago. All went just fine, but I realized that I still had the RST and Optane driver/app’s/RAID-setting in BIOS/UEFI on the system (ran RAID in the system a few years ago). Running 4x SSD and 1x HDD and want them in AHCI mode (they are in RAID mode, but no one is paired). I plan to run Linux on this machine, and I see post that this can/will interfere with a Linux installation (due to the BIOS/UEFI setting to RAID…).

During the Win11 upgrade the system got more or less all drivers upgraded, incl RST and Optane (in line with my 10th gen CPU). I think I also got an upgrade of the Optane app too. But found out that I don’t have the “Intel Rapid Storage Technology Application” installed on my system by some reson.

So, I am looking for

1. An instruction on how to uninstall all RST/Optane involved app’s/drivers from my system and switch BIOS/UEFI from RAID to AHCI, in the right order without crashing my system.
   A link or a description would be great.
2. If installing “Intel Rapid Storage Technology Application” will help to make this process easier/more secure.

Found some instructions on the web but a lot of if’s and but’s… anyone know where to look or have a description that works? I would be more than grateful.

My system spec.

• OS – Win 11, upgraded from Win 10 a week ago. Will add Linux to it but I’m not sure of the method yet.
• Motherboard – Asus Z490-A with a i5/10600K processor, 16GB RAM and a MSI GTX GPU. Latest Bios v.3201.
• RST drv. v.18.31.6.1039.
• Optane Memory and Storage Mgmt. app. v.18.1.1042.0, driver v.18.31.6.1039.
• Optane Memory and Storage Mgmt. drv. v.17.9.0.1 (device manager).
• Chipset drv. v.18.31.6.1039.
• ME-drv. v.2408.5.4.0 (and latest ME fw).

Most gratefull for any "kick in the right direction"...

//Per 

[jbruceyu]

You're definitely on point for being cautious, mate. Messing with Intel® RST/Optane settings especially if you're rocking RAID and planning to throw Linux into the mix... yeah, you gotta prep that move right. Switching from RAID to AHCI without setting things up first? That’s an express ticket to a boot fail or BSOD. Ain’t nobody got time for that. Step one? Backup. Whether that’s your files or a full system image, just make sure you’ve got a safety net before touching BIOS. Changing storage modes directly affects how Windows talks to your drives, and if you’re not ready, it can straight-up trip the system. Now, from what you’re saying, RAID’s still enabled in BIOS, but you’re not actively using any arrays so yeah, that’s a green flag. But still, pop open the Intel RST UI or BIOS setup just to double-check that nothing’s paired up. If you do see an active RAID volume, make sure it’s backed up before you delete anything. Once that data’s gone, it’s game over. If you want a clearer view of what’s going on, it wouldn’t hurt to install the Intel Rapid Storage Technology Application just for a bit. It’ll give you a friendly GUI to check what’s active under the hood. You can grab the installer from Intel’s site, just match the version with your current setup (you’re on 18.31.6.1039, so keep it tight). 

Before touching BIOS, you gotta tweak the registry so Windows doesn’t freak out when you change storage mode:

A. Hit Win + R, type regedit, and go to: HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SYSTEM\CurrentControlSet\Services\iaStorV > Set Start to 0

B. Then head here: HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SYSTEM\CurrentControlSet\Services\iaStorAVC\StartOverride > If you see 0, set it to 0

C. Don't forget: HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SYSTEM\CurrentControlSet\Services\storahci > Set start to 0

D. Now flip the switch. Reboot and hit Del or F2 to enter BIOS, Go to Advanced > SATA Configuration (might vary depending on your board), Change RAID to AHCI, change RAID to AHCI. If the registry tweak was done right, Windows should boot clean with AHCI enabled, no drama no BSOD

[PerS]

Hi jbruceya
Thanks so much for your reply.
Yes, I already have a full file backup, both on my NAS and on a USB disk, and will run one more before doing anything. Will see if I’m doing a system image or go all the way doing a clean install, Will anyway do a restore point. I use this PC for some music recordings/editing, and it’s tweaked to be optimized for that purpose. Not sure what the Win11-upgrade did to those tweaks. I know my config of USB ports not to be power managed/turned off was gone. My network interfaces were OK.
Think we are on the same line, this is not “solid ground”… And reading other suggestions they “do not hang” all the way (BSOD risk, permanent hang etc.), or I didn’t understand :-). That’s why I express myself as I do... (and sorry, English is not my native language, bear with me:-)
I do like your method as it goes more on the “nerves in Windows”, tweaking the registry. But suspicious as I am, have a few follow up questions.

• Reason I ask about the RST App, it was one of the methods I read about to inactivate RAID in that RST app before doing some other hands on. If I understand your answer correctly, you suggest using it to just view status of RST, not do any “changes”. Correct?

Added a pdf with some screen shots. Slide 1 and 2 are two views, with different tools, of my disk setup. In the second one you see that it’s in RAID-mode but just as single drives. (I know, disk F: is my extended file history and is such a stupid setup in windows, my config is “delete when space is needed”, equal to always full…).
Slide 3 are my registry and the paths in your answer.

1. Interpret that as it’s already set to “0”.
2. “If you see 0, set it to 0”. If I see anything else than “0”, what do I then? If I interpret the screenshot it’s set to “3”.
3. Interpret that as it’s already set to “0”.
4. The change in BIOS/UEFI for RAID to AHCI is identified. I will also go through all settings there as I upgraded it before doing win11 upgrade and there are a few changes and some.

Is the “E-bullet” to uninstall RST drivers Optane drivers and the app (and Intel RTS Tech App if installed it)? And then reboot?

Thank you in advance for your patience and I am very grateful for your feedback.
//Per

[PerS]

Hi jbruceya

Sorry, a case of overthinking here…

Your bullet “B” – I think what you try to tell me is - If second raw in Name/first column under \StartOverride (REG_DWORD) is “0” then Data/third column should be set to “0”. Now this is set to “3”, so I change that.

As the rest already are “0” that’s the only thing I need to change.

//Per

[AlphaTop89]

@PerS 

you're doing everything right here... your English is solid, and the way you broke everything down made perfect sense. You clearly know your setup well and it's awesome to see how careful you're being with your music production rig. I agree with you. Yup, you're spot on about the RST App, i think @jbruceyu only suggesting using it to view the RAID status, not to make any changes. It's just a way to double-check how things are currently set. As for the registry bit under StartOverride, you're correct again. If it's showing a value of 3, go ahead and change that to 0. Since the rest are already 0, that’s the only tweak you’ll need to make. you nailed the “E-bullet” too. If you're going the AHCI route, uninstalling the Intel RST drivers, Optane stuff, and the RST app (if it's installed) is a clean move. Then reboot, flip the RAID setting to AHCI in BIOS/UEFI, and you’re good to go. also... massive props for doing extra backups before diving in. That’s how pros handle business, especially on a machine that’s tuned for creative work. Smart move on your part. You’re definitely not overthinking, you're being cautious and thoughtful, and that’s exactly what’s needed with these kinds of system-level changes.

[PerS]

Hi AlphaTop89

Thanks for the confirmations in your answer.  And also, to uninstall apps and drivers before reboot and make the last changes in BIOS/EUFI. Sonds absolutely correct.

About AHCI, I actually need to go this path due to the plan to use Linux later on and has confirmation from different places that RAID is not supported, at least not in Ubuntu Studio.

I will report back on how this goes. Until then, thanks you both @jbruceyu and @AlphaTop89 for your encouraging responses and for making me feel confident/safe to take on this challenge…

//Per