I have a late 2008 aluminum MacBook Pro (2.8ghz Core 2 Duo, Nvidia Geforce 9600m) with a newly installed SSD. I want to enable AHCI mode for better performance, but the only instructions i can find are for 2011 models with Intel chipsets. Can someone please tell me how to enable it on a 2008 model?
(Note: I do not have OS X installed. I have a clean installation of Windows 10)
MacBook Pro, Windows 10
Since you have W10 for which there are no Apple certified drivers for a 2008 Mac, you will have a tough time with an AHCI driver for your model.
You should have an nVidia controller. Try the nVidia web site for drivers.
I know that there are no windows 10 drivers for 2008 MacBooks, but that is why there is compatibility mode. I installed the windows 7 drivers using compatibility mode. So that is not the issue. I can use windows 7 drivers if needed. I just don't know how to enable AHCI in the BIOS, or lack there of. I only know how to enable it in legacy BIOS systems, which Apple computers are not.
Is W10 installed using legacy BIOS or EFI?
When I booted from the installation DVD (Holding down "option" key during startup), there were 2 options, one called "Windows" and one called "EFI Boot". I chose the latter.
Is there an AHCI driver in Device Manager? Be aware that you are using EFI 1.1, not UEFI. UEFI is available only on late 2013 and later models.
No, there is only a standard SATA IDE driver.
Enabling AHCI
