ASM106x SATA Controller in Win10 Device Manager

jameswesthead · 30 May 2017

Hi,
I am struggling with a PCI -E x 1 expansion card. The card provides SATA-3 connectivity and I cannot get my Win10 system to recognise it properly (I think). I have connected an external hard drive (which is in a SATA supporting enclosure) to one of its sockets, but the hard drive is not recognised by my system. If I use a USB-2 connection instead, the drive is recognised. The expansion card is an ASMedia 1061and I have installed the latest Win10 driver for it. Having done so, I see that in Win10 Device Manager an 'Asmedia 106x SATA Controller' is now listed under 'Storage Controllers', whereas the driver installation instructions from ASMedia insist that it should appear under 'IDE ATA/ATAPI controllers'. When I left click on 'Asmedia 106x SATA Controller'/Properties, all seems to be well - the Events tab shows that the device Configured, Installed and Started. No errors are shown.
Should the item really be under 'IDE ATA/ATAPI controllers' and if so, how do I get it there? My motherboard is a Gigagbyte GA-P35-DS3L using AHCI (which is demanded by the installation guide for the card).
Any suggestions would be appreciated - ultimately, if I can get the thing to work at all, I want to connect a SATA SSD to one of the internal connectors on the expansion card.

TV2 · 31 May 2017

I don't think you will normally see 'IDE ATA/ATAPI controllers' in a modern system. Maybe you do if you connect an old optical drive or something. So I don't think that the new SATA device showing up in Storage Controllers is a problem.

You say you are trying to connect a "SATA supporting enclosure". I'm not clear on what this is. You could be referring to an external hard drive in it's own case, or an actual external enclosure- one that allows you to connect multiple hard drives. Please clarify this.

It would be best to simplify your setup to test the card. This means connecting a single bare hard drive directly to the card using a standard SATA data cable, and powering the drive from one of the PC's power supply SATA connectors.
This eliminates a lot of connectivity problems. You just want to know if the card is installed and works.

NavyLCDR · 31 May 2017

TV2 said:

I don't think you will normally see 'IDE ATA/ATAPI controllers' in a modern system. Maybe you do if you connect an old optical drive or something. So I don't think that the new SATA device showing up in Storage Controllers is a problem.

I'm curious if you looked in your device manager before posting this?

ASM106x SATA Controller in Win10 Device Manager-capture.jpg

NavyLCDR · 31 May 2017

I don't have one of these cards/controllers, but the readme file for the driver says:

6. From the Device Manager, look for an entry named
'Storage controllers'.
If this entry is present, expand it and look for one of
the following controllers:

- 'Asmedia 106x SATA Controller'
If the Controller above is present, no further action
is required.

- If this controller is not present, then your system
is not in AHCI mode. No other modes are supported by
the Asmedia 106x SATA Host Controller Drive software and you
should continue with step 7 below.

When you connect the drive to it, are you connecting the hard drive itself to the SATA port, or are you connected it through the enclosure? I would try taking the hard drive out of the enclosure and connecting the hard drive itself directly to the controller card, and, of course, a power cable from the power supply. It might be the enclosure that is interfering.

jameswesthead · 31 May 2017

I feel rather embarassed.

The device came with documentation for an old driver that referred to Windows Vista - and in that documentation the instruction was to look for the installed controller to be mentioned in Device Manager under 'IDE ATA/ATAPI controllers'.
When I downloaded the new driver and its documentation, I didn't check that particular bit of the document, and so didn't see the change.

So, yes, it does appear under 'Storage Controllers'.
It had not occurred to me that the enclosure for the hard disk might be at fault - I have used it with an external SATA lead to connect it to a SATA 2 expansion card in the past with no problems. Now, of course, it is SATA 3.

I will disassemble the thing and do as you suggest.
Thanks for the help.

jameswesthead · 31 May 2017

Thanks Guys .. I have just connected my 'C' drive to one of the internal headers on the expansion card, and it works just fine..

TV2 · 31 May 2017

Great!
Now on to figuring out what's up with that external drive. Could be just a cable.

TV2 · 31 May 2017

NavyLCDR said:

I'm curious if you looked in your device manager before posting this?

I did!
I'm all SATA here baby!

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TV2 · 31 May 2017

I have an older desktop with a P6T motherboard, running the same version of Windows 10. It has the IDE/ATAPI Controllers.
I think it just has to do with the chipset architecture.
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ASM106x SATA Controller in Win10 Device Manager

ASM106x SATA Controller in Win10 Device Manager

Many Thanks

Even More embarassed but grateful