Hitachi Serial ATA drive SATAII 3.0/ SATAI 1.5 Gb/s mode switching

Hitachi's new Hitachi Deskstar SATAII hard drives do not come shipped in SATAII mode, which allows the drive to perform with SATAII 3.0Gb/s transfer speed. In this FAQ section we detail the instructions to switch the Hitachi drive to SATAII 3.0 gb/s from the default SATAI 1.5 gb/s mode.

1. Download the Hitachi Feature Tool from the Hitachi Downloads and utilities section on their website.

2. After the download is completed, run the executable file, which will automatically load the necessary files onto the floppy disk, allowing it to load the Hitachi Feature Tool on startup. The Hitachi Feature Tool can also be deployed onto a CD and loaded on computer bootup using the CD image download for Hitachi Feature Tool.

3. Reboot the computer and enter the computer BIOS by pressing the specified key (ex. DEL). Set the Boot Priority for the floppy disk drive before any other devices, then save and quit.

4. The floppy drive will automatically load the Hitachi Feature Tool. Enter the tool and select the Hitachi Drive you desire to be switched to SATA II 3.0 gb/s mode in "Selected drive" menu.

5. In the "Features" drop down menu, select the "Change SATA Settings" option.

 6. In the "Change SATA Setting" menu, select "Up to 3.0Gb/s", then choose an option for "Spread Spectrum Clocking. To change back to SATAI 1.5Gb/s, select "Up to 1.5Gb/s".

7. Shut down the computer after the program is exited to complete the mode switch process. A reboot will not update the drive to change the SATA setting to SATAI or SATAII.