SATA/EIDE Hard Drive is detected as a SCSI Device?

SATA/EIDE Hard Drive is detected as a SCSI Device?1. Why is my Serial ATA hard drive detected as a SCSI device in Windows?
A Serial ATA hard drive is detected as a SCSI device in Windows Device Manager.

This issue could have several causes:

  • The Serial ATA controller (on the motherboard or through a PCI controller card) is assigned default Windows drivers. If Windows is unable to determine exactly what type of device the Serial ATA controller is, it will attempt to assign the closest matching device drivers. Since Serial ATA works using the same principles as SCSI, Windows will assign a Serial ATA controller a SCSI designation.
  • The Serial ATA controller’s (on the motherboard or through a PCI controller card) bus architecture is taken from a SCSI HBA (Host Bus Adaptor). Many companies that produce Serial ATA controllers also produce SCSI controllers. These companies often use an altered version of a SCSI HBA on Serial ATA controllers.
  • The Serial ATA hard drive is connected to a Serial ATA RAID controller. RAID and SCSI controllers have the same device designation in Windows therefore a Serial ATA hard drive will be detected as a SCSI device.

Since this issue is “by design” of the Windows operating system, there is no resolution implied or necessary. Any Serial ATA hard drive designated as a SCSI device will work properly at full performance and capacity. There may be device drivers for the Serial ATA controller that will list the hard drive as a Serial ATA device. Please contact your computer, motherboard, or Serial ATA controller manufacturer for any driver or BIOS updates.

2. Why is my EIDE drive displayed as a SCSI drive in Device Manager in Windows 2000/XP?
An EIDE drive is displayed as a SCSI drive in Windows 2000/XP.

It is common for Windows 2000 and XP to list EIDE drives as SCSI devices in Device Manager when they are connected to non-standard IDE controllers such as a Promise or SIIG controller card. This also occurs when the drive is connected to a specialized ATA or RAID port that is integrated into the motherboard. As long as you have the proper drivers loaded for the controller and are not experiencing any issues while using the drive, there is no cause for concern.

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