Using SATA link power management with Microsoft's driver

Microsoft's default SATA driver starahci.sys appears not to support SATA link power management. So far, I've always installed Intel's Rapid Storage Technology driver iaStor.sys in order to get the benefit of SATA link management.

As it turns out, Microsoft's driver supports link power management, but the setting is hidden in the control panel and the default settings are HIPM only (balanced), HIPM+DIPM (power saving) and deactivated (high performance). However, PowerCfg can be used to change this hidden setting using certain GUIDs.

PowerCfg.Exe /SetACValueIndex SCHEME_MAX SUB_DISK 0b2d69d7-a2a1-449c-9680-f91c70521c60 2
PowerCfg.Exe /SetACValueIndex SCHEME_MIN SUB_DISK 0b2d69d7-a2a1-449c-9680-f91c70521c60 2
PowerCfg.Exe /SetACValueIndex SCHEME_BALANCED SUB_DISK 0b2d69d7-a2a1-449c-9680-f91c70521c60 2
PowerCfg.Exe /SetDCValueIndex SCHEME_MAX SUB_DISK 0b2d69d7-a2a1-449c-9680-f91c70521c60 2
PowerCfg.Exe /SetDCValueIndex SCHEME_MIN SUB_DISK 0b2d69d7-a2a1-449c-9680-f91c70521c60 2
PowerCfg.Exe /SetDCValueIndex SCHEME_BALANCED SUB_DISK 0b2d69d7-a2a1-449c-9680-f91c70521c60 2

The following method can be used to show the link power management settings in control panel. All that is required is to change two values in the registry:

Windows Registry Editor Version 5.00

; Created by: Shawn Brink
; http://www.sevenforums.com
; Tutorial: http://www.sevenforums.com/tutorials/177819-ahci-link-power-management-enable-hipm-dipm.html

[HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SYSTEM\CurrentControlSet\Control\Power\PowerSettings\0012ee47-9041-4b5d-9b77-535fba8b1442\0b2d69d7-a2a1-449c-9680-f91c70521c60]
"Attributes"=dword:00000002

[HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SYSTEM\CurrentControlSet\Control\Power\PowerSettings\0012ee47-9041-4b5d-9b77-535fba8b1442\dab60367-53fe-4fbc-825e-521d069d2456]
"Attributes"=dword:00000002

Doesn't even require a restart!