ICH* - Intel SATA AHCI Controller Hot Swap capable under XP?

[IgiVeUp]

My SATA hdds are running in AHCI Mode on ICH9(B) using this method: http://www.msfn.org/board/index.php?showtopic=109450&st=0&p=721156&#entry721156. XP now automatically recognizes when a drive is hot (un-)plugged. So far so good...

However the drives are not listed in "Safely Remove Hardware" nor can I activate the settings for "Optimize for quick removal" and "Optimize for performance" (they are greyed out).

As my drives are running with write cache enabled I am looking for a solution to activate the above mentioned settings for a save removal. Is there any way I can tell XP or the Intel driver (iaStor.sys) itself to do so? (I am aware there are 3rd party applications which can or pretend to do so, but this should be the last option)

 

[IgiVeUp]

Any ICH owners out there with their (e)SATA drives listed in "safely remove hardware" tray?

 

[SockMan!]

Any ICH owners out there with their (e)SATA drives listed in "safely remove hardware" tray?

I asked something similar on the Abit forums in regards to my IP35 Pro. Their response was that the 'safely remove hardware' option is dependent on how manufacturers implemented their chipset and/or drivers. My NForce4 mobo would have the option, but my ICH9R mobo does not. As a result, I pretty much just swap it out when I'm sure nothing is using the drive.