Fix: Intel RST Service is not running

Intel Rapid Storage Technology is a Windows-based application that improves the reliability and performance of systems where the disks connected are SATA disks. When you using one or multiple SATA disks, you can take advantage of enhanced performance and lower power consumption. Also, when you are using more than one SATA disk, you can increase protection against data loss in case of a power failure etc.

There were many cases seen where users reported that they had an icon present at the right-side of their taskbar stating that RST (Intel Rapid Storage Technology) is not running. This may primarily be because either the service is not running, or its startup type is not set correctly. Let’s take a look at the workarounds present to target this problem.

Solution 1: Checking in Task Manager

Before we go and change the service settings of the application, we can check if Intel Rapid Storage Technology is actually running or not. There are many cases where the application is configured correctly but it is not in the running state in the task manager.

1. Press Windows + R, type “taskmgr” in the dialogue box and press Enter.
2. Once in the task manager, search for the service “Intel Rapid Storage Technology”. If it is not running click on it and select Start. Save changes and exit the task manager.

3. Now check if the application is started correctly.

Solution 2: Changing Startup Status

If you are still having problems starting the application, you can change the startup status of the application. There are many types of startups of an application. It can be an automatic delayed state, or a manual one etc. We will change the state to automatic so whenever the computer starts up, Intel Rapid Storage Technology should itself launch. Do note that you might require administrative privileges to perform this solution.

1. Press Windows + R, type “services” in the dialogue box and press Enter.
2. Once in Services, navigate through all the list of services and locate the service “Intel Rapid Storage Technology”.

3. Double-click it to open its properties. Change the startup type from “Automatic (Delayed Start)” to “Automatic”. Press Apply to save changes and exit.
4. Restart your computer and check if the problem at hand got solved.

Solution 3: Updating Intel RST Driver

If both the above solutions don’t work for your computer, we can try updating the Intel RST Driver. Before we update it, we can try uninstalling your disk drive driver and then install the default one so if the current driver is corrupt, it can be removed. Do note that you will require an active internet connection in this solution.

1. Press + R, type “devmgmt.msc” in the dialogue box and press Enter.
2. Once in the device manager, open the sub-category “Disk driver”. Locate your Intel Rapid Storage Technology supporting platform, right-click it and select “Uninstall Device”.

3. Now right-click on any empty space and select “Scan for hardware changes”. The default drivers will now be installed.
4. Then navigate to the Official Intel Downloads Type “Intel rapid” in the dialogue box and from the results, select “Intel® Rapid Storage Technology (Intel®RST)”.

5. From the list of options of the driver, download the executable “SetupRST.exe”. Save it to an accessible location and run the executable.

6. After installing the software, restart your computer and see if the problem at hand got solved.

Note: It is worth noting that that the problem will not be solved if you have installed the Intel RST software on a drive which does not support the mechanism. In that case, we cannot force it to run as there are several hardware aspects which need to be there in order for the service to execute. The error will only be fixed if your drive is compatible with Intel RST.