Sign in with
Sign up | Sign in
Your question
Solved

RAID 1 or independent HDD's with OS on SSD?

Tags:
  • NAS / RAID
  • Storage
  • Hard Drives
  • SSD
Last response: in Storage
Share
September 25, 2014 6:18:02 AM

Fresh install of W7 on SSD. Data on RAID 1. I'm reading though that a better backup solution would be to use both HDD's independently.

Questions:

What would be the best way to frequently back up my data to the 2nd drive?

I set the BIOS for RAID. If I reset it to AHCI will my system still boot? I tried this before (switching BIOS from RAID to AHCI on a raided system drive) and the PC won't boot until BIOS is set back to RAID. This time, though, the system drive is a single SSD.

Currently using Intel RST. Is it better to let Windows disk driver handle the AHCI, or Intel's driver? I read that Write back caching options are available with RST - and can result in real performance gains.

TIA!

More about : raid independent hdd ssd

a c 164 G Storage
September 25, 2014 9:13:00 AM

RAID is not the exactly backup solution, you need other HDD to back up the raid too, if you have the very important doc, I recommend to burn them into either the DVD or blu-ray too. I mean you need two copies of them.

Now back to the BIOS setting, because you use single SSD for the win7, raid for data you can boot either use the RAID mode or AHCI mode. If you use the TWO drives to set up the raid for the OS you only can boot under RAID mode.

If you use the intel RST, I recommend use it, I try it on my pc when I set up the SSD to raid0, you just add other SSD, let the RST to do the raid for you, and you don't need reinstall the OS, also you can keep all the data too, I like it.
m
0
l
a c 256 G Storage
September 25, 2014 9:17:29 AM

oatmeal769 said:
Fresh install of W7 on SSD. Data on RAID 1. I'm reading though that a better backup solution would be to use both HDD's independently.

Questions:

What would be the best way to frequently back up my data to the 2nd drive?

I set the BIOS for RAID. If I reset it to AHCI will my system still boot? I tried this before (switching BIOS from RAID to AHCI on a raided system drive) and the PC won't boot until BIOS is set back to RAID. This time, though, the system drive is a single SSD.

Currently using Intel RST. Is it better to let Windows disk driver handle the AHCI, or Intel's driver? I read that Write back caching options are available with RST - and can result in real performance gains.

TIA!


The best backup is to something that is not always connected to the same PC. I use a 1 GB external HDD that I only connect during backup. That way, if there is a power surge a virus attack or some other problem that will ruin the backup if is connected to the PC, it doesn't damage your backup files. Here is what I've used for the past year and it works very well: http://www.bhphotovideo.com/c/product/846319-REG/Hitach...

A very good backup program is "Synchback Free." http://www.2brightsparks.com/freeware/freeware-hub.html

If you reset the BIOS SATA mode to AHCI, Windows will BSOD on first boot. Here is what I did to solve this issue: http://answers.microsoft.com/en-us/windows/forum/window...
Note: Changing to AHCI will make your RAID array inaccessible. Be sure that you have everything on the RAID array backed up.

I use Intel's driver.

Good luck!

Yogi

m
0
l
Related resources
September 25, 2014 1:26:22 PM

So am I correct to assume that I should save my data elsewhere, and convert the RAID back to separate drives before I switch to AH I in the BIOS? Or will the OS still see them when I boot my SSD using AHCI?

cin19 said:
RAID is not the exactly backup solution, you need other HDD to back up the raid too, if you have the very important doc, I recommend to burn them into either the DVD or blu-ray too. I mean you need two copies of them.
Now back to the BIOS setting, because you use single SSD for the win7, raid for data you can boot either use the RAID mode or AHCI mode. If you use the TWO drives to set up the raid for the OS you only can boot under RAID mode.

If you use the intel RST, I recommend use it, I try it on my pc when I set up the SSD to raid0, you just add other SSD, let the RST to do the raid for you, and you don't need reinstall the OS, also you can keep all the data too, I like it.


m
0
l
a c 164 G Storage
September 25, 2014 2:12:27 PM

Quote:
convert the RAID back to separate drives before I switch to AHCI in the BIOS?


Are you plan to use the two HDD in raid1 or 2 separate drives with the SSD ?
1) If you still use them in the raid1, then you just change the raid mode to AHCI mode in the BIOS, and boot the PC, and it will show up. For win8 you need do more work but you use win7, it will be fine. Or you just keep it as the raid mode, raid mode in SATA also has the same functionality that AHCI does.
2) If you use them in 2 separate drives, then you need backup the data to other HDD, because the PC will not recognize them anymore after you change the raid mode into ahci mode in the BIOS. And you need format them then the PC will recognize them in 2 separate drives but the old data will gone forever.
m
0
l
a c 256 G Storage
September 25, 2014 2:47:10 PM

cin19 said:
Quote:
convert the RAID back to separate drives before I switch to AHCI in the BIOS?


Are you plan to use the two HDD in raid1 or 2 separate drives with the SSD ?
1) If you still use them in the raid1, then you just change the raid mode to AHCI mode in the BIOS, and boot the PC, and it will show up. For win8 you need do more work but you use win7, it will be fine. Or you just keep it as the raid mode, raid mode in SATA also has the same functionality that AHCI does.
2) If you use them in 2 separate drives, then you need backup the data to other HDD, because the PC will not recognize them anymore after you change the raid mode into ahci mode in the BIOS. And you need format them then the PC will recognize them in 2 separate drives but the old data will gone forever.


If you just change the SATA mode from RAID to AHCI, it will not work. Windows will BSOD on the first boot.

Before changing to AHCI you need to modify Windows to load the AHCI driver before you change settings in the BIOS. Here's how: http://answers.microsoft.com/en-us/windows/forum/window...

Yogi

m
0
l
a c 164 G Storage
September 25, 2014 3:00:23 PM

If you install the win7 into the raid drive in raid mode , then if you just change to ahci mode, and the PC can't boot.

But if you install the win7 into single drive in the raid mode, you can just change to ahci mode, the PC will boot.

But if you use the win8 you can't , you need go into the safe mode only to change the key value in regedit. I do those in my test PC.
m
0
l
September 25, 2014 3:44:37 PM

Ok, cool. I think I read somewhere that AH I was better/faster than the RAID mode?

And yes, I will be using one of the HDD's as my data drive, and the other as a backup.

cin19 said:
Quote:
convert the RAID back to separate drives before I switch to AHCI in the BIOS?


Are you plan to use the two HDD in raid1 or 2 separate drives with the SSD ?
1) If you still use them in the raid1, then you just change the raid mode to AHCI mode in the BIOS, and boot the PC, and it will show up. For win8 you need do more work but you use win7, it will be fine. Or you just keep it as the raid mode, raid mode in SATA also has the same functionality that AHCI does.
2) If you use them in 2 separate drives, then you need backup the data to other HDD, because the PC will not recognize them anymore after you change the raid mode into ahci mode in the BIOS. And you need format them then the PC will recognize them in 2 separate drives but the old data will gone forever.


m
0
l
a c 164 G Storage
September 25, 2014 5:41:52 PM

If you talk about the benchmark for the single drive, it maybe. But in real world you will not notice the difference between them.
And if you use two drives in raid0 then the raid0 will be better the single same size drive, for example, intel 520 SSD 240GB in raid0. ( intel 520 SSD 240GB in raid0 vs Samsung 830 SSD 512BG). http://www.kitguru.net/components/ssd-drives/zardon/int... But in other review ( for Samsung 840 pro) and it is other story. http://www.tomshardware.com/reviews/ssd-raid-benchmark,...

So you need make the copy of your data into other drive before you break up the raid1, and double check the data too I mean make sure all backup data look fine, then break up the raid1, and format those drives, put back the data, and you are all set.
m
0
l
September 25, 2014 8:49:47 PM

YOGI & cin19, Thanks very much for your insights!
m
0
l
September 29, 2014 5:24:28 PM

I switched from RAID in my BIOS, and enabled the AHCI driver in Windows Registry.

Windows booted fine, and now sees the two HDD's as separate drives, and each has all of my data intact.

Intel RST won't start up however. It's just sitting in my tray, spinning it's little "I'm thinking" circle. It says, "Intel RST Service is not running" when I hover on it.

In Device Manager, it shows that my IDE ATA/ATAPI controller is driven by the standard AHCI SATA Controller.

I'd like to use the Intel driver/RST because of the greater functionality, but trying to run Intel RST just gives me a message that

I re-ran Intel RST and selected "repair" which completed sucessfully, and re-booted when asked. Device Mgr. still shows the standard driver. I also still get "service not running."

I tried uninstall/reinstall Intel RST. on re-install, I get a message that this installation isn't compatible. Researched on Intel's website, which steered me toward the older version 'Matrix Storage Manager.' Installing MSM doesn't work either.

I would like to have my two HDD's working independently, using Intel RSM. Any suggestions on how to accomplish this?

m
0
l
a c 164 G Storage
September 30, 2014 7:12:13 AM

Do you backup or save those data before you breakup the raid1? If you did. and you need format 2 HDD in the " disk management ", after that the intel RST will run fine.

Quote:
Quote:
I read that Write back caching options are available with RST - and can result in real performance gains.

Yes, they have. For the performance, not really. If you don't use the raid and you are better to don't use the intel RST. You can read this and decide for yourself. http://www.intel.com/support/chipsets/imsm/sb/CS-020784...
m
0
l
September 30, 2014 7:15:35 AM

Yes, I have my data backed up. So the problem is that I need to re-format the drives, and RST will then just work?
m
0
l
a c 164 G Storage
September 30, 2014 7:25:02 AM

Yes, because the RST need at least two HDD to run.
m
0
l
September 30, 2014 9:05:45 AM

Ok. Drives Re-formatted. Tried to install INTEL RST AHCI version 8.12.5.0.1066 for Win-64. It says,

" Program ended prematurely because of the following error:

This platform is not supported. "

(Yes, I'm sure I'm running Win-7-64)

What now?
m
0
l

Best solution

a c 164 G Storage
September 30, 2014 9:34:08 AM

try this one version: 11.7.0.1013 from intel website: https://downloadcenter.intel.com/Detail_Desc.aspx?Dwnld...
Share
September 30, 2014 9:42:35 AM

Yes, that worked! Finally, LOL TYVM!
m
0
l
!