RAID 1: Can I Setup Up with Data Present on One of the Two HDDs?

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ganymede-

ganymede-

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Hi,

So here is my situation: I have an internal WD 3TB HDD that is almost full. I'm about to purchase the same HDD drive so that I can setup a RAID 1 configuration. What I want know first is whether or not I can keep all the content on my existing drive and have all that data automatically transferred (mirrored) to the new drive once I configure my computer for RAID 1, which I believe is done through the BIOS on an Asus MB z77?

Or do both HDD drives need to be empty of any content before I can setup a RAID 1 configuration?

Also, if I can setup my second HDD to mirror the content on drive 1, do I need to backup all 3TB worth of data beforehand bc there is a risk factor that I could somehow loss my drive 1 data? I would probably backup everything just to be safe anyway though it is a lengthy process since I would be copying all the content to multiple external drives using a 2.0 USB speed, but I was curious if there is anything inherently risky with setuping up RAID 1 system.

To me, it seems I would be better protected with a RAID 1 setup between two equally sized internal HDDs than buying an external 3.0 USB external drive than I backed up from an internal HDD.

Thanks for your feedback.
 
Solution
USAFRet
A backup on a schedule is easy.
To an internal or an external.

For a full disk image, I use Macrium Reflect.
Full disk images, unattended on a schedule you choose.

For file/folder backups, either FreeFIle Sync or SyncBackFree

The exact workflow depends on how often you want to create these backups.

For instance, my C drive backups up to another internal drive every night, keeping 2 weeks worth.
Also, to another system on the house LAN, every Sunday night.

The secondary drives in my main system are similarly backed up, using the above mentioned SyncBack Free or FreeFileSync, also on an unattended schedule.

Unlike a RAID 1, this gives multiple layers of recovery.
For my C drive, I can go back to...
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USAFRet

USAFRet

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Firstly, RAID 1 is not a backup. That is a standard statement you will find all across the internet.
And it is 100% correct.

RAID 1 helps in one and only one situation. A dead physical drive, and you need the system to actually keep working on the remaining drive. For instance if you were running a webstore, and actual downtime = actual lost sales.

It does nothing for data protection against virus, corruption, accidental deletion, etc, etc, etc.
All that simply happens on two physical drives at the same moment.

If you really feel you must go down that road...yes, you need to start with empty drives before you set it up.


But to reiterate...there are much better ways to safeguard your data other than a RAID 1.
 
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maxwellmelon

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many issues I see

raid 1 will not help your low space because its mirroring. so both drives will store a copy of the file. so both drives will now be full and no extra space will be gained. raid 1 is basically to keep a computer running in case of 1 drive failing (it just runs on the other drive)


any raid setup will involve erasing both disk during the raid config. so if you go raid you will need a backup.(you should have a backup anyways of important data)

though I don't recommend raid setups your better setup would be a raid 0 where the two drives would act as one big drive 6Tb drive. problem is if one drive fails everything is loss with raid 0.

best way I recommend is just adding the new drive and move personal files (music and stuff to the second drive)....to move programs over you have to uninstall them then reinstall them setting the install location to the new drive.

the benefit to this is if one drive fails you only lose what is on that drive. you then are only left with recovering the failed drive.

as always I still recommend a full backup of anything you cannot reinstall (your pictures/musing/moves/word doc) at make sure you update it every so often.


 
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ganymede-

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Okay, as I have YET to purchase this second HDD, I am definitely open to finding out what are some alternatives to a RAID 1 setup that will help safeguard my data on my 3TB HDD. For instance, would it make more sense to purchase a 3.0 External Drive to use as a Back Up Drive? If that is better than wouldn't I need backup software to assure my data is backed up on a regular basis? To clarify, this drive I am looking to backup is NOT my primary C Drive with an operating system on it. Please enlighten me. Thank you.
 
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USAFRet

USAFRet

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A backup on a schedule is easy.
To an internal or an external.

For a full disk image, I use Macrium Reflect.
Full disk images, unattended on a schedule you choose.

For file/folder backups, either FreeFIle Sync or SyncBackFree

The exact workflow depends on how often you want to create these backups.

For instance, my C drive backups up to another internal drive every night, keeping 2 weeks worth.
Also, to another system on the house LAN, every Sunday night.

The secondary drives in my main system are similarly backed up, using the above mentioned SyncBack Free or FreeFileSync, also on an unattended schedule.

Unlike a RAID 1, this gives multiple layers of recovery.
For my C drive, I can go back to any day in the last two weeks. Or to the last month in a weekly granularity.
For the other files, this is granularity on particular folders. For instance, for the secondary drive I use for photo work, I don't need ALL of the images and working files backed up ALL the time.
I just want the folder with the finished images. So that particular folder gets backed up to a different drive or system.


Overall though...you are far ahead of most people, in simply thinking about and creating a backup plan.
Good on ya!
 
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ganymede-

ganymede-

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Funny, I was not aware of the Macrium Reflect program until today. I first used the search box to see if I could locate a solution to my questions but none appeared; however, I did read about this backup program and I looked it up. The Macrium Reflect is $69.99 for their home version, though I did notice they had a free version, or maybe that is simply a 30 day trial?

Well, as it happens, I just so happened to have bought the Acronis True Image 2017 program last night because it was being offered for such a good deal at $24.99. That works with my budget. So unless you completely shoot down Acronis as I good backup program, for the most part I am committed to using it to create backup images for myself. However, I am ignorant on how to really use Acronis. I have yet to even open the program though I did install it last night.

I like the sound of doing a daily backup of my C drive. For Christmas, I received the Samsung 850 EVO 500GB SSD which is to be my new C drive, but I am waiting on a necessary cable needed to do the Data Migration from my current SSD to the 850 EVO. With that said, maybe I could use my Crucial 250GB SSD as a drive I could backup to each night to hold two weeks worth of backups? Could I do that with Acronis?

And, of course, what to do about my almost full 3TB drive? I do not have another internal/external drive that is that large, so I would have to buy probably a 4TB 3 drive. The question is whether it should be an external or internal drive? If I do external I could go the 3.0 USB route which would make transfer rates pretty darn fast, but that drive would have to be on all the time to be effective backup tool, right?

Sorry, if I jumping around on topics, but I think it is necessary to provide the stuff I am writing about. Thanks again.
 
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USAFRet

USAFRet

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For my system:
C drive is ~133GB used space.
A daily drive image from Macrium consumes ~72GB each. It leaves off stuff that does not matter, like temp files, page file, etc.
It also does a little bit of compression.

Imaging the full SSD C drive to a 3TB WD Green takes about 16 minutes.
 
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ganymede-

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Hi, why do u think I should use an external drive and backup software as opposed to an internal drive? I added this info to another answer, but as it happens, just last night I purchased Acronis True Image 2017, so this what I expect to use as my backup program, assuming it can handle all my requirements, which, actually, are not a lot. I do not need to access the data on my home desktop from outside of my home, so one of the major perks of using such services as Carbonite would be ignored, and is it not terribly slow to upload 3TB of data to such an iCloud type site. I do have the fastest internet speed from Comcast which is a download of 250mbps, but the upload speed, as always, is just 11-12mbps. At that rate, it would take awhile to upload 3TB of data, right? Or is it really not that bad and maybe I should consider the service even if I do not need to connect with data outside my home? The $55.00 price tag is kind of high for my budget right now, so I would not be able to jump to this service immediately. It would be at least a month or two.
 
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USAFRet

USAFRet

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The benefit of offsite is fire/flood/theft.
I have anything really critical saved to a drive that lives in a desk drawer at work. Rotate back and forth between a couple of drives. Once a month or so.

If my house burns down, I still have access to a scan of birth certificates, passports, a pic of my eldest grandson, when he was 2, and his aunts dressed him up in a tutu.
Stuff like that.

I plan on using that tutu pic in a few years when he pops up with a girlfriend. That's what evil grandads do...:lol:
 
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ganymede-

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So your numbers are sound.
C drive: 220GB used space; 18GB free space, appoxiately
I know Acronis will compress this down, but I am sure it will still be over a 100GB, unless the incremental or differential backups use less space. Confused as to the differences between the two. I need to spend a little time researching my latest acquisition. Regardless, unlike you, I do not have an empty 3TB drive to backup to. I am still not sure whether I should go internal or external on a backup drive? Someone else wrote that I should go external, but I asked him for a reason why and what software would he recommend. I am guessing you would advocate an internal drive, is that right? And your reason would be that it is easier to backup to an internal drive than an external one?
 
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USAFRet

USAFRet

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An internal drive, or external via USB, is little difference.
You gain a bit of benefit with a USB external, in that it is easier to remove it and connect to a different system.

A simple file/folder backup to an external means that you can grab that drive and run (hurricane?!?), and connect it to any random PC or laptop.
Instant access to all those files.

OTOH, an internal drive will never get knocked off the desk onto the tile floor.
 
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ganymede-

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So it sounds like the option that maybe the best one would be to purchase a portable 4TB 3.0 USB to backup everything of mine on it and still have almost 1TB of space that I could use for making backups of my C drive using Acronis and maybe one of the free programs u highlighted for daily backups? I think u have a point about being to just grab the drive and dash in case something like fire strikes. I'm not worried too much about hurricanes right outside D.C.

What do u think about this idea of the portable external? Amazon sells a couple Seagate HDD for $120 and they come w 200GB free cloud storage. I wouldn't usually jump on Seagate because I have had two of their drives fail on me in ten years, so WD would be my first choice; however, I will not receive the free 200GB of cloud service. Any opinion on Seagate portable drives?
 
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ganymede-

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Yes, following your suggestions, I have dismissed the RAID 1 idea. And yes, we r just quibbling (good word!) over what type of external drive I should buy.
 
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