Can OS be placed on RAID drives?

[grouse]

Hi,
Last year I set up a new system using a Gigabyte 8IHXP motherboard. I wanted to set up the system using the raid function to increase the HD speed, but didn't manage to do this for the main drive. My solution was to run the OS on one drive, and use two other drives with the raid as a spare where I actually do all my work.
My question is "can the system be set-up just using the two raid HD's?

 

[Crashman]

Yes it can, but that can be a pain in the arse. If you're setting up Win2k or XP, you'll see a point in startup of settup where it says "insert disk and press (some key) to load 3rd party SCSI drivers" or something like that. Yes, you'll need a floppy with the drivers for your RAID controller methinks.

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[endyen]

I watched, sort of half-interested, as a friend did it. He put the second drive in after the os was loaded onto the first. He then went into the raid prog, and had it redo the setup.

 

[sirantony]

Yes that is how I have mine set up now. I partitioned 10 gigs for the OS. It's not hard. You will need to copy the raid drivers to a boot disk first. When you the install windows will ask you if you want to install third party raid driver. Say yes and put in the floppy. Thats it. No biggie.

 

[Dark_Penguin]

Hey like you I been trying to setup the OS in a RAID array I have an a little bit old Gigabyte MB with raid support and it was realy a pain in the ass I'm still trying to do that, I already try to setup XP, Server 2k3 and 2k prof and no one works.. Always after copy the setup files and reboot the computer, used the RAID drivers and all that always appears a message that says that I don't have any disk...

The only way I setup the SO was making an image with Norton ghost after that making the array and then copy the image to the array .. it works? ... yes but the system always was inestable ...

If you someday can install it please tell me ..

 

[lunitic]

Alternative (only for mirrored raid):
(assuming you have a working W2k/XP setup)
install RAID controller & boot Windows. The hardware Wizard will ask you for the drivers, install those from the driver CD. Reboot, test to make sure everything's working. then move the drive to the raid controller (note carefully on which channel), install the mirror drive and create a disk array (RAID1); my controller offers to copy one drive to the other. Mark the array as bootable, dont forget to change the boot order in BIOS. That's all.

Now I know most people in this forum use RAID 0 (striping). I wonder why...

 

[Dark_Penguin]

OK I will try it in that way .. And to answer the question I think you put in your post, I used 2 disk because that are the only I have and want to see if the striping array will give me the performance everybody says, I don't care about safe..

By the way the third disk need to be same as the others ??? Just Question ..
Anyway thanks for your Help