RAID MIRROR CONFIG...AGAIN

[mikeyb_in_sd]

OK, this is what's going on.. I posted last month about my RAID MIRROR taking a dive

http://forumz.tomshardware.com/hardware/RAID-MIRROR-CONFIG-ftopict191410.html

So I went out and bought a new HD to complement the exisiting drive.. The original Maxtor drive is a 6Y080M0 for a size of 80 gigs. The new drive is a Maxtor 6V080E0 for a size of 80 gigs.. RPM speed is the same.. Access is 3 gig compared to the original's 1.5 gig.. Opened the case, pulled data cables and booted computer to determine the bad drive.. Found the bad drive, and installed new drive.. Started the computer and BIOS dump for RAID sez: "SIZE OF SPARE DRIVE IS SMALLER THAN SIZE OF MIRRORED SET!"


6Y080M0 <PM> 78166 MB CURRENT

6V080E0 <CONF> 76293 MB

I GUESS I SCREWED UP HUH? I should have bought a larger disk? Or what? Can somebody tell me what <conf> means?

And can somebody tell me I'm a traineee and just do this and everything will be peachy and creamy? Or am I looking at a total op system install?

Computer boots up fine, except for the message again that the RAID set is not complete..

Thanks, mike san diego

 

[michaelahess]

80Gb never means 80Gb, unless the drives are identical models, they will rarely have the exact same size.

If you Ghost the good drive to the new drive and recreate the array from the new one, it may work, allowing the array to be created with the "smaller" drive (assuming the new one is the smaller one).

Or return the new on and get a 160 or something.

 

[mikeyb_in_sd]

I dont wanna return the drive.. Oops, forgot to say, THANKS FOR RESPONSE!!!: :{D Are you suggesting that I buy NORTON GHOST to fix the other drive.. I'll do that.. I just can't do an operating system install.

Thnaks for response again

 

[SomeJoe7777]

You can fix this, but you're going to need a 3rd hard drive temporarily, and either Ghost or Partition Magic.

The array isn't going to let you create a new RAID 1 mirror on just one drive, you have to have both, and they have to be blank. Thus, you're going to have to copy the partition to a 3rd drive.

So, here's your steps:

- Using Partition Magic or Ghost, copy the boot partition from the existing degraded RAID 1 mirror to the 3rd hard drive. (Partition Magic will copy the partition to the 3rd drive the same size that it's currently at. If there's less than 80GB of data on the original partition, you can resize it before the copy to get it down in size. Ghost will create a file on the 3rd hard drive that's compressed if you want, so it will use less than the actual data space on the partition. If you're so inclined, Ghost can copy the partition over the network to a network share, but creating the boot disks to do that is a pain. Post back here if you want instructions.)

- Once the partition is copied somewhere else & safe, you'll go into the RAID BIOS, delete the old RAID 1 array, and then create a new one with your 6Y080M0 and 6V080E0 drives. This RAID will now be slightly smaller than the old one, limited by the smaller new drive.

- Run Ghost or Partition Magic again, copy the partition back to the new RAID 1.

You should be able to boot & be good to go.

One caveat, I don't know what OS your original drive has. Be aware that neither Partition Magic nor Ghost will run on server operating systems (Win NT Server, 2000 Server, 2003 Server). If you have a server OS, then the only option is to return the 6V080E0 and get a larger drive.

 

[mikeyb_in_sd]

Received!! But where the heck do I put a 3rd drive at? In the IDE slot? And buying a 3rd drive, i might as well, just buy a new Operating system.. I'm running XP SP2 already..

But anyway, thanks for advice..

 

[SomeJoe7777]

Yes, you'll put the 3rd drive on one of the motherboard drive connectors, either PATA or SATA, doesn't matter.

Remmeber, you only need the 3rd drive temporarily, so you could borrow one from a friend or from work (ask your IT department if you have one, they'll usually have several lying around) and then return it.

Also, I don't advocate this, but some people have taken advantage of some retailers return policies.

 

[michaelahess]

There is no reason you would need another OS, you already have one Just borrow a drive (may not be needed but it would be easier) and find a "friend" who has ghost.