Hi All,
 
I've tried searching but any thread I click on says it doesn't exist anymore    weird, anyway.
 
I've been trying to setup RAID 0 on two WD RE2 7200 RPM SATA RAID drives with an XP Pro SP2 disc I have slipstreamed with some other stuff.
 
First question - can this be done without a floppy drive? As I've read in the manual that you have to use a floppy for the drivers with xp and can only use a USB key with Vista. I set a small USB key as a floppy in the bios with the ICH9 Raid drivers on it and used it after pressing F6 when installing windows.
 
I got the error 'cannot copy the file: iastor.sys'. Is that cos I'm using a USB key?  
 
Drives are set to RAID in the Bios.
 
I've tried what feels like a million different combos of installing windows with different bios settings using the Intel Raid. I've done the ctr+i to set the HDD to raid in the Intel bios setup. Still doesn't work.
 
At one point had the OS installed then it just blue screened when trying to load.
 
Read that I can try to slipstream the drivers with windows and install, that should get rid of the iastor.sys error - tried copying my windows disc to my PC, seemed to succesfully slipstream the drivers to the windows section of the disc, but then when I re-burnt it it wouldn't boot from the CD.
 
Just getting really frustrated now. Any ideas? Anyone know of any good guides to installing XP in raid 0 with no floppy.
 
Also, I have a 3rd HDD with Windows installed normally - any way I can run something in windows to setup the RAID on the other 2 HDD connected to the system?
 
I also have the option of using the JMicron controller too. Would that be a better idea?
 
All suggestions welcome. Ta

I've always needed a floppy drive with the RAID drivers for Windows XP's F6 during-setup phase.  It's allowing you to use your USB thumb drive for this?

All i have ever seen is the floppy option, when windows is uploading the setup files and asks for you to hit f6 if you have any third party sata drivers to install, im not sure if this is the case with newer mobos, but it was until a few years ago, of that i am sure. Also, you may be having issues because your using slipstream, im not saying i know for sure, but it makes sense.

To my knowledge its floppy only, this was only fixed with VISTA (think it has USB drive and cd now).

You can slipstream the Intel RAID drivers into the CD with NLite.  
 
To make a XP bootable CD go to www.msfn.org They have a great slipstream walkthru.
 
With NLite you can install all drivers, servicepacks and other updates
 
1Haplo

halcyon - I was able to set my USB key to act as a floppy in the bios and the windows setup recognised it, but then I got the iastor.sys error.
 
I've ordered a floppy drive for 2 quid shipped off of ebay, baragain! TBH I though the days of the floppy were over, what a pain in the arse. Will try it again once it arrives.
 
1haplo - thanks for the that. I used Nlite to slipstream the drivers, seemed to work but couldn't then make it bootable again. So will check out that walkthrough.