How to set up Velociraptor RAID 0 and Vista 64 on XP Home system?

[Kadence]

I have two 300GB Velociraptors, and I want to set them up in RAID 0. My motherboard is an Asus P5E Deluxe. I also want to install a fresh OS, Vista 64 - that will move my current XP Home files to the Windows.old folder, but keep all my other data.

Right now I'm booting from a 600GB external eSATA drive that has XP Home on it. I originally was using one of the Velociraptors, but I used Acronis True Image to clone that over to the external hard drive. But I'm a RAID newb, and I don't know how to set up RAID on the Velociraptors now.

I looked around in the BIOS setup, and there was something under Advanced setup about how to configure the SATA - currently it says IDE. I don't want to mess with that though until I know what I'm doing, as I also have a couple SATA DVD drives, and my eSATA HDD. And I didn't see how to set up only specific drives as RAID.

So what do I do to set up my system as RAID 0, and install Vista 64 on it? I was thinking of setting up the RAID 0, then cloning over my system from the external drive to the RAID array; and then setting up Vista on the RAID array. But I don't know how to set up the RAID initially, and I don't know if I'll then need more drivers or something when I install Vista.

 

[bobmitch]

Go into your bios and set SATA to "RAID" instead of IDE. Then reboot the machine and hit Ctrl-I and enter the RAID setup utility. Once in, name your array...include both disks set your stripe size (I use 64 kb with no problems....the board will recommend 128k)...save and exit. Proceed to install Vista and it will partition your drives into one...My total disk size is now 600 GB...and it is fast...

Also, go here: http://downloadcenter.intel.com/filter_results.aspx?strTypes=all&ProductID=2101&OSFullName=Windows+Vista*+64&lang=eng&strOSs=150&submit=Go%21

Get the 64 bit Floppy configuration utility. All you need to do is unzip the files to your flash drive. While installing Vista...there will come a setup screen asking for Advanced driver installs. Put in your flash drive and choose the ICHR9 drivers for Raid controller...this way...Vista Partitions the total drive size and installs the drivers...otherwise...it won't recognize the array. In XP it used to tell you to hit F6 to install other drivers...in Vista, you get to that Advanced screen...that is where you install the RAID drivers. Once done...you are totally on your way...

Bob

 

[roadrunner197069]

Bobmitch is mostly correct.

You dont need drivers for raid in Vista, they are built in. However if you tried on xp you would need the drivers.

When you make the raid array, EVERYTHING on the 2 disks will be ERASED. It WILL NOT make a windows old folder!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Otherwise good luck.

 

[jeteryankees22]

Yeah back up files then put them back onto the raid configuration

 

[Kadence]

Thanks guys.

I had some problems, as after I set the SATA configuration to RAID, Windows reset right after the logo came up, then the next time it said Windows had a problem and so I boot in Safe Mode, but it just reset again; then the next time, I got the dreaded blue screen of death.

I was able to boot successfully from my IDE drive, so I realized the problem was probably because I was trying to boot from an eSATA drive with XP, and the BIOS SATA configuration is RAID, but that XP hadn't loaded RAID drivers.

Since my a: drive isn't working, I used nLite to create an XP install CD with the Matrix Storage drivers slipstreamed - but then I realized that won't help for a system that already has XP installed.

Is there any way to install the RAID drivers on an already existing installation of XP?

Bobmitch is mostly correct.

You dont need drivers for raid in Vista, they are built in. However if you tried on xp you would need the drivers.

When you make the raid array, EVERYTHING on the 2 disks will be ERASED. It WILL NOT make a windows old folder!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Otherwise good luck.

If you install Vista on a system that has XP, it will create a Windows.old folder where it places all the old Windows files - including My Documents and such.

 

[evongugg]

In order to boot off a RAID array, it has to be created with fresh/formatted drives and then the controller arranges the drives in whatever way you want. I believe RAID 1 can be mirrored without formatting the first drive though, but you are talking about RAID 0.

Your only option is to back everything up and re-image it once the array is created.

 

[marcellis22]

Since you don't know what you are doing, at least do it right. BACK UP ALL IMPORTANT DATA. When you set up the RAID 0 and initialize the drives, you'll have NOTHING on them. Boot the system, and when prompted by the RAID BIOS to enter CTRL-I, do so. Choose RAID 0, select the two disks offered, and select the block size. Exit out and allow the RAID BIOS to initialize the disks, if it prompts you to, then with the CD/DVD drive selected as boot, start your install of Vista... Done deal, just remember if you lose one of the drives in RAID 0, all data on the system is toast, be sure to back up important data on a regular basis...

 

[Kadence]

In order to boot off a RAID array, it has to be created with fresh/formatted drives and then the controller arranges the drives in whatever way you want. I believe RAID 1 can be mirrored without formatting the first drive though, but you are talking about RAID 0.

No, I don't mean booting off the RAID array, I haven't made that yet - right now I'm booting off of my single eSATA drive, which has XP Home. After I set the BIOS RAID configuration to RAID however, I can't boot from this drive anymore, it just resets after the logo comes up, or gives me the blue screen; though I can boot from my IDE drive, which just has cloned contents of my eSATA drive. Thus I presume the problem is that XP can't boot from an SATA drive of any sort if you set the config to RAID, and you didn't install RAID drivers.

So is there any way to install RAID drivers on an already existing installation?

 

[HawkFest]

I had some problems, as after I set the SATA configuration to RAID, Windows reset right after the logo came up, then the next time it said Windows had a problem and so I boot in Safe Mode, but it just reset again; then the next time, I got the dreaded blue screen of death.

I was able to boot successfully from my IDE drive, so I realized the problem was probably because I was trying to boot from an eSATA drive with XP, and the BIOS SATA configuration is RAID, but that XP hadn't loaded RAID drivers.

Exact. As was said before, FORGET ABOUT WINDOWS.OLD... Forget about keeping your registry and former install parameters, what you want to do involves installing the OS from scratch on hard drives that'll be setup under a RAID/SATA context, not IDE. Your BIOS is instructing the OS to read SATA HDD under a RAID, not an IDE HDD, so if the OS has not been installed from scratch with the corresponding drivers... There's no way around my friend, so use the front door, don't try the window ;-)...

P.S.: it's sad to notice how so many people have a SATA HDD, but configured and accessed as an IDE drive, thus annihilating any advantage SATA can provides. When you have a single SATA HDD, configure it as an AHCI drive in the same manner a SATA/RAID HDD must be configured, else the SATA advantage is lost.

 

[basalt51]

Don't change the bios setting to raid until you are ready to use the raid. Forget about your esata drive until your finish installing vista 64. Its really a very simple process. Once you create the RAID 0 as described in the first reply, the RAID array will appear to Vista like any other single volume. Just install Vista normally. Once Vista is installed you can re-attach your esata drive, and copy any data you need from there. The only time you'll notice you are using a RAID is the intel RAID manager and when one drive dies (or it thinks one did) and you lose all your data.

You will be doing a FRESH install. As such you will have to reinstall everything, find 64-bit drivers for your hardware - which you should put on a disk before you start the install, just incase Vista doesn't have them all.