Vista Upgrade, adding Raid 1

bchen

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Feb 2, 2009
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Hi folks,

I'm building a new HTPC and I want it to configure my two 1TB HD's in a Raid 1 array. The trouble is that I'm using a Vista Upgrade (from XP) and I don't have a floppy drive.

If I had a Vista stand-alone, it looks like it would install the raid drivers (or ask for them) as part of installation.

As it is, I can install XP on the system if I leave the HD's out of RAID, but when I try to install Vista, I don't get asked to install a raid driver.

If I go into the motherboard's config and set the HD's to RAID 1, I can't load XP.

I can't load Vista from the CD because it's an upgrade version that will only run from XP.

Am I doing something wrong? Will Vista Upgrade allow a new box to have a RAID config without using a floppy during the XP installation?

Thanks much!

Bernard
 
Vista Upgrade will do a clean install with nothing on the drive as MrLinux has said.
It will simply ask you to insert the XP install disk during installation to prove that you own a previous version qualifying version of Windows.
Don't lose, give away, or destroy your old XP disk, as you will need it if you ever reinstall Vista again!
 

bchen

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Feb 2, 2009
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18,510
I'm making slow and small progress, but still haven't managed to install Vista with Raid 1.

1. At the point where Vista asks for an Authentication Code, I realized that I didn't have to enter a Code. Entering nothing got me to a new screen where I could install RAID drivers.

2. I had already configured my Bios to RAID previous to starting the installation. After installing the drivers, I could see an unpartitioned space of 900+GB. Attempting to install to the unpartitioned space failed.

3. It took a couple of minutes for Vista to get back to that screen, I partitioned the space, but installation still fails! The error message is that Vista can't find an installed volume on the drive. (Probably because I just created a new RAID array!)

I went through the install process a couple of times, looking for a chance to insert my XP disk, at some small cost to my lifespan. Each attempt takes 5-10 minutes as the installation process does something silent and frustratingly redundant.

So, I like the idea that Vista Upgrade will ask me for my XP disk, but I can't seem to get to that screen. Any additional advice/help? I don't want to run out and find a floppy drive...