Raid After Install

"a raid" ?
How can you expect anyone to answer that without knowing what RAID level or controller?

I'm guessing you want to use the integrated RAID function on your motherboard chipset.

I presume you already have the OS and your data installed on the 500GB drive.

You will need an identical 500GB for RAID0.

While it is possible to migrate to RAID0 directly, your system is unlikely to be "raid ready" with Windows installed with a AHCI or RAID driver so the short answer is - yes, you will need to backup your data and format your hard disk before you can convert it to a RAID array.

To be frank, you need to do a lot more research and understand RAID before you should even attempt it, as the slightest mistake could cost you!

It won't physically damage your drives, but it can cost you all of your data.

If you aren't very experienced with RAID, you should really back up your data to another drive frequently. You should anyway. But when dealing with an array, it's easy to make a wrong move and lose it all.

> right now i have 1 500 gb harddrive with vista on it


If you ever get the chance to study Intel's documentation
of their Matrix Storage Technology, they recommend that
you enable RAID in your BIOS before you run Windows Setup
the very first time.

The reason for this is that Intel's "RAID Ready" mode makes
it very easy to configure Just a Bunch Of Disks ("JBOD" ),
and to migrate to a RAID later on. Also, RAID mode means
that your on-board SATA controller will support SATA-II features
like 300 MB/second and Native Command Queuing.

By comparison, "Standard IDE" mode is usually very limited,
e.g. 150MB/second and no NCQ.


It is possible to force a driver change from "Standard IDE" to "AHCI"
but it is much more difficult to switch from "Standard IDE" to RAID.

With XP, at least, the main reason is that the RAID setting gets
categorized under "SCSI and RAID controllers" in Device Manager.


Here's what I would do:

(1) make a drive image file of your C: system partition,
and back it up TWICE to a safe place e.g. DVD disc;

(2) while your system is running, write the necessary RAID drivers
to a storage medium that your OS can read during Setup:
under XP, that medium must be a floppy disk to invoke F6;
I believe VISTA can read RAID drivers from a thumb drive
(I don't use VISTA, so confirm this first, please);

(3) buy 2 new RAID Edition HDDs that are identical (not 1 new HDD)
e.g. Western Digital RE3 SATA/3G are excellent for this purpose;

(4) re-wire your main SATA ports to these 2 new HDDs;

(5) boot into your BIOS and change your BIOS setting to RAID,
and enable the RAID Option ROM; save those BIOS settings
and invoke that Option ROM during POST: this step is crucial
because you must execute that Option ROM to configure
your RAID array e.g. RAID 0, RAID 1, etc.; NOTE: this step
can be a bit tricky, because you may need to boot up TWICE,
in order to change the primary boot device in the BIOS:
if you are going to boot from a RAID array, the BIOS won't
know about its existence until AFTER you execute the Option ROM:
so, the solution to this subtle problem is to boot into the BIOS twice:
the second time, your BIOS should recognize your RAID array as
a "hard drive" (or similar designation) in the Boot Priority section;

(6) then, run the task to restore your drive image to your C: system partition:
for example, with Symantec's GHOST, just insert the CD-ROM and be sure
you have changed your BIOS to boot from your optical drive; then,
just follow directions as they are presented to you: in particular,
you'll need to load your RAID device drivers by invoking the F6 option
before actually commencing to restore your drive image file.


If you screw up any step, you can always revert back to your
original 500 GB non-RAID HDD -- by switching back to your
current cable configuration.

BTW: 2 x 500GB HDDs will be dirt cheap, so
don't be penny-wise and pound-foolish. Also,
your RAID will operate better if all member HDDs
of that array are identical in all respects.


MRFS

It is set

Probably beyond the scope of the OP

Not if your system is "RAID-Ready" and you migrate using Intel's Matrix Storage Manager.

Confirmed.....Vista can 'F6' from USB 2.0

Are you statying that if you do not have RAID or AHCI explicitly configured in the BIOS you are hampering your HDD performance by not allowing certain SATA-II features, if of course you have a SATA-II drive?

I could be shooting myself in the foot due to my ignorance, please clarify. Also any articles would be appreciated.