How do i get my current boot installation onto a raided disk

Download the cloning utilities (may be called something like disk utilities) software from the HDD mfr's webiste. Install the HDDs, set up your RAID array/volume in BIOS, then use the software package you already downloaded to clone your existing HDD to the RAID array you created. Upon completion, restart and enter the BIOS to change your first boot device to the RAID array/volume.

thanks for the reply, i have just checked out the samsung website and they dont have a cloning utility, can you recommend a free cloning software.

Best free ones I know of are from Seagate and WD, BUT they only make clone copies to their own drive units - does not apply to you. Their packages are customized versions of Acronis True Image, which is very good but you must pay. I'm sure someone here can recommend freeware.

HOWEVER, there is another issue. Windows cannot boot from any RAID array without having a RAID driver installed as part of its installation process. The version of windows you have installed now is NOT on a RAID array so I really doubt you have a RAID driver installed there. A simple clone will not provide the driver. You would pretty much have to re-install Windows with the RAID driver, then re-install your apps under the new Windows, then copy all your data and settings files over. For the last part of that you can get a helpful tool from M$ called Microsoft Easy Transfer. Or, amybe someone else can suggest a work-around for this migration.

The other option is to install your new disk units in a RAID array that will be used only for data and NOT used as a boot device. You continue to boot from your old drive and leave your OS there. Then you install the RAID driver in your current Windows to give it the ability to use the new RAID array as a disk resource.

I got the hard drives today and i put them in raid 0, and i was surprised by the poor performance, i get a max read speed of 120mb/s, when a single drive will do 110mb/s and in raid i have seen them do 200mb/s. My motherboard is a gigabyte p35-ds3. It apparently has jmicron controllers only, i wasnt aware that it lacked the intel ich9 raid controller. What can i do to incraese performace, shud i just get a cheap sata raid card with a Via chipset, are they good.

Im hoping of trying this (link below) to clone my xp install, but not yet becuase of the poor raid performance.

http://www.theraptorpit.com/forum/index.php?/topic/4750...