RAID driver question/XP install

[lucifugerofocale]

I am about to have a new PC put together with a Gigabyte GA-EX58-EXTREME motherboard. I am planning to install Windows XP Professional SP3. The motherboard has RAID potential, my question is: XP used to insist that you had RAID drivers on a floppy disk at installation time as they were NOT on the XP disk. ..is this STILL the case these days? Or, are RAID drivers universally on XP? I'm hoping to hear the required RAID drivers are definitely on the XP installation disk.

The reason i ask is I wont need to get a floppy drive if its not required for RAID driver installation.

 

[505090]

As far as I no there is no version of xp that has integrated raid drivers.

 

[lucifugerofocale]

Is Vista a different story?

 

[505090]

it is my understanding that you can use a cd or usb drive with vista and win7, unlike xp that forces you to use floppy

raid drivers are not integrated because they are proprietary to the individual motherboard

 

[lucifugerofocale]

sweet! that info helps me enormously. thanks for that

 

[505090]

np

 

[mikey5802]

I am about to have a new PC put together with a Gigabyte GA-EX58-EXTREME motherboard. I am planning to install Windows XP Professional SP3. The motherboard has RAID potential, my question is: XP used to insist that you had RAID drivers on a floppy disk at installation time as they were NOT on the XP disk. ..is this STILL the case these days? Or, are RAID drivers universally on XP? I'm hoping to hear the required RAID drivers are definitely on the XP installation disk.

The reason i ask is I wont need to get a floppy drive if its not required for RAID driver installation.

Raid drivers do not come with Windows XP (no service pack), they come supplied by your MOBO vendor. You need SP2 to have the RAID drivers available from XP. You can slipstream SP2 by clicking here:

http://www.winsupersite.com/showcase/windowsxp_sp2_slipstream.asp

 

[bilbat]

I always recommend to everyone that they include a floppy in every build.
0 - they're cheap insurance, and if you don't want to sacrifice the space, you can combine one with a 'stick reader': http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16813998514
1 - they make RAID/AHCI driver loading a breeze...
2 - they simplify BIOS flashing...
3 - they are excellent for storing 'offloaded' BIOS CMOS 'profiles' (created by the invaluable <F11><F12> save CMOS functions) in case of a flash (which erases the stored profiles) or a serious crash...
4 - there is a 'blind flash' procedure that will sometimes recover a screwed up BIOS flash, or BIOS curruption, but it only has a chance to work if you A: have a floppy, and B: have your floppy somewhere in the 'boot order', as, once things 'go bad', you won't be able to add it to the boot order, 'cause you won't be able to enter the BIOS!