Switching to RAID 0 without re-installing Windows

[Okcookienc]

I currently have Windows 7 and the majority of my programs and games installed on a 128Gb Crucial M4 SSD. Data and overflow programs are stored on a 1Tb Barracuda. I recently purchased a second 128Gb M4, which I am waiting to install. I am seriously considering setting up the SSDs in a RAID 0. I am aware that I will lose TRIM, etc. and I do not wish to use this thread to discuss the pros/cons of using RAID with SSDs.

My question is: is there an effective work-around for switching from AHCI to RAID 0 without having to do a complete re-install? My understanding is that my install of Windows currently does not have the RAID drivers, as I have not yet enabled RAID. I have seen a work-around that involves cloning, a registry hack, etc... It is posted here:

http://www.ocztechnologyforum.com/forum/showthread.php?72309-How-to-switch-to-RAID-0-without-reinstalling!

However, there is only one reply to the post so I'm not completely inclined to trust it.

Forum, I'm looking for feedback and advice - is there really an effective work-around that will enable me to configure RAID and then clone my current install to the array? Will it work? Is it easy to do and without risk?

As always, thanks for your help.

 

[thently]

This will indeed work and is the only way you can do this without reloading quite a process hope you have a little exp with regedit and dont mind getting a little messy sounds like a good thought out and documented plan though.

T

 

[Okcookienc]

This will indeed work and is the only way you can do this without reloading quite a process hope you have a little exp with regedit and dont mind getting a little messy sounds like a good thought out and documented plan though.

T

I definitely have enough experience with regedit to feel confident doing what's documented in the plan. I don't mind getting messy either. I just hope it works and it's worth it.

 

[leandrodafontoura]

Make a system restore to a external disk, install the 2nd SSD and try a system restore. And of course, backup all your data first

 

[WyomingKnott]

leandrodafontoura: Have you ever tried this? I'll buy it if it has actually worked. But there is a reason that the linked procedure above is more complex: the drivers that you need after switching to a RAID boot volume are different from the drivers that you need before. So I would lay my money on the simple procedure not working if the boot drive was in AHCI or IDE mode before.

 

[Okcookienc]

leandrodafontoura: Have you ever tried this? I'll buy it if it has actually worked. But there is a reason that the linked procedure above is more complex: the drivers that you need after switching to a RAID boot volume are different from the drivers that you need before. So I would lay my money on the simple procedure not working if the boot drive was in AHCI or IDE mode before.

Hi again, WyomingKnott. You're absolutely right. I'm more than willing to bet that, as leandrodafontoura suggested, simply using a system restore won't work. I'm really hoping that the work-around I linked will work.

BTW, do you have any opinion on whether it's even worth it for me to RAID my 2 SSDs? I'm trying to improve Windows boot time.

 

[inzone]

I have come to find that the guides posted in the OCZ forums are good and do work. It is also been said that when you raid two SSD's that you almost double the read/write speeds. How ever I am unsure about Windows boot times as you will now be initializing the raid array and I don't know if that would interfere with boot times. It will make a difference after Windows is loaded and the raid array is active. By themselves SSD's boot faster then conventional hdd's anyway. My SSD boots into Windows 64bit in under 30 seconds.

 

[Okcookienc]

I have come to find that the guides posted in the OCZ forums are good and do work. It is also been said that when you raid two SSD's that you almost double the read/write speeds. How ever I am unsure about Windows boot times as you will now be initializing the raid array and I don't know if that would interfere with boot times. It will make a difference after Windows is loaded and the raid array is active. By themselves SSD's boot faster then conventional hdd's anyway. My SSD boots into Windows 64bit in under 30 seconds.

Wow! Double the read/write speeds? My SSD is already crazy fast, so doubling the speeds might be worth it. My rig boots into Windows 7 64 in about 15-20 seconds from power on.

 

[Okcookienc]

Best answer selected by okcookienc.