How do I revert from using RAID0 to normal HDD use?

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felixgravila

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Sep 11, 2013
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I have two disks in raid 0. I want to revert to using them normally. I tried switching the sata mode from RAID to IDE (I don't have AHCI for some reason) but it just shows one HDD and it crashes the installer, I tried removing the HDDs from the arrays in the RAID setup but it doesn't allow me not to have any arrays configured, I don't know what else to do.

I must add that the system did work before in with the HDD's individually set-up in IDE. I just can't go back from RAID now.
 
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ingtar33

ingtar33

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Dec 17, 2012
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you can't revert without reformating all the hard drives in your RAID 0 array. because of how the array works. It splits the write data between both drives evenly basically making them one drive. when you split them appart the data becomes completely unreadable.

your only option is to duplicate that RAID 0 drive onto a solo hard drive to preserve the data then split them and reformat.
 
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Paperdoc

Polypheme
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Oct 19, 2006
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ingtar33's on the right track. But it's more than reformatting. AFTER making your complete backup AND checking to be sure it is readable and complete, what really will be needed is to Delete any Partition on EACH HDD. Then try to Install on one of them. How to Delete? Well, the easiest way MAY be at the very start of running the Windows Install disk. There ought to be an option to Delete any Partition on the HDD you are Installing to before proceeding.

IF you are installing Win 7 or 8, I suggest you do it with only ONE of the two HDD's in place. When you're finished and running, shut down and Install the other HDD. After booting up, use Disk Management to get to that second HDD, Delete any and all Partitions on it, then Initialize it (does not need to be bootable).
 
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felixgravila

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Sep 11, 2013
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I understand, but I do not want to keep my data. If I were to be able to have the HDD's at factory settings I'd be very happy. I tried formatting them from the windows setup but it gave me errors such as "windows cannot create partitions". I made a bootable linux usb, it saw both HDD's, I created new partitions on both of them, went back, same thing. I just want my HDDs to behave as HDDs, not go through the Nvidia JBOD or whatever the RAID controller's called in my case.

Is there a way of 100% formatting my HDD's from A to Z that I can do through a bootable disk or usb drive? (so no other computers involved)

update: When trying to install windows on HDD A, it gets stuck at 0%. I'll leave it a bit more.
When installing on HDD B, in half a second it goes to Copying windows files 100%, goes on to Expanding windows files and gets stuck.

I swear I have no idea what this RAID did, but definitely not what it should have.

Another update: thank you Paperdoc, I installed windows on one of the hard drives and it works. The problem is the other one is still locked and it crashes and locks the system every time it tries to access it. How can I unlock it, get it out of the RAID thing? If I try to start Windows with it connected to the SATA it just gets stuck at the loading screen.
 
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felixgravila

Honorable
Sep 11, 2013
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10,510
I managed to solve the problem, here is what was happening:

When going into the RAID configuration menu, it would allow me to delete the array but it would not allow me to save and exit without having at least one array. In hindsight, this is pretty obvious, but they could have made it more obvious that simply exiting after dissolving the array would keep it like this, as I was expecting to finalize the procedure somehow. Anyways, All I had to do was dissolve the array and press escape, then set it back to IDE. If you don't do this and just set it to IDE then I'm guessing the metadata or whatever it's called that it stores for raid information on the hard drives messes up everything and no software can create partitions, write, modify etc. I hope this will solve someone's problem someday.

One of the hard drives seems to be broken. It crashes all the time, gets stuck, I can't seem to be able to repair it with any software, it just crashes when it feels like it and you can't access it anymore until a reboot. Guess I'll have to get another one. Thank you guys for the assistance.
 
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