setting up raid 5 on xp

edited September 2007 in Hardware
I am trying to install a raid 5 with 4*500gig hard disks in windows xp. its only for storing data and music(i rip all my cds in flac).

i have 2 problems. first; im using a gigabyte ga-p35-dq6, and in the bios, the intel raid controler has 3 options, disabled/raid/achi. raid lets you configure a raid using the controler it self(its onboard so i dont want to do that), disabled is just normal sata disks, and achi acts the same way at disabled from a raid POV, but it allows thigns like NCQ.

my first problem is that with achi enabled i get stuck at verifying dmi data pool. if the controler is disabled, the discs show up in windows disk managment etc. but obviously it dosent have achi support. any ideas why i get stuck?

also is achi worth the effort does it make a difference? i am using windows to raid with, i dont have a xor controler or anything.

i had decided il try and set it up with/out the achi so i tryed to do the hex edit thing to allow windows xp pro to make a raid 5, but nothing doin, when i try to use the recovery console to replace the old files with the edits, the recover console prompt wont let me edit windows folder files(i also noticed it didnt ask for a admin password(there is one set)).
FYI im following this guide
(cant post a link, but its the toms hardware winxp raid 5 guide) any ideas on this?


any help would be much appreciated! thanks

p.s. the controler drivers are installed

Comments

  • LeonardoLeonardo Wake up and smell the glaciers Eagle River, Alaska Icrontian
    edited September 2007
    After five posts, you'll be able to post links. The five-post rule is to inhibit spammers from dumping all there crap here.

    Concerning setting up RAID 5 with your motherboard in WinXP - I've got no clue, so consider this post a BUMP.
  • TexTex Dallas/Ft. Worth
    edited September 2007
    are you trying to boot off of it? What controller is this? I am shocked that gigabyte board would let you make a raid-5 in it's bios either?

    So I need to know what raid-controller you are using now. Is it a controller that actually supports raid-5 or does that Toms hardware guide tell you how to do some hack or something or what? Sorry I have not been to that site in years and don't feel like starting again.....

    sooooooo

    1) are you trying to boot off this thing?
    2) what is the controller? Does it really support raid-5 or what?
    3) you say windows won't make a raid-5..... Well windows only makes a raid-5 itself through a software disk array and you can't boot from that? Or did you mean windows will not create a partition on a raid-5 array that you setup in the controller?

    I can probably ask several more questions but lets start with those and lets see if we can get you running. I'm scared to even look at that "Toms Hardware" guide..... (rolls eyes....)

    Cheers

    Cowboy
  • RyderRyder Kalamazoo, Mi Icrontian
    edited September 2007
    D'oh, I should read better.
  • TexTex Dallas/Ft. Worth
    edited September 2007
    RyderOCZ wrote:
    Set the bios to Raid then you may have to tell it what ports you want Raid enabled on, just depends on the bios.

    When the board posts after exiting, you will get a prompt to go into the raid bios and setup the Raid level (0, 1, 5, 0+1, etc) Then you point it at your 4 discs.

    Tex,

    Many chipset manuf. are offering the ability on their SATA controllers to do Raid 5. It is not true Hardware Raid and is nowhere near as good, because there is no cache on the mobo. It does actually give you some security because it will stripe the drives with parity and allow a rebuild within the OS if a drive fails.

    So your up and running? Good!

    Cowboy
  • edited September 2007
    1) are you trying to boot off this thing?

    The Mobo has 2 controlers, a gigabyte one with 2 ports that is running my os. i mirrored them in the controler bios and installed the os on them.

    there is also a ich9r controler with 6 ports. im using 1 for my optical drive and the other 4 are for my 4*500 gig disks.

    i already have it booting form the gigabyte controler. of the mirrored disks so im not trying to boot of it.

    2) what is the controller? Does it really support raid-5 or what?

    the instructions from gigabyte, and the intel website say that this chip set supports raid 5. but im trying to set this raid up differently form the other one.

    im sure you know but a non hardware raid can be set up through the controler bios or through windows. with the latter being far easyer to move in the event of hardware failure.

    3) you say windows won't make a raid-5..... Well windows only makes a raid-5 itself through a software disk array and you can't boot from that? Or did you mean windows will not create a partition on a raid-5 array that you setup in the controller?

    im trying to create the array(instalise if you will) in windows xp pro. xp pro technically doesnt support it. however the support is there but just not an technical option. the toms hardware guide shows a way to change system files in xp to trick it into thinking its a server type os that allows raid 5. i know toms sounds dodgy, but a magazine i subscribe to had the exact same content explaining how to do it. but obviously i cant post a link to that so i wanted to show you the tims one.
    Set the bios to Raid then you may have to tell it what ports you want Raid enabled on, just depends on the bios.

    When the board posts after exiting, you will get a prompt to go into the raid bios and setup the Raid level (0, 1, 5, 0+1, etc) Then you point it at your 4 discs.

    Tex,

    Many chipset manuf. are offering the ability on their SATA controllers to do Raid 5. It is not true Hardware Raid and is nowhere near as good, because there is no cache on the mobo. It does actually give you some security because it will stripe the drives with parity and allow a rebuild within the OS if a drive fails.

    thats all try, but if the hard disks are enabled just normaly, ie non raid, and set up the raid in windows , then if the controler fails, i can easily move the array to any other windows system. but if i set up the raid through the raid bios, i would have to buy a new mobo with the exact controler to get it to work.

    the performance difference between the mobo one and windows is practicaly zero as both have to do XOR operations through the cpu.
  • RyderRyder Kalamazoo, Mi Icrontian
    edited September 2007
    I see...sorry, I should have read more of your post, I see now that my post made no sense :(
  • edited September 2007
    its cool. im crap at expressing my self in the writen form anyway
  • edited September 2007
    any other ideas?
  • Ultra-NexusUltra-Nexus Buenos Aires, ARG
    edited September 2007
    Did you try following this guide?

    The RAID option in bios enables the RAID support from the southbridge ICH9r, its not an external raid chipset like in the old days. Give it a try. ;)
  • edited September 2007
    its cool i figured it out. that guide shows you how to set up the raid in the controler bios i want to set it up in windows (this allows for greater portability) and i figured it all out thanks for your help
  • Ultra-NexusUltra-Nexus Buenos Aires, ARG
    edited September 2007
    I´m glad it worked out for you. :)
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