1 SSD boot drive - can I add RAID 1?
Hi there,
I have Win 7 on a Vertex 2 SSD. I did the install in sata mode. I want to add 2 Seagate 1TB 7200.12 disks for storage in RAID 1. I have made the settings in bios and configured the array - but win 7 will not boot up in raid mode. Is there somethong I do wrong in adding the raid 1? Did I have to install win 7 in raid mode from the beginning? Thanks
I have Win 7 on a Vertex 2 SSD. I did the install in sata mode. I want to add 2 Seagate 1TB 7200.12 disks for storage in RAID 1. I have made the settings in bios and configured the array - but win 7 will not boot up in raid mode. Is there somethong I do wrong in adding the raid 1? Did I have to install win 7 in raid mode from the beginning? Thanks
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Windows 7 has the same registry stupidity as XP in this regard. When you build a RAID array, it completely changes the handling and device naming for even non-RAID devices on the same ICH controller. Windows will not load the ICH Matrix RAID driver unless originally installed with the controller operating in RAID+AHCI mode. So not only can Windows not find the SATA device path it requires, it doesn't have the drivers loaded in the correct order to access the array correctly.
So yes, you SHOULD install with the controller set to RAID mode in the beginning. You just don't have to have the array built from the beginning. (Speaking from experience.) You should be able to do a REPAIR of Windows 7 to fix it though.
Yes, I did a clean install. Messed around with it a bit and found it the easiest when my previous install was very new. Kinda weird though that you have to do that - I could think of plenty occasions where you start out non raid and wish to go raid. But thanks for the explanation RootWyrm :-)
So, despite the SSD being the boot drive, the the Raid array just being a storage access solution, it was problematic?
1) Boot into windows and install the drivers for the NEW hard drive controllers (or for the current controllers RAID mode)
2) Open device manager and find your IDE ATA/ATAPI Controllers, do the following for each one
2.1) Open the properties page
2.2) Go to Update Drivers > List Compatible Drivers
2.3) Select Microsoft Generic drivers
2.4) Repeat for each controller listed in device manager
3) Shut down your system, make your configuration changes, clone the drive to the RAID array if that's what you're doing
4) Boot back up, things should boot fine (I've never had a problem using this method anyway) You'll want to go back in and update the drivers again to use the correct drivers so you get full functionality.
This has always worked for me. Of course, I've always used it on Windows Server, but it should work the same for their desktop OSes I would imagine. If not... there's always the whole sysprep (Solution 4) method if the above doesn't work. Still far less work than reinstalling everything.
i have built a RAID 0 array before so i know what to do in that respect. my soon to be issue(hopefully not an actual one haha) is that i will be buying a 510 series intel SSD which uses the sata III. but i also have 3 WD 640GB blue drives(SATAII) that i want to put into RAID 5. if i do go forward with this i will be using the ASrock p67 EXTREME 4 mobo(dont know exactly how the RAID drivers are for it). so i guess my question(s) is how exactly do i go about setting this all up? do i have to find the RAID/AHCI drivers and install them while i install windows on the SSD(ssd=OS RAID5=storage)?? or do i make the ARRAY first and then install windows? i guess i dont know the exact order in which to go about this process. ALSO....so you think there would be any conflict with the mix between usinf SATAIII(SSD) and SATAII(raid) or would that benefit this setup?
any reply would help haha sorry so long.